# Chapter 116: Fatherly Kindness and Filial Piety
In the dead of night, the streets of the central district in the late hours were completely empty.
"This way."
A deliberately lowered voice came from ahead. Captain Berna, who had been forced to defect, walked in front. Truth be told, he didn't want this either—it was his boss's wife who had seduced him. But his boss would never believe that. If this were exposed, he would definitely face castration before execution.
Thinking of this, Captain Berna shuddered and hurried along until he finally returned to the small courtyard where Su Xiao was temporarily staying. By now, Captain Berna was covered in cold sweat.
"You're really something else. Just a little fright and you're drenched in sweat."
Kaisa revealed a knowing smile that only men understood. Captain Berna remained silent.
"Since we're all friends now, let me enthusiastically recommend a top-quality rejuvenating vitality pill. For just..."
Kaisa pulled a paper bundle from his chest—a pill wrapped in calendar paper. The pill was quite large, the size of a lychee, and looked dark and lumpy through the calendar paper.
Captain Berna wasn't particularly interested, but when he heard he could try a free sample, his interest was piqued. He tore open the calendar paper and, like eating a candy pill, furrowed his brow and chewed one. The moment the pill crumbled in his mouth, his entire face scrunched up. From the look of it, he seemed on the verge of dying on the spot.
A moment later, Captain Berna sniffled, his forehead still buzzing.
"Pretty strong, huh?"
Kaisa gave a thumbs up as he spoke. Captain Berna nodded—this pill really went straight to the crown of his head after eating it.
A few minutes later, Kaisa walked into the second floor of the mansion with his chin slightly raised. His specially crafted rejuvenating vitality pills had sold out completely.
"Kaisa, selling fake medicine is a good way to get struck by lightning."
Baha spoke up. Hearing this, Kaisa scoffed. "That's not fake medicine."
"Then why is it so intense?"
"Concentrated wasabi. Of course it's intense."
"You're really something else."
Baha was speechless. Kaisa counted his money on the side. Although Brother Donkey's "treatment" was complete, the client hadn't arrived yet.
According to Kaisa, the client for this matter was the Long Divine Son, Os Conrad. No matter how you looked at it, this was somewhat inexplicable.
Os Conrad was one of the rulers of the main city, the eldest son of the Sea God, and the person most likely to threaten the Sea God's authority.
Why would someone like this be connected to Brother Donkey, and hire people to treat him?
Everything was suspicious. Su Xiao accepted this commission more as a test. To deal with the Sea God, the Long Divine Son, Os Conrad, was the best partner, surpassing even Zuiyasi and Wude.
If they successfully killed the Sea God, Zuiyasi and Wude would once again become Su Xiao's enemies. Don't forget, this was a Scroll Fragment competition. Whichever side submitted the most scroll fragments to the Young Miss would be the victor. Su Xiao checked the scroll fragment rankings.
[Scroll Fragment Rankings Refreshed. Current Rankings as Follows:]
First Place: Bai Ye (Reincarnation Paradise), Scroll Fragments Submitted: 20 pieces.
Second Place: Wude (Demon Tribe), Scroll Fragments Submitted: 4 pieces.
Second Place: Zuiyasi (Doom Star), Scroll Fragments Submitted: 4 pieces.
Second Place: Lilim (Demon Race), Scroll Fragments Submitted: 4 pieces.
Second Place: Molei, Yueshitu, Scroll Fragments Submitted: 4 pieces.
...
Except for Su Xiao, everyone below was tied for second place. The reason was that only after submitting 4 scroll fragments to the Young Miss could one ascend to the second floor of the ancient castle.
Truth be told, Su Xiao didn't want to be the current frontrunner either. He submitted 20 scroll fragments to the Young Miss mainly to raise her friendliness to 100 points and see what would happen.
That was why he obtained the "Cipher Code" and "Password." The former had already been put to use, while the latter's function was still unknown.
Of course, Su Xiao didn't have only 20 scroll fragments. He still had 18 in his possession, totaling 38. Wude and Zuiyasi also held a considerable number of scroll fragments.
Su Xiao examined the 18 scroll fragments in his storage space. After entering the third inner painting world, the Seabed World, two rules of the competition had changed.
First, after someone was eliminated, it only took 1 hour for a new participant to be teleported in.
Second, within the inner painting world, one could submit scroll fragments to the Young Miss. The process was: first submit the required scroll fragments to the Void Tree, after which they would reach the Young Miss, and the number of submitted scroll fragments on the rankings would naturally increase.
In the main painting world's reception hall, there were four paintings representing four inner painting worlds. From the current situation, Su Xiao had a feeling that the victor of the scroll fragment competition would be decided within the Seabed World, and they might not make it to the fourth inner painting world.
This wasn't Su Xiao's random speculation. Earlier, Water Brother had cleared the field, greatly accelerating the pace of the competition. All potential unstable factors had been removed.
Now that Water Brother had stopped clearing people, it meant there was a 90% or higher probability that the Crow Woman had already entered this world.
Thus, the current participants in this world were: Su Xiao, Crow Woman, Wude, Zuiyasi, Lilim, Water Brother, and the Apocalypse Sisters.
First, ignore the Apocalypse Sisters. From their laid-back expressions before entering the Seabed World, they had clearly completed their tasks. Their remaining time was for happy goofing off, with the core principle being not to die.
As for Water Brother, he seemed like a formidable enemy, but his series of actions indicated he had given up on competing for scroll fragments. He had arrived too late this time, so he was profiting through other channels—clearing people to help the Crow Woman enter.
As for Lilim, this female succubus, after awakening, clearly had the strength to fight Su Xiao. Although she wasn't very durable, given the combat power she could unleash, she was playing the support role far too hard. Obviously, Lilim's goal this time wasn't victory either—she had other motives.
After eliminating these, the true competitors were only Su Xiao, Crow Woman, Zuiyasi, and Wude.
Were the others uninterested in competing for rankings? No. It was because the four current competitors were engaged in a chaotic battle of gods. Anyone rashly getting involved would be too likely to get eliminated.
Earlier, Lilim had dreams too. But after the battle with the blood energy monster, she hesitated, considering whether continuing to participate in this competition was worth it. After the subsequent battle with the Blazing Sun Monarch → Blazing Flame Beast, Blazing Flame Lord, Lilim realized this was a battle of gods.
By the time the Sun Bird, Taihakak, appeared in the "Sacred Dan City" of the Sand World, Lilim had decided: Farewell! The competition from now on had nothing to do with her. She had other things to do.
Counting this way, the remaining opponents were actually only three: two "teammates" and the Crow Woman.
The ideal approach would be to have the two teammates deal with the Crow Woman. The biggest obstacle was that the two teammates were too intelligent—there was no way they would do such a thing.
Just as Su Xiao was pondering, a knock came from downstairs. Bubu Wang went to open the door.
A man wearing a gold-patterned black-lined coat, a round-top hat, and carrying a walking stick came upstairs. He looked to be in his early thirties. His originally handsome features were marred by black-red patterns on the left side of his face.
These patterns, resembling lightning scars, covered his entire left face, even reaching behind his ear. His left eye was deathly white, with cracks at the center of the eyeball.
"Surprised by the ugliness on my face? This was bestowed upon me by my father," the newcomer said, pausing before continuing with a smile:
"Actually, it wasn't bestowed by my father. I did it myself. First meeting. I am Os Conrad, the eldest son of the Sea God, and the person he most wants to eliminate. Pleased to meet you, Kukulin Bai Ye of the Sun Church."
The Long Divine Son, Os Conrad's tone was gentle, yet carried an air of strategic control.
"I know you're connected to the Sun Church. That's not surprising. A few days ago, a Trace King found me and told me many things. That Trace King called himself Lushuman, from the only remaining ancient castle in the main painting. Trace Kings always know many things.
People say Trace Kings have their current status because they can see the future. But in my view, their ability to peer into the past is even more terrifying. The future has infinite possibilities, but the past that has already happened only has one."
Conrad picked up the teacup on the table, raised it in a toast gesture, then began to drink slowly.
Hearing his words, Su Xiao thought of the Trace King in Room 5. He knew Trace Kings could foresee the future, but he didn't know they could peer into the past. Peering into the past was indeed a formidable ability. Used well, it would create an information advantage.
For example, right now, Os Conrad had gained a huge information advantage through that Trace King, taking the initiative in tonight's meeting.
"Your methods... are very clever. Without the Trace King's information, I wouldn't have noticed you, Kukulin Bai Ye. You came here to kill my father, didn't you? I can't think of any other possibility."
Os Conrad raised his left hand, palm up, and said with a smile: "Even with guards, my survival instincts still make my hair stand on end. You should know, I have three wives and five children. This isn't bragging—it's sincerity. A man with a complete family, coming to face you who could take my life at any moment, face to face. Is this sincerity enough?"
Os Conrad wasn't an ordinary person, but given his strength, being this close to Su Xiao meant that in an instant, Su Xiao could take his life. The guards behind him would absolutely not have time to react.
"Not bad."
Su Xiao withdrew his aura. Os Conrad, sitting across from him, relaxed. The male and female guards behind him silently breathed a sigh of relief.
"Your background, I don't know. But your purpose in coming here, I know very well. That's enough. As cooperating parties, you should naturally have sufficient understanding of me."
Os Conrad glanced at Kaisa out of the corner of his eye, meaning that if there were any doubts, he could verify with Kaisa. He began to briefly narrate his situation.
As the eldest son of the Sea God, Os Conrad's conflict with the Sea God originated from one of the Sea God's young wives. The content was explosive. At the time, 15-year-old Conrad and that young woman had a close encounter. This wasn't just a moral issue—it involved ethical problems.
The result was predictable. Conrad's current face was the consequence of the Sea God's punishment at that time. Many said Conrad was lucky to survive.
After Conrad turned 20, due to his disfigurement, his personality became cold and violent. At 25, he secretly developed his power. At 27, he broke with the Sea God. To this day, he was the Sea God's only thorn in the main city.
The outside world's version of the Sea God and Conrad's conflict was like this. But the truth was different—much more fantastical. The truth was:
When Conrad was very young, he was smarter than his other siblings. He discovered one thing: his older brothers generally didn't live long. The title of Sea God's eldest son rotated among them. This made young Conrad decide he couldn't be too smart.
Until one day, Conrad heard that his nearly 60-year-old brother had died in the Eighth Sanctuary City. This was a heavy blow to young Conrad. He knew that brother was stupid enough to be laughable, yet even so, he hadn't lived past 100 before being hacked to death by thugs. Too short-lived.
Conrad summarized two points: if he became the Sea God's eldest son, being too old wouldn't work, and being too smart wouldn't work either. Both would lead to a short life.
Conrad wasn't worried. He still had two older brothers, so he wouldn't become the Sea God's eldest son. This allowed him to live in peace every day.
As the saying goes, misfortune comes without warning. When Conrad was 12, he received terrible news: both his older brothers had kicked the bucket, dying miserably.
That night, after becoming the Sea God's eldest son, Conrad hid under his covers and secretly cried. He didn't want to leave this beautiful world! He was only 12. He was still a child.
As Conrad grew older, he gradually understood how those brothers had died. The source of all misfortune was his father—the lofty Sea God, a terrifying existence intent on becoming a Holy God.
Conrad's journey of self-rescue began. At 15, he "accidentally" knocked over a resentment box, disfiguring most of his face. This was just the beginning of his plan. He wanted rumors to spread outside that the Sea God had already begun persecuting him.
But rumors alone weren't stimulating enough. If desire, ethics, and other elements were added, they would spread widely. People are like this—the more stimulating the news, the better they remember it, even if someone later claims it's false.
Things went as Conrad predicted. The rumor spread. Even though the Sea God Palace used bloody methods to torture a few of the most active rumor-mongers to death, the more they did this, the more people felt the Sea God Palace was covering up scandal. "The nobility's circle is truly chaotic."
Conrad grew up day by day. He didn't pretend to be stupid but appeared ruthless. In his rare meetings with the Sea God, he subtly displayed nearly fanatical worship and longing.
This continued until Conrad was 27. He knew that to stabilize his position and continue enjoying the endless faith power from the main city, his father would batch-eliminate outstanding offspring. But the eldest son must exist—this was the final comfort to his subordinates, lest people feel the Sea God had become emotionless and forgotten past bonds.
The Sea God maintained a terrifying balance, all for the goal of becoming a Holy God. Conrad knew this was his only chance—a chance to live.
Conrad proposed to his father, the Sea God, that divine authority would lead to many drawbacks. The rebel forces within the main city were springing up like mushrooms after rain.
Conrad suggested that simply suppressing these rebel forces would backfire. They needed a controllable and sufficiently convincing rebel force as a leader.
The benefits of this were twofold: first, to attract those with rebellious intentions, let them join, then secretly eliminate them; second, to diversify the power system within the main city, giving hope to those despairing of divine authority. With hope, people wouldn't easily rebel but would wait for that distant hope to arrive.
This controllable rebel force would be founded by Conrad. All high-level personnel were secretly trained confidants of the Sea God.
The rebel force's leader was Conrad. As the Sea God's son, with rumors that he had nearly been executed by the Sea God as a youth, people found it natural that he would oppose the Sea God, even though he was now the Sea God's eldest son.
The force's mission was to openly oppose the Sea God, attracting those who truly wanted to rebel.
After the force was established, the effect was excellent. With Conrad's displayed charisma, those intending to rebel joined in batches, delivering themselves to be killed.
This suited the Sea God's intentions. The rebel forces within the main city were indeed too numerous, impossible to clean up completely. Now with Conrad, those rebel forces showed signs of being completely extinguished.
This balance lasted for 2 years and 10 months. According to the Sea God's original plan, the deadline was 3 years, after which Conrad would be eliminated. He didn't need outstanding offspring.
That was when the unexpected happened. Conrad had been enduring hardships since age 12, stumbling along until nearly 30. He finally stood up and could say to the Sea God: "Come, try if you can still casually crush me to death."
"This is my life. I've always wondered about one thing: for so long, I just wanted to live. Was that wrong?"
Conrad touched his scarred left face with his finger. Clearly, this was a steady old dog. He was willing to take such a big risk to step forward, meaning his situation had become very unfavorable.
"Your father is not far from becoming a Holy God?"
Su Xiao lit a cigarette and exhaled smoke.
"Correct. After he becomes a Holy God, I will definitely be the first lucky one sacrificed. Oh, and my wife and children too."
Conrad wasn't exaggerating. If his account of the Sea God was true, the Sea God was indeed capable of such things.
"Then let's join forces."
Su Xiao's words stunned Conrad. He clearly hadn't expected Su Xiao to believe him so easily. To gain Su Xiao's trust, he had prepared several guarantee methods in advance. He was at a dead end and wouldn't miss any chance to turn things around.
"Just like that? I don't need to offer any collateral? Like pawning important items to you, or having one of my wives as a hostage?"
Conrad felt somewhat uneasy inside. Su Xiao's agreement to cooperate was too straightforward.
"This is your sincerity."
Su Xiao pointed to the empty teacup in front of Conrad. Conrad suddenly understood, then said with a smile:
"So you poisoned this tea."
Conrad picked up the teacup and sniffed it, detecting no suspicious smell. He turned to look at his subordinate, pointed at the teacup, meaning: "See? This is professionalism."
"I didn't poison the tea. What you drank was Type 17C chronic poison. When it enters the mouth, it makes people mistake it for light tea. You can understand it as a tea-flavored chronic poison that doesn't actually contain tea."
Su Xiao's inspiration for concocting this chronic poison came from a tea-flavored beverage. That drink indeed tasted like tea but didn't contain any tea.
"Uh, this..."
Conrad was momentarily speechless. After a wry laugh, he picked up the teacup and said, "Not bad flavor. Another cup, please."