Chapter 1008: Second Match, the Fire Dragon King

With the fall of the Adamant Nymph Emperor, the Adamant Nymph clan had already approached Ning Chen'en several times, asking whether he would be willing to take up residence in Adamant City. Things weren't stable in the Golden Mammoth clan either, and many of the elders there believed he should go, as it would essentially place both cities under the control of the Golden Mammoth clan.

But the Golden Mammoth Demon Emperor had instructed that they would discuss the matter again after the conclusion of this tournament. So, for now, it was shelved.

Regardless, Ning Chen'en still maintained strong ties with the Adamant Nymph lineage. The contestant now representing the Adamant Nymph clan was actually a Great Demon King elder Tang San had met before during his...

visit

to Adamant City. In the first round, that elder had just barely made it through by relying on his formidable defenses. But now, in the second round, he clearly seemed depleted.

A figure descended from the skies. Today's judge was none other than the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor.

"Contestants, prepare," he ordered.

"No need. I concede."

The Adamant Nymph elder bowed deeply toward the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor, then nodded to Ning Chen'en before leaving the platform.

Ning Chen'en blinked in surprise, but his expression softened. He sighed. He knew that this was a sign—he really had to consider whether he should go to Adamant City.

He identified more with his Golden Mammoth lineage, and the fact of the matter was that if he stayed in a nymph city, he would likely be suppressed by the Solstice Empire. He was mainly a demon, after all. Yet, being a city lord meant access to vast resources, and Adamant City was most certainly not lacking resources even compared to other main cities. And now, without an Emperor overseeing it, resource allocation would be even more flexible.

Returning to the rest area, he found Tang San standing outside, not yet having gone in.

"Congratulations, Brother Ning. Winning without a fight is better than drawing me, right?" Tang San smiled.

Ning Chen'en, feeling complicated, didn't want to say much. He just nodded and headed back into his room.

"Alright, let the next match begin. Contestants three and four, please proceed to the stage," came the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor's voice.

Tang San hadn't returned to his room precisely because he was up next. When he saw that Ning Chen'en's opponent was someone from the Adamant Nymph clan, he had already guessed how the match would end.

He rose and stepped onto the platform.

When the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor saw him, he nodded and smiled slightly. "Clan Leader Jin, do your best."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty." Tang San quickly bowed.

There was something unusual in the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor's gaze. Of all the Emperors, the one who truly had the most faith in Tang San wasn't the outwardly friendly Sunborne Nymph Emperor; it was precisely this judge. After all, only he had personally witnessed the fall of the Adamant Nymph Emperor. He had seen with his own eyes how Tang San fought it head-on and successfully slew it.

Even though the main force appeared to be the Ancestral Tree, it was hard to believe the new Blue Gold Tree clan leader was just an ordinary figure. If summoning the Ancestral Tree's power was something that simple, why hadn't any of the other Blue Gold Trees done it before? Why hadn't the clan's Emperor done it back in the day? No, that was definitely no simple feat. Clearly, there was something special about Jin Miaolin.

The Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor was especially eager to see how Tang San would perform in the Battle for the Throne.

Meanwhile, Tang San's opponent had also arrived on the platform, and without hesitation, Tang San pulled out the statue of the Sword Saint Demon Emperor.

His opponent was neither a seeded contestant nor a city lord. But when Tang San saw him, he was surprised. So was the other, whose eyes instantly glinted with hostility.

Tang Mohuang, the Fire Dragon King!

Indeed, Tang San had drawn a dragon for this match. Though Tang Mohuang wasn't a seeded contestant, he was still a powerful member of the dragon race—definitely no easy opponent.

In the super auction, the very first item had been bought by Tang Mohuang himself: The Everblaze Sunflower. It enhanced fire-attribute attacks by thirty percent, among other things, and it was practically a match made in heaven with a Fire Dragon.

While the Sword Saint Demon Emperor's statue might have frightened off the Darksky Rhino, it was unlikely to intimidate a dragon. And among the thirty-eight remaining contestants, seven belonged to the dragon race. Drawing a dragon was nothing surprising.

When people saw who Tang San's opponent was, the waiting area buzzed with schadenfreude. Could the statue's strike defeat a dragon clan leader? The dragon race had a long legacy and no shortage of divine items. And Tang Mohuang wasn't just any dragon; he was a Fire Dragon and had the Everblaze Sunflower in hand. Worst of all, fire was stronger than wood by default. To the people in the stands, Jin Miaolin had drawn the worst possible matchup.

Tang Mohuang himself was of the same opinion, of course. He wore a mocking grin as he looked at Tang San and mouthed a few silent words.

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Reading his lips, Tang San could only mentally scoff:

Childish.

The words had been,

"Still feeling cocky now?"

From the Emperors' viewing area, the Sword Saint Demon Emperor looked at both Tang San and Tang Mohuang. His expression changed subtly, and his gaze lingered briefly on the statue in Tang San's hand. For some reason, when he looked at the young city lord holding that statue, he felt a strange familiarity; and it was not his divine consciousness that was feeling it, but his sword intent.

It wasn't just him. Many Emperors were now intently watching this match. And their focus wasn't on Tang Mohuang—it was all on the Blue Gold Tree clan leader.

Tang San's sudden rise had stirred many debates within the Solstice Empire, and also within the Ancestral Court. The death of the Adamant Nymph Emperor had been a shock. Could the Ancestral Tree really produce such overwhelming power? Even without fully awakening, it had slain an Emperor? Then what about the one who had called upon its power, this new clan leader of the Blue Gold Tree clan? What was

his

true power?

This was why, during his city lord evaluation, Tang San had been deliberately matched with a strong opponent. They all wanted to test him. But even then, he had somehow produced a domain that allowed him to control the fight perfectly.

The Sunborne Nymph Emperor had his reasons for favoring Tang San, and those reasons naturally involved the Ancestral Tree's essence. Other Emperors had their own considerations.

Later, at the auction, the Blue Gold Tree clan had displayed stunning purchasing power, causing bids across the board to rise significantly and earning the Emperors a massive windfall. This naturally improved their opinion of the new clan leader.

Still, even to the Emperors, Jin Miaolin carried a mysterious aura. And no matter how mysterious one was, a series of peak-level battles carried out in front of them could not be faked. Now was the time to see what he was really made of.

Thus, the Emperors were highly focused on this clash between "Jin Miaolin" and Tang Mohuang. The key question was: Could the Blue Gold Tree clan leader withstand a dragon's might?

The Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor raised his hand. "Contestants, prepare."

Tang Mohuang's eyes instantly burned crimson. Behind him, it was as if a lava-filled hell had erupted. A massive flaming dragon, a hundred meters long, roared to life behind him, its radiance blinding.

In his hand was a long spear, and floating behind his head were three flaming orbs in three colors—red, orange, and blue—each radiating intense heat.

The crimson spear looked as if it was made of molten lava, and around Tang Mohuang's eyes, faint golden flames shimmered and pulsed outward through the air.