Chapter 304: Not Worthy Enough

Chapter 304: Chapter 304: Not Worthy Enough

As the invisible barrier that had prevented the Four Great Ruling Dragons from entering the Golden Dragon Palace became completely undone, the four ruling dragons finally caught sight of several figures emerging from the Golden Dragon Palace.

The moment their eyes fell upon the man leading the group, they felt an inexplicable sensation wash over them, like the arrival of a terrible omen.

At that moment, they understood that they had to take this person absolutely seriously.

They could no longer allow their arrogance to influence their attitude from this point onward.

The four ruling dragons slowly descended from the sky and landed a few meters in front of Damian and his women.

"The Storm Dragon of the North?"

The Scorch Dragon raised an eyebrow in surprise upon seeing the North’s ruling dragon emerge from the Golden Dragon Palace while walking alongside an extraordinarily handsome and beautiful man, the most gorgeous man she had ever seen throughout her existence spanning countless eons.

However, the moment she laid eyes upon him, she and the other ruling dragons felt an overwhelmingly threatening and dominating presence emanating from his body.

It was a presence so powerful that it made them feel as though they had to be careful even to breathe in his presence.

Then, a realization struck them.

The very cells that made up their bodies, the souls that made them living beings, their blood, their life force, and everything else that constituted their existence began screaming at them.

Their instincts recognized him before their minds could fully comprehend his identity.

In the next second, their eyes widened to their limits.

Their bodies trembled in fear and awe, and their knees involuntarily gave way.

They collapsed onto the ground, supporting themselves with their hands as they lowered their heads in absolute submission.

"Why are they kneeling on the ground?" Nivara asked in confusion, completely unaware of what was happening.

"They are being overwhelmed by my presence as the Progenitor of Dragons," Damian calmly explained.

He then withdrew the subconscious pressure he had intentionally released.

He had done so to ensure that the Four Great Ruling Dragons would not attempt anything foolish and end up being killed by his overwhelming presence before they even had the chance to understand who they were dealing with.

Although all four ruling dragons knew that the Heavenly Son, the progeny of the Universal Tree, had returned and once again reigned as the most powerful authoritative existence in the universe, they had never seen his appearance.

Nor did they know what his presence would feel like when sensed through their innate dragon senses.

But now, they knew.

The person standing before them was none other than the Heavenly Son himself.

"What do you mean by becoming the Progenitor of Dragons, Master?" Nivara asked once again, deep confusion spreading across her face.

She understood the words Damian had spoken, but she did not understand what they truly meant.

As far as she knew, a progenitor had never existed for the dragon race.

The Celestials had been born from the universal energy released during the origin of the universe, the Big Bang that had brought existence itself into being, including the universe and everything within it.

All the celestial races in the universe had descended from those original Celestials.

Although dragons possessed barely any celestial blood within their bodies, they were still beings descended from the Celestials.

Like other celestial races, such as Qilins and Phoenixes, they had never possessed a progenitor.

More precisely, no dragon had ever evolved into a Progenitor.

Although it was theoretically possible for a dragon to become a Progenitor by transcending its celestial origins and leaving behind its celestial status, the dragon race had never produced a progenitor throughout its entire history.

Over countless eons, they had begun to suspect that their diminished celestial ancestry might be the reason they would never be able to produce a Progenitor-class dragon.

Hearing her master declare that he had become the Progenitor of the Dragon Race was nothing short of unbelievable.

It was an astonishing revelation of the highest order.

"Heavenly Son..." the four Ruling Dragons muttered in horror as the overwhelming pressure bearing down upon them suddenly vanished, finally allowing them to stand.

"So, what do you guys want?" Damian asked casually, looking at the four Ruling Dragons.

They did not answer immediately.

Instead, their eyes fell upon the spear in the Heavenly Son’s hand.

Their eyes widened the instant they recognized it.

The realization of what the spear was made their expressions even more horrified.

They immediately understood what this meant.

There was absolutely no way they could obtain the Celestial Dragon Spear through force.

Any thoughts or desires they had of taking the spear for themselves vanished instantly.

Going against the Heavenly Son would be nothing short of walking toward their own deaths.

All four Ruling Dragons understood this very clearly.

But while three of them were willing to abandon the idea, one was not.

The Prison Dragon gathered every ounce of courage within him before slowly kneeling in front of the Heavenly Son.

"Heavenly Son, as you are already aware, the Golden Dragon Emperor’s inheritance is contained within the Celestial Dragon Spear."

"Oh, I know. And the spear is in my hands right now, so what?" Damian asked casually, as though he genuinely did not understand what the Prison Dragon was trying to imply.

"...."

The Prison Dragon swallowed nervously.

He did everything he could to keep his tone, gestures, and posture as respectful as possible.

He was desperately trying to ensure that he did not say a single word that might anger the Heavenly Son.

"Your Grace... the Golden Dragon Emperor’s inheritance is meant for the entire Dragon Race. Any dragon has the right to fight for ownership of the Celestial Dragon Spear," the Prison Dragon said carefully, his eyes remaining fixed upon the golden spear in Damian’s hand.

"That’s right. Do you want to fight me for the spear?" Damian asked with a small smile.

"No! Absolutely not! I wouldn’t dare!"

The Prison Dragon frantically shook his head, fear evident in his eyes.

"I merely hope that you might grant me the opportunity to test myself and earn the acknowledgement of the Celestial Dragon Spear."

He finally blurted out what he had come here to say.

The remaining three Ruling Dragons silently looked at the Prison Dragon.

Although none of them said anything, they were silently commending his courage.

They also appreciated what he was doing.

If the Heavenly Son agreed and allowed the Prison Dragon to test whether he could gain the acknowledgement of the Celestial Dragon Spear and inherit the Golden Dragon Emperor’s inheritance, then they could use the exact same excuse to attempt the trial themselves.

The Celestial Dragon Spear, much like Recna, the Spear of Torment, was a spiritual weapon.

It possessed its own soul and consciousness and was capable of choosing its wielder by itself.

If the spear deemed someone unworthy, it would reject them.

And if someone attempted to forcefully wield it despite being rejected, the spear would simply become completely unresponsive.

That was why there was an absolute rule when it came to spiritual weapons.

You never forcefully wield a spiritual weapon.

If it rejects you, then you simply move on.

The Celestial Dragon Spear was one of the most powerful spiritual weapons currently existing in the universe.

And right now, it was in Damian’s hands.

However, the same rule of acknowledgement did not apply to Damian.

He was the Heavenly Son.

All spiritual weapons created within the universe would acknowledge him as their master by default.

He could wield any weapon in existence, including spiritual weapons he had never seen before, as long as he commanded them.

Therefore, if the Heavenly Son, Damian, agreed to let the dragons test themselves and attempt to gain the Celestial Dragon Spear’s acknowledgement, then it was possible for one of them to actually gain ownership of the weapon.

And it was not as though Damian needed the spear.

He was already the Heavenly Son.

Even if one of them successfully obtained the Golden Dragon Emperor’s inheritance, Damian could simply take the inheritance back from them whenever he wished.

All in all, Damian had nothing to lose.

And that was exactly what the Prison Dragon was counting on.

He knew that even with the Golden Dragon Emperor’s inheritance, he would still be nothing more than a speck of dust before the might of the Heavenly Son.

But if he could obtain the inheritance, everything would change.

He could become the strongest dragon in existence.

He could even use the Golden Dragon Emperor’s inheritance as a stepping stone toward attaining Celestial Status.

"Sure, why not? Let’s see if you are worthy."

Damian agreed with a smile stretching from ear to ear.

He released his grip on the golden spear, allowing it to float a few feet in front of him.

The spear remained suspended in the air, motionless and calm, while a faint hum of energy radiated from its golden body.

"Go ahead. Try claiming it."

Damian crossed his arms over his chest as he watched.

His women also turned their attention toward the scene with curiosity.

Although they already knew the spear belonged to their husband, they were still interested to see what would happen when the dragons attempted to claim it.

"I sincerely thank you for this opportunity, Your Majesty."

The Prison Dragon bowed respectfully toward Damian before approaching the golden spear with a confident, almost beaming smile.

However, the moment he came within a few feet of it, the spear suddenly erupted with a violent burst of energy.

BOOM!

An invisible force surged outward, pushing against the Prison Dragon and attempting to drive him away.

Yet the Prison Dragon did not give up.

He gritted his teeth and continued advancing, forcing his way through the spear’s resistance.

Although the golden spear was an immensely powerful spiritual weapon, it was still a weapon.

It did not possess the overwhelming physical strength of a powerful True Dragon like him.

With his immense strength, the Prison Dragon eventually forced his way through the resisting energy and reached the spear.

He grabbed its shaft.

However, the moment his hand closed around it, the spear’s resistance intensified dramatically.

"Come on! I’m a True Dragon, the central ruler of the Dragon Race! I have every right to be your master!"

His voice echoed through the surroundings.

In the next instant, violent purple-black smoke erupted from his body, spreading around the golden spear.

The Prison Dragon had finally activated his Draconic Authority of Prison.

The terrifying authority attempted to imprison the spear’s resistance itself, forcing it to submit to his will.

But no matter how much power he poured into his authority, the golden spear refused to yield.

It continued resisting him.

Then, suddenly...

BOOM!

An immense burst of energy erupted from the spear.

The Prison Dragon’s Prison Authority was instantly blown apart, and the dragon himself was blasted backward.

The golden spear calmly returned to its original position, floating peacefully in the air as though nothing had happened.

Damian watched the entire scene with an amused expression.

"You got rejected."

The Prison Dragon’s expression immediately stiffened.

"I wish to try as well, Your Majesty."

The Blood Dragon stepped forward and bowed her head.

"Sure."

Damian nodded and gestured for her to proceed.

The Blood Dragon approached the spear.

However, unlike the Prison Dragon, she did not even manage to reach it.

The moment she stepped into the spear’s range, the golden weapon immediately reacted.

BOOM!

A violent burst of energy erupted from the spear and struck the Blood Dragon, forcing her backward before she could even get close enough to touch it.

The spear then calmly floated back toward Damian.

"Hehe. Why would you think you could get its acknowledgment?"

The Scorch Dragon could not help but sneer, clearly amused by the Blood Dragon’s failure.

"Oh, shut up already."

The Blood Dragon snorted in frustration as she glared at him.

The others simply watched the exchange before eventually turning their attention back toward the Dragon Progenitor.

Damian stood there with his arms crossed, looking at the dragons before him.

"As you can see..."

He glanced at the golden spear floating beside him.

"...none of you are worthy."