[Vol. 9] Chapter 58: Ice Coffin, Fire Burial
After resting for a short while, drying her body with magic, and adjusting her condition until stable, Veranica began to move forward, following the direction lit by the fire.
The road was very long. Interestingly, every certain distance, she could see different types of beautiful murals on the walls of the corridor.
The content mainly showed a giant with a tall body, holding a long spear, and surrounded by raging flames. Some murals showed him fighting against powerful enemies, while others showed him being worshiped by followers, or spreading fire to grant blessings to all beings. Each mural was grand and magnificent, like a shining epic.
As Veranica carefully observed them along the way, she felt that the giant looked somewhat similar to the Ice Demons. There was even a faint sense of closeness in her heart. But no matter what that giant was, judging by the murals, he was clearly connected to fire. How could he be related to the Ice Demons, who had the opposite element?
The more she walked, the more questions filled her mind. She didn’t know how long it had been, but when she finally reached the end of the long murals that told the great achievements of the giant’s life, she felt deeply moved, as if she had been pulled into that grand and legendary life story. Her heart couldn’t calm down for a long time.
If these murals were truly real, then… only the word “God” could match such greatness.
At that moment, a towering temple appeared out of nowhere at the end of the corridor. She stepped inside unconsciously, and almost instantly, her attention was drawn to the massive coffin in the center of the hall, seemingly made from pitch-black ice crystal.
“This is…”
The ice coffin was enormous. Ten meters long, and more than two meters wide. In front of it stood a stone monument engraved with dense writing, like an epitaph.
Strangely, even though Veranica had never seen such strange letters, the moment her eyes fell upon them, a grand and ancient will flowed into her mind, directly showing her their meaning. Her body trembled lightly as she read,
— — — — — — — — — —
I am Sinong, God of Ice and Snow.
The divine war is over, the choice has been made. Now I build this coffin for my friend and leave these words on this inscription, hoping the later generations will never forget.
The Fire God, [Faer], the source of all fire and the supreme ruler of the fire element, fought with me for more than thirty thousand years. We were both mortal enemies and closest friends.
Now the Origin is gone, the world is on the verge of collapse. To find a way out, we agreed to fight here. [Faer] was defeated, yet not because his divine power was weaker than mine, but because he chose death willingly, using his body to open the path for the future. Truly great.
All sacrifices are for redemption and continuation. [Faer]’s spirit was firm, his heart was clear. Though I fought him for thirty thousand years, in the end I still lost to him by half. It is hard to accept… ah…
This divine tomb cannot be entered without fate. If you truly came here, it must be because of destiny. You may take what lies inside the coffin as your aid.
But remember, everything comes with a price. To take what [Faer] left behind means to also carry its consequences. If you wish for answers, bring it to my daughter, Winter Sinong, and she will explain.
With these final words, I only hope future generations will never forget us.
— — — — — — — — — —
The God of Ice and Snow, Sinong!?
Veranica was shocked. At the same time, she felt something and instinctively looked up past the last lines of the inscription. On the ceiling of the temple, there was an enormous mural, far greater than any she had seen in the corridor. It covered almost the entire hall above her.
Though the mural was still, the moment she laid eyes on it, her whole body shook violently. It was as if she saw a sky filled with falling flames like giant stars crashing down, while a mighty figure stood on the earth, gathering all the frost and snow into his hands, almost freezing the entire world!
The feeling of extreme heat and extreme cold spread across heaven and earth like a tidal wave. The ground sank into an ocean, the poles reversed, and Veranica saw blazing fire stars and freezing ice frost weaving together. The scene of their clash had already gone beyond the meaning of a simple battle. At the critical point, the power of both extremes rose to a higher level, like an eternal divine nail hammered deep into the ground.
Its presence could not be described with words. It felt like something indescribable was engraved into the depths of the land, or like a nail striking the vital point of a serpent, sealing it completely. The moment the ice demon girl touched this unspeakable truth, she suddenly tasted blood in her throat and violently spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, stumbling backward!
As her body moved, her eyes naturally shifted away from the mural above her head. Only then did Veranica break free from the illusion, her heart filled with shock!
So… so powerful!
It was just a mural, a painting that recorded the scene of that time, and even though it only carried a faint echo of its meaning, just looking at it once had already injured her. If she had truly witnessed that battle with her own eyes back then, wouldn’t her body have exploded and she would have died instantly?
So this… this is what people call a god?
For a moment, Veranica’s heart was in turmoil. This was the first time in her life she truly realized what it meant to be a god, and how unbelievably powerful the Great God Sinong, worshipped by the [Eternal Winter Temple], really was.
The information she received was too much and too complicated. Veranica didn’t even have time to think about the hidden meanings behind her earlier encounters. The fire poison she had suffered in the hot spring still hadn’t fully healed, and now she was struck again by the overwhelming aura of the mural. Her injuries worsened, her head spun, and she even struggled to stand steadily.
Even so, she still remembered the most important part of the inscription’s message. Forcing herself to endure the pain, she staggered toward the enormous black ice coffin.
Whatever treasure a god had left behind, it would surely contain immense power. The outside world was already unstable, and if she wanted to quickly recover her body and gain enough strength to face what was coming, she could only place her hope on what lay inside this coffin.
As for the karmic consequences mentioned on the inscription, that was something for the future. If she couldn’t even stay alive, then what was the point of worrying about things that were vague and far away?
Living one day at a time, that was always how life was on Icefang Island.
Walking around the stone inscription, Veranica came to the ice coffin. Only then did she realize that the coffin lid seemed to have already been opened before. It was slightly ajar, leaving a small crack.
She thought about it and decided it must have been left that way since the Great God Sinong built it. Otherwise, such a massive coffin lid could not be opened easily by ordinary people.
With respect for the god in her heart, the ice demon girl first crossed her hands together and gave a clumsy bow to the coffin whose contents she did not yet know. After whispering a quiet apology in her heart, she slowly pushed the icy lid open bit by bit.
A rough rumbling sound echoed. Veranica swallowed nervously and leaned forward to look inside. But instead of a giant god’s corpse, the ten-meter-long ice coffin only contained three items, placed side by side.
They were a massive fiery red spear, a strange stone the size of a fist that looked like a magic crystal, and a thick book with no words on its cover.