Lin Fan held no fondness for the Sea God. He could sense a malevolence emanating from the deity, a feeling he deeply disliked. However, since the Sea God hadn't provoked him or harmed anyone close to him, Lin Fan maintained a relatively amicable demeanor during their interaction.
"I apologize. I didn't realize you were so weak. It's my fault for not believing you and causing you harm. I hope you won't take it to heart," Lin Fan said apologetically, then felt it wasn't quite right. Patting the Sea God's shoulder, he added with a sincere look, "Actually, your strength is not bad. If you cultivate diligently, I believe you'll become even stronger."
No one could believe what they were witnessing. The one whose shoulder was being patted was a god, the Sea God!
The Sea God's composure completely crumbled. His purpose in coming to Yanhai City was to utilize the monster siege he orchestrated to spread his divine glory and amass countless followers.
But now… forget about followers, he himself had been thoroughly beaten, his face lost. Damn it, how could he encounter such a person?
Curses upon Madonna! Why didn't he warn him about such a monstrous individual in this place? If he had been warned earlier, he definitely wouldn't have projected only 30% of his power. He would have come in his true form, suppressing everyone with his supreme divine power, and letting all those foolish humans feel the immensity of the Sea God.
Madonna was innocent. What did this have to do with him? He truly had warned the Sea God, but the magnificent god hadn't listened. To whom could he express his grievance and pain?
Sun Xiao held his phone, excitedly interviewing the Sea God. "Excuse me, Mr. Sea God, do you have anything you'd like to say to the citizens of Yanhai City?"
"On behalf of the ordinary citizens of Yanhai City, I welcome Mr. Sea God's arrival."
Sun Xiao frantically filmed the Sea God. He was going to be rich! He was the first person to film the Sea God up close. Posting these photos online would definitely cause a sensation.
He had no interest in the Sea God himself, only in capturing explosive photos. Looking at the Sea God's appearance… oh my god… it was utterly miserable. The swollen face, the bruised skin, the dark circles under his eyes… if he hadn't witnessed the Sea God being beaten, he would have thought the Sea God naturally looked like this.
The Sea God remained silent. His divine face was utterly lost, and anger burned within him. He wanted to tell them that he hadn't used his true power, and if they waited a moment, his power would be terrifying.
But he didn't. Such an explanation didn't match his image as the Sea God.
The Sea God left. Without a word, he departed the beach. What was the point of staying? To further humiliate himself?
Then he remembered the monsters still on the river and was startled. He'd been too arrogant. However, he quickly regained his composure, appearing unfazed. Monsters were just monsters. Didn't they see who was standing beside him? The very being who had just pummeled the Sea God.
"Boss, those monsters are dangerous," Sun Xiao pointed to the enormous monsters in the distance, feigning fear as he hid behind Lin Fan.
Lin Fan was interested in the monsters. Such enormous size must mean great strength. However, having just finished his fight, he felt satisfied and lacked further motivation. It felt a bit of a pity.
The giant monster on the river was bewildered, its mind blank. It had been waiting for the Sea God's summons, anticipating being scared off by the Sea God's might, thus completing its mission.
But the situation was wrong. It had witnessed the Sea God being beaten, powerless to resist. The sight filled it with terror, so much so that it forgot to even lift its feet.
Then, it felt the human's gaze fixed upon it. What was he doing? Why was he staring? It hadn't done anything, not even completing its act. And it had thrown its weapon into the city center and hadn't retrieved it yet. Damn it! That was the trident the Sea God had lent it to project an aura of power.
Damn it!
After much deliberation, it roared, a sound filled with grief, signaling a full retreat. The other monsters responded and withdrew. It turned and left. Forget it, the trident wasn't its weapon anyway. It had only followed the Sea God's orders and hadn't made a single mistake from beginning to end.
If there was a major blunder, it was the Sea God's. His failure had affected the entire operation.
"It's leaving." Lin Fan watched the retreating figures, slightly disappointed. If possible, he would have liked to have a proper exchange with them.
The special department members who had been blocking the monsters' advance breathed a sigh of relief. It had been dangerous. Fortunately, the monsters retreated; otherwise, it would have been a disaster. The giant monster on the river had been the most intimidating, exerting a psychological pressure on them.
"No, God! Why are you leaving us?" The man holding the statue cried out, tears streaming down his face. Seeing the god depart, his heart was filled with grief. It was all because of that guy. If it weren't for him, God wouldn't have left them.
He wailed, then, while everyone was still stunned, hid the statue in his arms and scurried away. For him, this was unbelievable. How could God fail?
The man whose legs had been healed by the Sea God had long since fled with his wheelchair, nowhere to be seen.
The citizens who had followed him, ready to believe in the Sea God, stared blankly at the scene.
"Where did the leader go?"
For them, the Sea God was their belief. The leader's disappearance had a significant impact.
A bystander said, "The leader ran away a long time ago."
"Your god got beaten by Yanhai City's strongest. How embarrassing."
"Yeah, I thought this god was fierce, but he turned out to be so weak."
"Luckily, I always thought this god was unreliable and didn't believe in him. I can't believe so many people did."
The citizens discussed amongst themselves. Those who were prepared to believe in the Sea God and had joined the parade felt awkward. They felt like monkeys being played.
Netizens in Japan couldn't sit still. Watching the live broadcast, they saw a strong person from Longguo thrashing the Sea God. This was a huge blow to them. They considered themselves excellent at resisting monsters, recognized as the country that understood monsters best in the world.
The original purpose of the live broadcast was simple: The Sea God wanted everyone to see his divine power. Unfortunately, it seemed like a setup for Lin Fan, instantly making him a legend.
Back on the beach…
"I'm strong, right?" Lin Fan raised his arm, flexing his muscles. He knew Mu Qing was his wife, but she seemed unwilling to admit it. He recalled something strange. Every night, when it was just the two of them, and Mu Qing was naked, riding him… she would keep shouting, "Husband… husband…"
At the time, Lin Fan was always too tired and just wanted to sleep. He never took it seriously.
Now, looking back, he wondered if it was because this hadn't happened, because a special mode hadn't been activated, that his wife didn't dare to recognize him. It was highly possible.
The chubby boy hugged Lin Fan's leg. "Dad, you're so strong."
The chubby girl hugged Lin Fan's leg. "Handsome brother, you're the best!"
Other children looked at Lin Fan with admiration, just like how they looked at Sun Wukong when they were young. The Fighting Buddha was truly strong.
Lin Fan scratched his head, puzzled by these strange children. He wasn't their dad, so why did they call him that?
Sun Xiao approached Mu Qing nervously. "Sister Mu, I'm your fan. Can I take a picture with you?"
"No," Mu Qing replied decisively.
Sun Xiao hung his head, disappointed. His path to showing off hadn't even begun before it was cut short. A photo with Mu Qing would have instantly elevated his life's style.
Somehow, Sun Xiao's path was getting narrower, his mind not as sharp. Lin Fan had just beaten a god. A photo with him would have been the most impressive, yet he hadn't thought of it. See, his thinking was skewed.
The one-eyed man received the news that the monsters had retreated. The reason? Lin Fan had thrashed the Sea God, and the monsters, as if sensing something, obediently left.
"As expected, something's fishy."
He knew the Sea God was behind the monsters, but what could he do? Did he have evidence? Most people knew, but it couldn't be openly acknowledged.
What truly shocked the one-eyed man was that Lin Fan had actually beaten the Sea God.
"Heh heh." The one-eyed man chuckled smugly. "I really didn't misjudge him. No kidding, my ability to judge character is unmatched."
Nowadays, this was the only thing he could boast about.
Inside the hotel…
"Impossible! How is this possible?"
Madonna roared furiously, smashing the TV, the ashtray, the wardrobe – anything he could get his hands on. In his extreme rage, there was nothing left to smash.
He looked at the phone in his hand and silently put it back in his pocket. The phone held many numbers he'd collected over the years. A man should have some hobbies, right? A man without hobbies, what kind of man was he? How depressing would life be?
Just then, a gloomy voice emanated from the statue.
"Madonna…"
The voice dripped with anger. Madonna trembled, his face pale.
"Master."
Madonna knelt humbly before the statue, his head almost buried in his knees. He dared not look up. He had watched the live broadcast and seen the Sea God being beaten, brutally so. Even he couldn't bear to watch.
My god, my master, how could he be beaten so casually?
Madonna was nervous and humble, not daring to speak. He kept his head down, like a prisoner awaiting judgment.
The statue on the table glowed.
"Do you have anything to say to your god?" the Sea God asked.
Madonna stammered, "Master, I warned you before, but you didn't listen. I believed your divine power was unparalleled, but I didn't expect this to happen. I hope you can forgive me."
He was panicking, afraid the Sea God would blame him.
He truly had warned him. It wasn't his fault the Sea God hadn't listened.
The Sea God did consider killing Madonna, but he dismissed the thought. He needed a spokesperson in the human world, and getting angry over this didn't seem like something a god would do.
The Sea God said, "No… you are not wrong. For a god, winning or losing is merely a mental construct. I, the Sea God of the Sea God Temple, suppress billions of demons, so the power I can exert is less than one percent."
Madonna looked at the Sea God in astonishment, his wide, confused eyes conveying a single question: God, are you telling the truth?
Less than one percent? So you are truly that powerful?
He knew it. How could the Sea God be so weak? There must be a reason.
This incident had made him doubt the strength of the god he worshipped. If the Sea God was truly that weak, he'd considered switching allegiances.
Now it seemed he had overthought things.
Madonna asked, "God, are the billions of demons very powerful?"
The Sea God replied, "Indeed. The monsters you face now are merely descendants of those demons, their power less than one ten-thousandth of those demons."
"Ah…" Madonna gasped in disbelief, as if seeing a ghost.
"Praise the great Lord, praise the great Sea God."
Madonna's demeanor was devout. If the Sea God appeared before him, he would kneel and kiss his feet, even asking, "God, have my lips defiled your shoes?"
That's how humble he was.
The Sea God was pleased with this attitude, though his own state of mind hadn't recovered. After all, he had just been beaten by a human. Regardless of the reason, he couldn't forget the pain.
Night fell.
In his rented apartment, Sun Xiao organized the photos he'd taken. Looking at them, he grinned.
Cracking his knuckles, he prepared for battle. Then, he began typing furiously, sharing what he had captured with his online comrades.
He posted the photos of Lin Fan and the Sea God, two in total. One was the original, and the other was photoshopped, with two added captions:
"I am the Sea God!"
"Oh!"
The online forums exploded. Countless netizens stayed up all night, frantically posting.
Ranking first was Sun Xiao's post with the videos and photos. Following that were:
"Analysis of the Sea God and Lin Fan's Strength" "Wrong! No analysis needed. The Sea God couldn't even warm Lin Fan up." "This is the so-called god? I hereby declare Lin Fan the strongest God of War."