Ashen Dragon

Hundreds of new specialty entries appeared on Cassius's system panel.

Thunder, frost, time... Sensing these familiar strengths pouring into his body like a flood, Cassius felt quite exhilarated, with steam of high temperature and high pressure emanating from his whole body.

After all, these magic equipment, no matter what, were just external artifacts, and now they had become his own power, even with the opportunity to develop and grow independently, no wonder Cassius was so delighted.

With every gesture of the Emperor of the Crimson Dragon, the atmosphere around him surged, lightning entwined, frost and snow spread, and various anomalies emerged one after another.

By this moment, the gold and jewels in the treasury had disappeared, replaced by a giant sculpture cast in gold, over a hundred meters high, enshrouding the Emperor of the Crimson Dragon within it.

"Crack—"

Accompanied by a crisp sound, under the storm of elements, cracks appeared on the surface of the statue and spread wildly, growing more numerous.

Eventually, the towering sculpture suddenly shattered and collapsed, revealing a massive figure in the swirling steam cloud – that was Cassius.

When the smoke and clouds dispersed, he displayed his true form,

The form of the Emperor of the Crimson Dragon hadn't changed much compared to before, only the golden coating on the edges of his scales appeared more pronounced, with gilded patterns surrounding the dragon crystal on his horns and chest, adding a touch of nobility and divinity to him.

Besides that, the biggest change was his gaze, the vertical pupils like lava spheres exuded a breathtaking brilliance, with countless tiny light spots moving about like stars, as if transcending material existence and reaching an unknown realm.

Cassius lowered his head, opening his dragon claw, a mighty pressure expanded, releasing a thin aurora, forming a storm, the exaggeration of its strength and the alarming might causing the surrounding space to tremble slightly.

"Such a powerful pressure..."

He looked at the semi-transparent light screen in front of him, a brand-new entry appearing on his system panel.

[Spiritual Light of Reverence]

[Aside from the innate ferocity of its aura, the God-sealing Dragon will gain a special fear aura, with this aura extending in a twenty-kilometer radius around the dragon.

The Spiritual Light of Reverence can inspire allies' determination and instill fear in enemies; allies of the God-sealing Dragon will receive a +4 morale bonus, while enemies must pass a will saving throw or fall into a state of trembling fear.

When the Spiritual Light of Reverence is released by consuming Divine Power, merely staring at the dragon in fascinated reverence can cause affected mortals to swoon, and if their will saving throw fails, there is a certain probability they will be converted into devotees.]

"As expected of a Demigod-level aura, it can even convert people into devotees, evolving it to its ultimate form should be akin to a True God's descent," Cassius couldn't help but marvel.

He carefully scrutinized his body again with the Heaven's Calamity Dragon Eye, seeming to just have minor changes in details everywhere, but they brought about an earth-shaking transformation in the overall aura and structure.

At this moment, Cassius's physique could only be described as "perfect."

It wasn't the slender delicacy of an Elf sculpture, nor the rugged savagery of a Titan colossus, but rather an ultimate form forged from pure power and absolute harmony.

The massive body coiled like the foundation of a mountain range, each raised muscle containing enough power to tear apart the earth, yet presented flowing lines as smooth as sculptures in its tense silence, seemingly existing for billions of years.

The constructions of mortals, no matter how magnificent, how grandiose, felt like fragile toys built from sand grains by children compared to Cassius's current dragon body, their foundational existence trembling under the invisible majesty emitted by the dragon body.

That was a transcendent essence beyond material, surpassing the mundane, known to scholars well versed in Outer Planes knowledge as-"Immortality."

At this time, a new message appeared on Cassius's panel.

[Immortality]

[The dragon who treads this path has in fact become a demigod, possessing the trait of immortality with a divine quality, theoretically enjoying a lifespan as long as the Multiverse. They do not require mundane acts such as eating, sleeping, or breathing.

Only physical or magical attacks from demi-gods and above can kill a demigod. Mortal attacks only shatter their physical bodies, and over a long period, they will restore to their original state.]

Cassius experimentally cut off a piece of the keratin layer at the edge of his scale and crushed it, but he could clearly perceive those fragments swiftly gathering at a visible rate, attempting to return to his body.

At this moment, Cassius truly experienced the meaning of this so-called "immortality."

He only felt like his body had become an independent microcosm operating of itself, existing on the Material Plane, with all physiological traits of mortal beings—whether breathing, eating, or sleeping—leaving him.

He hadn't entirely lost these abilities, just completely didn't need them. For a demigod, maintaining mortal physiological functions was meaningless, merely a burden, and even if present, it's only due to habit.

The words on the system panel continued to refresh continuously, line after line, showing no signs of slowing down, making it overwhelming to keep up.

[You have digested a portion of Original Divinity, and the level of the God-sealing Dragon has increased to: 4]

[You have obtained the legendary specialties: [Dragon Knowledge][Quick Healing][Strengthening][Increased Speed][Steel Will][Quick Reflex]

At Level 2, you gain the special ability "Extraordinary Life Force", and for every subsequent two levels, the God-sealing Dragon gains a +1 constitution bonus.

You have obtained the special ability "Transformation Immunity", making the God-sealing Dragon immune to attacks that transform, petrify or otherwise alter its form, although any transformation class magic it possesses functions normally on itself.

At Level 3, you gain the special ability "Supernatural Damage Reduction", with the God-sealing Dragon's damage reduction only overcome by legendary or higher weapons.

At Level 4, you gain the special ability "Life Guard", making the God-sealing Dragon immune to attacks that incur energy drain, attribute drain, or attribute damage...]

Gazing at the densely packed words on the system, feeling the myriad novel powers contained within his body, Cassius unconsciously continued with the habit from when he was a mortal, letting out a long breath of scorching smoke with heartfelt admiration:

"As expected from the Mother of evil dragons who possesses all the wealth of the world, robbing her once brings benefits equivalent to years of my hard work, it seems this Dragon Worship Church cannot avoid being challenged."

Simultaneously, in the depths of Hell within Tiamat Divine Country, enraged roars echoed through the heavens and the earth, shaking even the nearby Aphernas tremendously: "Cassius! You damned traitor, shameless thief—"