CHAPTER 496: CHAPTER 488: THE ONLY REWARD

The frog Leon selected in the competition seemed divinely assisted, overcoming all obstacles and ultimately securing first place, earning him ten copper coins.

After collecting his ten copper coins, Leon did not continue to bet — with his current status, it seemed like fate was on his side; it would be hard to lose in such a small competition — he went to buy a sizzling, fragrant, charcoal-grilled frog.

Leon took his charcoal-grilled frog to a quiet, comfortable corner, finished it in a few bites, wiped the oil off the corner of his mouth, and prepared to look at the Golden Finger reward he had just received. The Golden Finger reward was key to his progress so far; one must not forget their roots.

"Eternal — you have someone above, but I have no one above, to become the supreme god."

"Sole reward: Hongmeng Purple Qi."

At the instant he saw the Golden Finger reward he had just received, even though Leon had already figured out many things and his mindset had become broad, he couldn’t help but be moved, showing an expression of shock and ecstasy intertwined.

Of course, he was well aware of what Hongmeng Purple Qi was.

Hongmeng Purple Qi is undoubtedly one of the core settings in the prehistoric-themed novels, originating from the time before the birth of the universe, sharing fifty strands, of which forty-nine transform into the Heavenly Dao, leaving one as a slim chance of survival. As innate energy, it is considered the foundation of all Daoism, allowing the recipient to peek into the great Dao and achieve the supreme god position.

Leon closed his eyes, using his heart to feel the Hongmeng Purple Qi.

Hongmeng Purple Qi is not a tangible item but a supreme power belonging to the source of the universe; however, he cannot use it directly and must spend time refining it... the information within Hongmeng Purple Qi is truly exaggerated, and Leon cannot even imagine how much time it would take to refine it.

Nevertheless, Leon was certain that if he could refine the Hongmeng Purple Qi containing the laws of heaven and earth, aside from possessing immense power, at that time, all spells, divine arts, and spiritual energy would appear to him as merely folded paper in different patterns. Furthermore, just refining a portion of it would be of endless benefit to him.

It was at this moment that Leon felt something was suddenly missing from his heart, leaving an emptiness inside.

He finally realized something; after obtaining the Hongmeng Purple Qi, his Golden Finger might have disappeared, and he would no longer be able to get rewards from it. However, if he wished to obtain divine skills and spells, refining the Hongmeng Purple Qi should suffice.

"Could there be such a possibility?"

Leon murmured to himself, suddenly realizing that perhaps he never had an actual Golden Finger, or one could say that his Golden Finger was always the Hongmeng Purple Qi, merely appearing in the form of a Golden Finger, in a way he could easily understand.

Once he refines the Hongmeng Purple Qi, everything will surely become clear; for now, he can only guess. Leon did not spend much time deeply investigating the connection between Hongmeng Purple Qi and his Golden Finger.

Leon glanced around; this bustling square was definitely not the ideal place for him to refine the Hongmeng Purple Qi. With a gentle wave of his hand, he instantly vanished from where he stood, transformed into a rainbow light, disappearing into the sky, and in the blink of an eye returning to the Volcanic Island he knows so well.

Sharon saw the rainbow light streak through the sky and knew Leon had returned. That spell, transforming into a rainbow light, was beyond her abilities as a Nether Dragon, despite her best efforts to learn it.

"Dad, you’re back!" Sharon, seeing Leon, jumped up and down in excitement, throwing herself into Leon’s arms. No matter how long she rotated through various departments and observed in the Zhen Dan Kingdom, she was always her father’s innocent and pure daughter.

Leon let Sharon hold his neck, rubbing her little face against his chest, spun around with Sharon in his arms, tousled her smooth short hair before putting her down.

"We want too!"

"We want too!"

Sida and Tana, initially in Dragon Form, immediately transformed into cute twin lolis using magic items upon spotting Leon in his human form. Aside from one wearing an emerald and the other with a green tourmaline, their hair and clothing were identical, and they pounced on Leon from both sides.

After giving Sida’s rosy little face a kiss, he made sure to do the same to Tana, ensuring he said something to Sida and not forgetting Tana. Leon learned from experience never to neglect any daughter, finally bringing out the prepared little gifts, making the twin daughters beam with joy.

Leon’s eyes inadvertently glanced over, spotting Tassera quietly standing beside, gazing at him intently, she smiled and said, "Is there something on my face? Why do you keep staring at me?"

"You are still the same, but your aura is completely different from before." Tassera pondered and said, "I don’t know exactly how to describe it."

Leon softly replied, "I am who I am, always have been."

Tassera’s lips moved slightly, hesitating to speak, unsure how to begin. After pondering for a moment, she switched topics and asked, "You’ve been gone so long; where all have you been?"

"Many places." Leon recalled briefly, organizing his words, "First visited the Red Crown Desert for a look, even met a believer, my believer, a teenage Red Dragon, then went from the Star Realm to check out the Chaos Sea. It’s filled with chaos, yet quite entertaining, and then I ran to the Burning Flame Hell..."

"Do you remember Chained Demon General Marahix?" Leon turned to look at Tassera, "I killed it to prevent it from always bothering you."

"The master of the Ophalos Demon?" Tassera raised her eyebrows, her gentleness was only for friends and family, "Letting it live a few more decades, it should thank us properly."

Leon nodded, continuing, "Paradise is truly beautiful, but striving for perfection isn’t always good... You’ll never guess, I met the Beast Lord, an Immortal Spirit of a Legendary Beast, in the Longevity Garden."

"Having been to so many places, I still prefer the Material Plane." Leon slightly turned his head, glimpsing at Tassera, eyes filled with affection, "Because the Material Plane has my favorite wife... and my lovely daughters."

"So do I." Tassera couldn’t help but smile.

An empire meant little to Leon; his gaze encompassed beyond the universe, all heavens and worlds, but the Zhen Dan Kingdom was different. It was his creation, naturally worth his concern, so he asked about the development of the Zhen Dan Kingdom.

After spending time with everyone, including Tassera, Cecilia, and Fiora, Leon climbed the Volcano Top, descended into the volcano crater, finally ready to begin refining the Hongmeng Purple Qi.

The power and information contained in Hongmeng Purple Qi are too immense, like a vast universe. Even the present-day Leon, merely attempting to refine it, gently uncovering the hazy veil over the Hongmeng Purple Qi, nearly overwhelmed his body and mind.