We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 336 [The Great Yan Princess] [The Black Flame Walker]

A dark and deep underground spire.

A chill permeated the air, its origin unknown, and the metallic silver-gray walls and floors added to the icy atmosphere.

Even seasoned veterans like Xia En couldn't help but look solemn and feel a strange unease as they entered the last floor of the shelter.

When everyone looked up, they saw...

An ice coffin stands in a spacious, empty hall.

And the woman in the ice coffin who seemed to be sleeping.

"That is……"

Joey couldn't help but hold his breath and look at the woman in the ice coffin.

Unlike the monsters that had turned into ice crystals, this woman's appearance was lifelike, and her skin was no different from that of a living person.

It was as if... she had simply fallen into a sweet dream and could wake up at any moment.

Her appearance was exquisite and flawless, yet she also possessed a certain noble and transcendent air.

Her long, jet-black hair, as black as ink, spread out at the bottom of the coffin, and her gorgeous red and black court dress further accentuated her elegance and extraordinary beauty.

Upon seeing the woman in the ice coffin, Xia En instantly understood where the ominous sign of danger he had sensed earlier came from.

Moreover, much of the icy chill permeating the inverted spire emanated from that ice coffin.

"Who is she?"

Daisy asked with surprise and doubt, "Why would it be at the very bottom of this ruin?"

Unlike the complete bewilderment of outsiders, Joey and Ann quickly discovered something that shocked them—

Although the woman in the ice coffin was a stranger, the mysterious ice coffin itself gave them an unexpected sense of déjà vu.

Joey murmured, "Captain, that ice coffin...it looks just like Miss Vivian's crystal coffin!"

Xia En narrowed his eyes slightly.

He naturally discovered this immediately as well.

Moreover, Xia En also noticed that the similarities between the two were not only in appearance and style, but also in temperament and aura.

They looked as if they were carved from the same mold.

However, after observing carefully for a while, Xia En discovered that the aura of this ice coffin did not seem as strong as that of Vivian's crystal coffin.

If I had to put it into words, it would be like...

Is this ice coffin a replica of Vivian's crystal coffin?

However, this was just a sudden conjecture by Xia En, and there was no evidence to prove it.

Jane, standing nearby, also frowned slightly.

These days, she and Vivian have naturally had quite a bit of contact—the name "Vivian" alone is enough to arouse Jane's strong curiosity.

However, aside from confirming that Vivian was likely an elf before her death and that she definitely had some close connection with elves,

Even someone as learned as Jian would find it difficult to acquire more information.

It could even be said that Vivian harbors more secrets and dark clouds than she does!
After visiting Vivian's crystal coffin, Jane keenly sensed that a crucial secret was hidden within it!
But Jane doesn't yet know what that secret is.

Therefore, Jane fell into deep thought when she saw this ice coffin, which seemed to be a replica of the crystal coffin.

Honestly.

The scene before them was undeniably bizarre, as if they had stumbled into a horror movie set or a boss room in a game.

Lewis, Nana, and Daisy all couldn't help but show strong unease.

Lewis had also heard tragic stories of captains who, while exploring ancient ruins, accidentally broke the seals of some strange entities, leading to the annihilation of their entire fleets.

After hesitating for a moment, Lewis spoke up to remind him.

"Captain Shane, that ice coffin seems very dangerous. It's best not to touch it, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Xia En naturally understood Lewis's concerns.

He stroked his chin, pondering whether or not to risk touching the ice coffin.

Judging from the sense of danger I sensed, the sleeping woman was definitely not ordinary; she was far more powerful than the previous ice crystal monster.

However, with Jane by his side, he is not without the ability to deal with danger.

If this woman can be awakened, perhaps we can naturally learn about the secrets of the Great Yan Kingdom's past from her.

Perhaps we can even learn some of Vivian's secrets along the way...

Xia En's thoughts were in turmoil as he weighed the pros and cons.

But after a moment, Xia En sighed and finally decided to give up on opening the ice coffin.

It wasn't because I was afraid of the dangers of opening the ice coffin.

But because...

Xia En realized that the ice coffin and the black-haired woman inside were in an extremely strange state.

This ice coffin serves as both a seal and a protection, allowing her to continue living in this state.

If it is forcibly activated rashly, it may disrupt the original balance, causing irreversible damage to the woman, and even causing her to lose her life.

Xia En had no grudge against her, so there was no need to disturb her eternal sleep out of curiosity.

With that thought in mind, Xia En no longer hesitated and said.

"Let's go, let her continue to sleep peacefully."

Although Daisy and the others were somewhat surprised, Xia En was the backbone of the group at the moment, and no one expressed any objection.

However, just as everyone was preparing to evacuate the underground ruins...

Three or five dark figures appeared silently in the corner of the hall and quickly approached the ice coffin in the center.

"who!?"

Xia En suddenly raised an eyebrow and looked in surprise in the direction where the dark figure had appeared.

From the moment he arrived until now, even he hadn't noticed the presence of those dark figures.

These people seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

This ability to hide surprised even Xia En.

The dark figures ignored Xia En's question and continued rushing towards the location of the ice coffin.

laugh!laugh!laugh!
Suddenly, a storm of ice needles shot out from above and on the floor of the hall.

With a brief cry of pain, a dark figure was riddled with holes by the ice needles and collapsed helplessly to the ground.

At this moment, Xia En and the others realized that these dark figures were actually people dressed in black robes.

The black robes had dark red patterns that formed different designs.

Shaun had seen this strangely styled black robe before in the [City of Giant Trees]!
Among the participants of the [Universal Conference] were envoys from the [Great Yan Kingdom].

This black robe is one of the characteristics of that group of [Black Flame Walkers]!

In other words, are all these black-robed figures the [Black Flame Walkers]?
But why did they want to get close to that ice coffin?
Are they trying to rescue the woman from the ice coffin, or... kill her?
For a moment, many questions flashed through Xia En's mind.

However, given the current situation where the Black Flame Walkers' allegiance and objectives were unclear, he couldn't rashly make a move. Instead, he calmly observed their actions from the sidelines.

After one of their companions died, the remaining Blackflame Walkers did not pause their movements at all; instead, they quickened their pace.

One of them suddenly increased his speed dramatically, and at the same time, a ball of black flame ignited in his palm, which he then slammed directly towards the ice coffin.

Seeing this, Xia En finally realized that this group of Black Flame Walkers wanted to destroy the ice coffin and the woman inside!
But can they do it?
Just as the black flames were about to touch the ice coffin.

An extremely intense chill suddenly appeared out of nowhere, freezing the man and the flame in his hand.

In just a moment, a lifelike ice sculpture appeared before everyone.

"This ice coffin is definitely not as simple as it seems!"

Xia En thought to himself.

He had guessed beforehand that although the ice coffin seemed to have no protection, the fact that it could exist for hundreds of years in an environment dense with ice crystal monsters was enough to show that it must have some ability to protect itself.

This is also one of the reasons why Shane ultimately chose to evacuate.

At this moment, Xia En and the others were not injured by the ice coffin; instead, these Black Flame Walkers stepped on the landmine for them.

However, the remaining Blackflame Walkers did not give up.

One of them suddenly burst into intense black flames, as if he had turned himself into a torch, and rushed towards the ice coffin without regard for his own safety.

The temperature of that black flame was extremely high, and even the extremely cold air released by the ice coffin could not extinguish it instantly.

The two are currently in a stalemate.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the last [Black Flame Walker] let out a low roar, his figure flashing like a ghost, and arrived behind the ice coffin.

He seemed to be holding a black dagger in his hand, and suddenly stabbed it at the woman in the ice coffin.

"Hisoka! Stop!"

Just then, a soft shout tinged with anger suddenly came from the direction of the hall entrance.

Xia En turned his head and saw another [Black Flame Walker] dressed in a red and black robe appear there.

However, judging from her figure and voice, this [Black Flame Walker] seems to be a woman.

Moreover, judging from her words, it seems that she and the other Black Flame Walkers have different purposes?

However, this has little to do with Xia En and the others.

At this point, they had become bystanders who had stumbled into the incident.

Doing nothing and observing how things develop is undoubtedly the best option.

What surprised Xia En was that the words spoken by the later female [Black Flame Walker] were not just simple words.

A unique, mysterious power then spread out, quickly locking onto "Hisoka" beside the ice coffin.

Hisoka's body then stiffened briefly.

It was really very short.

It took less than three seconds.

However, in a life-or-death situation, even a one-second delay, let alone three seconds, can be fatal.

The next moment, a surge of cold air enveloped Hisoka's body in an instant.

His movement was forever frozen at the moment he raised the dagger.

The person completely lost all vitality.

Rather than being frozen to death, it was more as if his life force was completely sucked away by that strange ice coffin.

As for the one who was burning himself out, he quickly turned into an ice sculpture in the bone-chilling cold, remaining motionless.

After this batch of Blackflame Walkers all died.

The temperature in the entire hall seemed to drop a few degrees, and the ice coffin looked even more eerie and dangerous.

At this moment, Xia En and the others also looked at the last person to appear, the [Black Flame Walker], with wary and vigilant eyes.

He managed to reach the deepest part of this spire ruins all by himself, before they had even discovered him...

This in itself is a symbol of strength.

Finally, it was Xia En who spoke first, asking, "You are... the [Black Flame Walkers]?"

The other person hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "That's right."

"You must be the [Far Northern Expeditionary Force] that came to provide support, right?"

“The King has already told us about this, and on behalf of all the Black Flame Walkers, I would like to express my gratitude to you.”

As he spoke, the Black Flame Walker performed an ancient salute to the crowd.

Even so, the Black Flame Walker's attitude still carried a hint of pride.

Those seemed to be some traces left over from the era of the Great Yan Kingdom.

Upon hearing the word "king" from her, Joey's beautiful eyes widened slightly, and she couldn't help but ask.

"Yan Yan... oh no, your king, how are you now?"

Joey's question caused a slight change in everyone's expression, and they couldn't help but look at her with surprise.

What kind of problem is this?
It's almost as if they're very familiar with that Lord of Cinder?
What if I get into trouble because it's seen as disrespectful to the Lord of Cinder?
But what happened next was beyond the expectations of Daisy, Lewis, and the others.

"……Um?"

Upon hearing this, [Black Flame Walker] was also taken aback: "How do you know the king's name, and why are you acting like this..."

Suddenly, as if remembering something, the man exclaimed in great surprise.

"Wait, you guys are..."

Shaun stepped forward and said calmly, "I am Shaun, the captain of the Black Swan."

"I don't know if you've ever heard of this name."

"The Black Swan... Captain Shane..."

Upon hearing this, the expression under the hood of the Black Flame Walker changed several times.

Finally, she walked up to Xia En, knelt down on one knee amidst the surprised gazes of the crowd, and said respectfully.

"Greetings, Captain Shane."

Xia En was also caught off guard: "What are you doing?"

Blackflame Walker replied, "The King once said that when you see the captain of the Black Swan, you should treat him as if you were seeing him."

Upon hearing this, not only Daisy and her siblings, Nana and Lewis, but even Jane couldn't help but show surprise on her face.

They never expected that Shane would have such a close relationship with the legendary Lord of Cinder.

That one sentence from [Blackflame Walker] is enough to demonstrate Shaen's status in the eyes of [Lord of Cinder]!

But no one could understand why the news of the Lord of Cinder's return had only recently spread throughout the Seven Seas.

When did Shane establish such a deep friendship with the Lord of Cinder?

Xia En didn't care what others thought; she just felt a warmth in her heart.

This shows that Yan Yan has not forgotten the time he spent on the Black Swan, which makes him quite gratified.

Now that they had this connection, Xia En couldn't help but be curious about what had just happened and the mysterious ice coffin, so he asked.

What was the deal with those Black Flame Walkers earlier?

"And the woman in that ice coffin..."

After a moment's hesitation, the [Black Flame Walker] responded.

"Actually, the woman in that ice coffin is Her Highness the Queen of the Great Yan Kingdom..."

(End of this chapter)