CHAPTER 495: CHAPTER 487: I AM GOD

Leon first went to the forest where he used to live and took a look. He still quite liked that nest located halfway up the mountain. Then he flew to the Black Ridge Mountains, went back to the place where he hatched, and looked around. That place, after nearly a hundred years, was still the same. He took a bath in the small river where he used to catch crabs and suck snails.

The Black Ridge Mountains are adjacent to the Empire, but Leon does not plan to go to the Empire. That aging Empire is the future that Sharon, who’s going to inherit the Zhen Dan Kingdom and become the queen, targets. With just a thought, Leon used the Long Rainbow Escape and appeared in the Desolate Universe, entering the Astral Sea from its border.

Leon had always been following the protracted war between Vilakis and the Comet Prince, so he took the opportunity to visit Tunaras.

Although Tunaras was in a state of martial law, this naturally couldn’t stop him... The whole of Tunaras had very few Plane Merchants due to the war, and a considerable part of the Githyanki, originally numbering over a hundred thousand, had left, causing panic among the people.

Vilakis is stronger than the Comet Prince, but unlike the Comet Prince, she hasn’t inherited the Githyanki’s ability to shield Spiritual Energy, which means she lacks legitimacy against the Mind Flayers. Additionally, the Comet Prince has the support of the Githzerai, making the outcome not very optimistic.

However, for Leon, it doesn’t matter who wins or loses between Vilakis and the Comet Prince; it’s not as important as his travels.

Filled with curiosity and yearning for the unknown, Leon went to the Chaos Sea through a black Color Pool.

The Chaos Sea is a purely chaotic plane, a swirling soup of unstable matter and energy. Rocks melt into water and freeze into metal, then transform into diamonds, burn into smoke, and change into snow, undergoing endless unpredictable transformations.

The Chaos Sea has no gravity, so creatures on this plane float in place, moving in any direction simply by imagining their path forward.

Furthermore, the Chaos Sea adapts to the desires of its inhabitants. A disciplined and strong will can create self-made islands within the plane and even live there for years, whereas simple-minded creatures might not last a minute before disappearing or turning into glass.

Leaving the Chaos Sea, Leon thought of heading towards the Burning Flame Hell.

The Burning Flame Hell is a plane devoid of mercy, forgiveness, and compassion, the birthplace of the Yugros Demons.

The Burning Flame Hell is comprised of four layers, each dominated by an independent volcano: the Deep Red Mountain Range, the Flame Mountain Range, the Gray Snow Mountain Range, and the Silent Mountain Range. Nearly every place’s ground is inclined at least 45 degrees.

The Deep Red Mountain Range is the first and lowest layer of the Burning Flame Hell. Its air clings to the ground, turning somewhat dark red because of magma and volcanic ash, which then quickly fades into black high in the air.

Leon found a thriving market next to the Tear Palace, a massive black market selling all kinds of goods, dazzling the eyes. He paid a soul coin to a Night Hag for information about the Chains Demon General Marahix.

Due to the Impermanence Card, Marahix harbors deep hatred for Tassera, having once plotted against her. By rights, Leon should have dealt with him a long time ago, but given that Marahix resides in the Burning Flame Hell, he is quite troublesome, which has delayed any action.

Now with some free time, Leon is preparing to resolve this grudge.

Marahix does not have a fixed nest. Its nest is its main vehicle—a colossal unfinished demon sedan. This shrilling masterpiece is composed of hundreds of tireless Mazeros Demons.

Leon found Marahix on scorched earth interwoven with scorching magma and twisted rocks, as it sat on the unfinished demon sedan, fully absorbed in fiddling with creating curse magic items.

Marahix’s favorite activity is to throw the magic curse magic items it creates into the Material Plane, excitedly watching unsuspecting mortals being tormented to death by those curse magic items, and after becoming bored, teleporting in front of mortals to take back its treasures, killing those laughable mortals in the process.

"Long time no see." Leon, sitting on a steep rock, greeted Marahix.

Marahix, immersed in its "creation," heard the voice, sharply lifted its head, gripped the Forge Hammer tightly with one hand, and swung a whip with the other, hesitating to stand up from the unfinished demon sedan, warily asked, "Who are you?"

"Leon." Leon said calmly, softly spitting out two words.

Marahix had always been observing the Blue Dragon, naturally aware of Leon’s great name.

Crafty in the extreme, possessing astonishing wisdom, more akin to a Night Hag than a Yugros Demon, Marahix wanted to buy time to use Teleportation Technique to escape, but knew it was probably futile, saying:

"You, a mighty Dragon God, what are you plotting against me, a mere Yugros Demon for? So many years have passed, why still hold a grudge, not a bit of the magnanimity that a Dragon God should have."

"When you calculated against us back then, why didn’t you realize that fortunes change, thirty years on the east bank, thirty years on the west bank, never underestimate the young and poor." Before finishing the words, Leon moved, resumed his Dragon Form, suddenly flapped his wings, released the Sanmei Divine Wind, shattering Marahix’s unfinished demon sedan to pieces, and then threw the Divine Sword.

With a challenge level of 18, Marahix is certainly an Overlord, a cruel and powerful tyrant, but in front of Leon, it wasn’t worth anything, unable to last even a minute.

This is like playing a game up to the final conclusion, suddenly remembering there were side quests uncompleted, where initially challenging enemies now resemble mere clay chickens and pottery dogs, bringing about a sense of dullness and disinterest.

Only the heavens know how wronged Marahix is. It never intended to provoke the Blue Dragon, but inexplicably ended up doing so, and beside the Blue Dragon, there was also a fearsome Red Dragon. As tales of what the Red Dragon had done spread, it couldn’t sleep peacefully. Decades passed, and it assumed the Red Dragon had forgotten about it. But indeed, with the Red Dragon’s vengefulness, such an outcome was impossible.

Leon efficiently gathered the spoils of battle and then headed to Worm City, a sprawling metropolis made of obsidian and volcanic ash, moving on its thousands upon thousands of fire-immune legs. It can cling to the steep slopes of Burning Flame Hell and even slowly cross the wide Molten Rivers.

After departing from Burning Flame Hell, Leon visited Paradise, also known as Arcadia, a place where trees stand in orderly ranks, streams run straight, fields are orderly, roads are perfect, and cities are arranged in geometric patterns. Even the eroded mountains remain flawless, all designed for an existence of shared beauty and perfection.

If it were the Leon from before the transformation, he would have certainly liked it there. Now as a Red Dragon, Leon wasn’t overly fond of the tranquil and harmonious scenes.

The Ten Thousand Beasts Garden is an uncivilized natural realm. In the dense jungle, the branches were intricately interwoven. On the vast plains, grains and wildflowers thrived vigorously in the wind. The entire realm embodied the wildness and beauty of nature, while also representing all animals.

The Wilderness of Freedom is a land of violent emotions and intense passions, where these sentiments override even life itself, fueling people with stubborn impulses and fiery passion until they burn out completely.

Leon traveled through several planes in succession, each with its own unique scenery and charm, but he still preferred the Material Plane, marveling at how one doesn’t realize home is the best place until one ventures away.

Returning to the Material Plane, Leon planned to visit the Empire, and after wandering through several major cities, he was now sitting on an unknown slope, enjoying the breeze. Towering trees covered the sky like a canopy overhead. Without propping himself against the rocks behind him, he couldn’t even see the treetops by leaning back.

An adventurer caught Leon’s eye; the clumsy fellow was enjoying the view by a bridge, and with a careless slip, dropped the sword hanging at his waist into the river, and now he stood by the riverbank, anxiously looking around.

Seeing this, Leon blinked and suddenly felt a mischievous inspiration rising in his chest. He flew to the riverbank, standing on the water with his feet, and asked, "Young man, why are you weeping?"

The adventurer was startled by the sudden voice, jerked his head up, eyes filled with wariness and loudly demanded, "Who are you?"

"I am the River God." Leon lightly beckoned, producing a sword of exceptional grade, shimmering with cold light under the sun, "Is this the sword you just lost?"

The adventurer, to his credit, was quite honest. He examined the sword carefully and shook his head resolutely, saying, "This is not the sword I just lost."

Leon secretly chuckled and flipped his hand to produce a rare-level sword, crafted from rare refined gold, exquisitely designed, with a brilliant gemstone inlaid on the blade, emitting a charming glow. He asked, "Then, is this the sword you just lost?"

"It’s not that one either." The adventurer shook his hand.

"Then, is this sword the one you just lost?" Leon deliberately elongated his voice, gesturing as he retrieved the adventurer’s lost sword from the river. That sword was battered, its blade marred with notches.

The adventurer immediately recognized it as his lost sword and excitedly exclaimed, "Thank you, River God! This is indeed the sword I lost."

Leon looked at the eager adventurer before him, put away the three swords slowly and said leisurely, "I was just asking. Everything that falls into the river belongs to me. Be more careful in the future. A mature adult should learn to take responsibility for their own mistakes."

"There never were any saviors, nor gods or emperors to rely on. To create happiness for humankind, we must depend on ourselves." Leon continued.

Having said this, Leon could no longer hold back and let out a hearty laugh, then vanished in a flash, leaving the adventurer standing at the riverbank, looking bewildered.

Leon wandered aimlessly, playing wherever he went. If in a good mood, he would save adventurers attacked by ogres; upon eating bad food, he watched as villagers were bitten to death by a pack of wolves with indifference; when bored, he would wipe out the entire family of a manor master abusing tenant farmers, then swagger off into the sunset...

After experiencing this series of events, Leon lying on the grass slopes suddenly had an epiphany.

He had no divine position, might have a few believers, but couldn’t bestow divine arts upon priests like other gods could. Yet he had mastered so many divine power spells, including the Eight-Nine Mysterious Skill and Fatian Xiangdi—abilities that were extraordinary, transcendent, immortal, free and unrestrained. What else could he be if not a deity?

Not having a Golden Finger reward wasn’t his problem; it was the problem of the Golden Finger.

No Golden Finger reward, then no Golden Finger reward it was. It didn’t matter if others didn’t recognize him as the Dragon God, as long as he recognized himself. After all, he had already attained the transcendence he desired and become a carefree deity.

Fate truly toys with people, arriving neither when invited nor expected. Now, the familiar "ding" sound rang out.

Leon didn’t hurry to check his Golden Finger reward, because there were more important things to do, like watching a frog race. Betting one copper coin, "You must win, my chosen frog by this Dragon God."

Who knows what kind of Golden Finger reward he would get? It would probably be strong, but it’s not impossible for it to be weak as well.