Bruce woke up after what seemed to be an eternity. He opened his eyes and found himself in a pool of water.
"You're finally awake" The Dragon God's voice appeared.
"Lord Asgorath, how long have I been out?"
"About one month"
"I see…" Bruce didn't expect his techniques to be that powerful. He had minimized the usage of World Breaker to one second and yet his body still couldn't handle everything.
"You've absorbed the universal spring for the entire month to recover back your health"
"Universal Spring?" Bruce looked at the water around him and found boundless life energy within it. He couldn't help but drank the water also.
"This water derives from the source of the universe"
"It has regenerative properties and will also greatly aid you in cultivation"
Bruce checked his meridians and found them to be packed with boundless energy.
He was ready to break through to Divine Emperor!
"I will give you my legacy after you break through to Divine Emperor"
"Understood" Bruce sat cross-legged and started the process.
Bruce's aura grew rapidly until it no longer could increase anymore as if there was a wall preventing it from going further.
'Fuck the wall'
Bruce pushed forward and destroyed the wall. His aura began to rise once more until it reached the Divine Emperor realm. The surroundings began to shake. Fortunately for Bruce, he would not have to undergo any thunder tribulation because he was currently in a space under the control of the Dragon God.
Bruce stabilized his aura and felt his strength increase by ten folds. He couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he fought Ares again.
"Even though you have broken through to the Divine Emperor realm, your body is still not strong enough to inherit my legacy"
Asgorath summoned a spongey substance in front of Bruce.
"In front of you is my bone marrow. I have sealed it away before I died"
"I plan to make you into the next Dragon God and lead the dragon race to new heights"
"Hence, it is necessary that you have my complete bloodline"
Bruce stared in awe at the priceless treasure in front of him.
"Wouldn't that turn me into a dragon completely?" Bruce didn't want to become a giant dragon. How would he be able to date his girlfriends while being that big?
"No, you are still human at the genetic level"
"By absorbing my bone marrow into your body, you will gain all the attributes of the most powerful dragon in existence"
"Your body and soul will be unmatched in the universe"
"Your elemental powers will also amplify greatly because though dragons can only use one element, they have extremely powerful affinities with those elements"
"I see" Bruce determined to absorb the bone marrow no matter what.
"Unfortunately, your body currently is way too weak compared to that of a dragon, much less the body of the Dragon God"
"I will slowly integrate the bone marrow into your body while continuously breaking down your body and rebuilding it until your body is powerful enough to absorb the entire bone marrow"
"Are you ready?"
"Yes" Bruce said with absolute certainty.
"I must warn you that the process will be extremely painful"
"Lord Asgorath, I can handle it!"
"Very well, sit in the universal spring as I carry out the process"
"You must continually cultivate in it to form the absolute pinnacle foundation"
Bruce sat cross-legged in the universal spring and began to cultivate. He was a bit intimidated by the process but figured it couldn't be as bad as the trials he had to go through for the past 6 years.
"Let's begin"
Asgorath pulled a tiny portion of his bone marrow and guided it into Bruce.
As soon as Bruce contacted the bone marrow fragment, his body began to heat up to eliminate the invader.
"AARGH" Bruce felt excruciating pain as the bone marrow fragment attempted to integrate into his body.
"Only focus and cultivate. Leave the rest to me" Lord Asgorath reminded Bruce once more.
Bruce gritted his teeth and focused on cultivating in the universal spring as the dragon bloodline wreaked havoc across his entire body.
"Still too weak"
"Again!"
"Again!"
"Again!"
After a few months, Bruce had lost count of how many fragments of bone marrow have integrated into his body. He slowly got used to the pain while he diligently cultivated in the universal spring.
Only time would tell if he could fully integrate the Dragon's God bone marrow into his body.
3 years later…
"Congratulations, you have completely absorbed my entire bone marrow" Lord Asgorath smiled.
He found Bruce's will to be unshakable over the past 3 years. Even though he went through excruciating pain the entire time, he never once complained and kept diligently cultivated in the universal spring.
After 3 years, Bruce looked much more different than before. His snowy white hair had turned silky. His handsome face turned even more flawless. It's not an exaggeration to say that Bruce may very well be one of the most handsome men in the universe.
The biggest change occurred in his body where every part of his body was packed with immense power. Even a Great Emperor ranked weapon could not hurt Bruce in his current state.
Bruce stood up from the universal spring and inspected the changes on his body. He had grown taller and more muscular. He felt a tremendous amount of power in his body. Even his soul increased in strength. However, he was not able to breach the realm of Worldly Supreme with his soul.
"The last thing I will give you as part of my legacy is my ultimate technique"
"Do not use it until you reach at least the Worldly Supreme stage"
"Understood, Lord Asgorath" Bruce nodded.
Lord Asgorath was satisfied with Bruce's answer, and he began to transmit the technique to Bruce.
"Tell me, did my descendants betray my order"
"Yes, according to Sir Aegon. The Lightning Dragons have murdered their own kins to claim your legacy for themselves"
"I see…" Lord Asgorath was saddened by the news. He had hoped that his descendants would work together and flourish after he passed away.
"Bruce, I want you to extinguish the lightning dragon race and unite the dragon race once again"
"I shall do as you ask" Bruce bowed to Lord Asgorath. The man had given him the necessary powers to protect his family. He will fulfill his promise and kill the Lightning Dragon God.
"My soul will soon vanish. I hope that you will do right with the powers in your hands, Bruce Stellae" Lord Asgorath began to fade away along with the world under his control.
Bruce sighed and couldn't help but feel saddened. He had spent 9 years in the trial and the journey was about to be over.
After Lord Asgorath disappeared, Bruce was teleported back to the Realm of Aegon.
All the dragons looked at the human that just appeared in front of them. They felt nothing but fear and admiration when they felt his bloodline.
"So, you have succeeded" Aegon immediately arrived in front of Bruce.
"Yes, sir Aegon" Bruce smiled
"Please, do not call me sir Aegon"
"I, Aegon, and my descendants offer our complete loyalties to you"
Aegon and every single dragon in the realm began to kneel down in front of Bruce. The Dragon God had finally returned to them.
"I appreciate the gesture, but I am still way too weak to defeat the Lightning Dragon God" Bruce shook his head.
"The time will come when you have the power to kill that traitor!" Aegon spoke with fury in his eyes. He held nothing but hatred for the lightning dragon race for killing his family.
"I will link my soul to you" Bruce touched Aegon's forehead.
"If you need help, reach out to me and I will come for all of you" Bruce had already seen himself as the ruler of the dragon race. It was his responsibility to protect the dragons and destroy those that are on his path.
"Thank you, your majesty" Aegon bowed.
For some reason, that phrase felt familiar to Bruce.
"I must head back to my home now. We'll meet again Aegon"
Aegon smiled and nodded.
"I wish your majesty a safe journey. I will teleport you back to the Nether Realm"
"Please do, I need to go see a friend"
"As you wish" Aegon teleported Bruce back to the Nether Realm.
The Trial of Aegon was officially over.
