Chapter 386: Chapter 380: Transcendence to Sanctity

Leon was utterly exhausted; he hadn’t felt this tired in a long time. His Mana was completely depleted, leaving him both mentally and physically worn out. Even though the battle had lasted only a few minutes, he killed the Flame Divine Successor and headed back to the Volcanic Island without looking back.

The considerate Tiefling Maid had already prepared food for Leon.

After indulging in a hearty meal, Leon didn’t even feel like taking a few extra steps. He randomly found a spot, turned half a circle, curled up, rested his chin on his tail, and lay down. Before falling asleep, he glanced at the Golden Finger reward he had just received.

“Ancient Rivalry—Never forget the harm the giants have caused the giant dragons, and deliver a grievous blow to the giants.”

“Advanced Reward: Bone Shedding and Rebirth.”

Leon didn’t sleep for long; he woke up by the afternoon, looking at the calm sky and the quiet volcano. Recalling the events of the morning, he had destroyed the Fire Giant’s army and killed the Flame Divine Successor. After a month’s hard work, he could finally rest and felt an inexplicable sense of being in another world.

Leon wasn’t a sentimental person, so he only pondered for a moment before moving on. He remembered that after killing the Flame Divine Successor, he obtained a Golden Finger reward.

The Giant Clan is as ancient as the Dragon Clan, and when the two clans meet, it often erupts into brutal wars lasting generations, eventually leading both sides to near paralysis. Giants and the Dragon Clan still hold grudges against each other to this day. Whenever their territories are too close and they meet, intense conflicts frequently erupt.

Killing a Flame Divine Successor to gain a Golden Finger reward, especially an advanced reward, was within Leon’s expectations. It just felt like he was gaining a lot of Golden Fingers recently, and all of them were high-level rewards. Maybe his combat power was growing a bit too quickly; perhaps one day he’d be able to slay gods as easily as chickens or dogs… wishful thinking.

Next, what exactly is the Bone Shedding and Rebirth… it’s not a spell?

In modern terms, Bone Shedding and Rebirth metaphorically refers to a thorough transformation through education and thought, but originally, it was a Taoist term. It meant that after a Taoist practitioner achieves enlightenment, they transform from a mortal fetus to a sacred one, and their mortal bones become immortal bones.

So, it means that after receiving this Golden Finger reward, he was no longer a mere mortal creature but something akin to a god, at least a divine beast. Possessing an Extraordinary Essence, he no longer needed air, food, water, or sleep. However, it didn’t mean he would completely abstain from these things, at least not from delicious food.

Moreover, a deity can easily extinguish the life of any mortal being. However, Leon wouldn’t have to worry about these matters in the future because he now shared the same level of life as the gods, standing on the same stage.

Of course, this doesn’t mean he can fight against deities. He struggled even against a Flame Divine Successor. One could say he was now part of the establishment and on the official path to becoming one. No one could remove him arbitrarily, but there are still many levels to climb, from local to national levels and beyond.

Taking Immortal Elixirs, cultivating into an immortal, achieving divinity through virtue… Leon was certain he wouldn’t become a deity like the gods of this world. He was on a different path entirely, unsure if he could ultimately achieve sagehood, capable of redefining the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind. Quite frankly, achieving sainthood through sheer strength might be more impressive than through virtue.

Distracted by these thoughts, Leon felt his stomach growling with hunger… not just a little hungry, but very hungry. He quickly summoned the Tiefling Maid to bring a large amount of food.

As soon as the Tiefling Maid arrived with food, Cecilia and Fiora rushed over, arguing loudly, their faces flushed, making Leon’s ears ache.

Leon wanted to rest properly, but he knew there were a lot of matters that required his attention. So he listened to the reason behind their quarrel while eating.

After listening for a while, Leon understood why they were arguing.

Cecilia thought that since the Flame Divine Successor dared to attack the Zhen Dan Kingdom with a Fire Giant army, now that they had lost, they should launch a counter-attack on the Lost Plateau and kill all the remaining Fire Giants there.

On the other hand, Fiora believed that although the Flame Divine Successor was wrong to attack the Zhen Dan Kingdom with a Fire Giant army, they were already dead and had received their due punishment. So there was no need to relentlessly pursue and kill the old, weak, women, and children. There was no point in pushing the giants and giant dragons into war.

After hearing them out, Leon leaned more towards Cecilia’s perspective: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. However, he had to consider the thoughts of the Metal Dragons, who were quite supportive of him.

Leon thought it over and reached a conclusion: they should definitely head to the Lost Plateau to first seize the wealth of the Fire Giants—not rob, but personally collect compensation.

For this battle, Leon had consumed many elixirs and spent a lot of money, and the Fire Giants should be the ones to pay for these expenses. Everyone had worked hard for this battle, so bonuses and other costs, including recruiting adventurers, should be covered by the Fire Giants as well.

As for the remaining Fire Giants, they didn’t necessarily have to die. However, they couldn’t be pardoned easily. For the sake of the Zhen Dan Kingdom, let them mine on the Lost Plateau and, based on their performance, have their sentences reduced accordingly.

Leon remembered that in the half-plane where the Flame Divine Successor had slept, rare metal and mineral veins were quite common due to the Flame Divine Successor’s magical influence on the surrounding area.

Metal Dragons are good-natured but not naive, and Fiora had no objections to Leon’s decision or was at least willing to accept it.

Leon didn’t want to deal with all the trivial matters, so after setting the general direction, he left the rest to everyone else to handle while he focused on his own affairs.

He was really hungry and needed more food, not just meat. For some reason, he also wanted to eat metal, like gold, silver, Mithril, refined gold, Cold Iron…

Leon looked at the giant sword he had used to cut off the Flame Divine Successor’s head. It seemed stronger than before, but still wasn’t at the level of a Divine Artifact, missing just a bit. Something seemed off.

Though he hadn’t obtained a Divine Artifact, Leon didn’t complain because it was now within sight, even if still out of reach. Unlike before, when he could only dream of a Divine Artifact.

Leon soon put away the sword and continued eating.

“Not enough, bring some more food.”

“I need more.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t eat you. I don’t eat people.”

Leon devoured an amount of food equivalent to his body weight and was still not satisfied. He didn’t know how much he needed but would eat as much as was available. Whether it was meat, vegetables, or fruit, he accepted them all; he even ate shellfish with their shells.

Leon didn’t know how much he had eaten. The Tiefling Maid kept bringing food, and he kept eating until finally full. Then he became sleepy again and went into a deep sleep that lasted for a month without waking, uncertain if he would sleep for a year, two years, or even longer.