Chapter 672 - Advancing to the Next Round

How was Tang Wulin able to wield a hammer which weighed as much as 5,000 pounds? It was all attributed to his unusually great strength and the power of the Golden Dragon King. He swung his right hammer in a sidearm blow with all his weight behind it. The huge weapon created a gust of wind so strong that small rocks rolled on the ground like popcorn on the bottom of a pan, only not as violently. It was not possible for Dai Yueyan to dodge, not when he hadn’t even managed to regain his footing after the sharp pull from Goldsong.

The prince had barely raised his arms when the hammer reached him. His breath went out of him at the sudden impact. Then he found himself flying backwards at high speed. If not for his gauntlet, his arms might have been shattered by that blow.

Crouching down as low as he could, Tang Wulin pushed energy into his legs and leapt towards Dai Yueyan. Eight phantom dragons appeared from beneath his feet, gave him a forceful push, and vanished.

In a matter of seconds, Tang Wulin caught up with him and brought his left hammer down in a golden arc.

Dai Yueyan slashed his tiger claws recklessly at the insanely huge weapon coming crashing down in an attempt to destroy it, but failed; the hammers were made of a type of rare metal, and that was why Tang Wulin didn’t want to sell them.

With a weapon as big as that, it was hard for it to miss. Dai Yueyan coughed up a mouthful of blood as the hammer slammed into him. His one-word battle armor was helping, but it couldn’t cancel out the impact completely. The fourth prince thudded to the ground, leaving a crater beneath his back.

The audience couldn’t help but close their eyes, hoping it was just a bad dream.

Tang Wulin gave him no respite. He landed beside the crater and whirled his right hammer up once again. He wouldn’t give him any chance to turn the tables. If the prince’s life was in danger, he was convinced the referee would stop him in time.

Fang’er was watching with wide eyes, distraught. I wasn't aware he was capable of this kind of power! That flurry of attacks must have left the fourth prince in pretty bad shape. He must be in a lot of pain, and Tang Wulin is ready to finish this match! There is no chance of countering that attack of his.

En Ci could see worry written all over the emperor’s face.

Before the merciless weight could land on the poor prince again, the referee rushed in front of Tang Wulin, slammed into the hammer’s face with his palm, and sent it flying out of the boy’s hand and landing on the stage with a deafening thud. Eight soul rings were revolving around him.

Tang Wulin staggered back several steps before he managed to regain his balance. A smile showed on his face. I won.

Dai Yueyan struggled to his feet. He had returned to his human form, his armor dented and smudged with dirt and blood here and there.

“Why did you intervene?!” Dai Yueyan snarled at the referee.

“I…” The referee didn’t know what to say. He would have done the same thing, even if Dai Yueyan were a commoner and not a prince; it was his job to keep every contestant safe on the stage.

Tang Wulin was glad that the fight ended sooner than he had previously anticipated. The hammers were too heavy even for him; he didn’t have much strength left to wield them for long. And he had found that Dai Yueyan’s armor was much stronger than normal one-word battle armor when his hammer smashed into him. Dai Yueyan had taken a lot of damage, to be sure, but he was still able to take Tang Wulin down if given half a chance. He had caught a grimace of pain on Tang Wulin’s face when he lifted his hammer and had been sure his opportunity would come soon, but he had lost the match the moment the referee stopped that attack.

Tang Wulin put away his hammers and smiled at Dai Yueyan. “Thank you for letting me win, Your Highness.”

Dai Yueyan gave a snort of anger, turned around, and got off the stage.

Part of Dai Tianling was relieved, and the other part was worried.

En Ci sighed. “It might end differently if the referee hadn’t intervened.”

“The referee did nothing wrong,” said Dai Tianling. “I fear this defeat might destroy his confidence.”

En Ci smiled. “I can assure you that won’t happen, my emperor, not to the fourth prince. In fact, this loss may prove to be a good thing for him. He is a man who learns from his mistakes.”

When Tang Wulin started for the waiting area, the audience showered him with verbal attacks and insults, accusing him of using forbidden weapons, but he turned a deaf ear to them.

His next opponent was Yuanen Yehui, and one of them would be eliminated.