NOVPUBLyu Bu led the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, his magnificent Cloud Qi a golden sharpness mixed with the scorching heat of flames. His great halberd, nearly five hundred meters long, directly shattered the Cloud Qi of the Xiangyang Guards who had yet to mount a defense. With a single blow, he killed at least hundreds of Xiangyang Guards.
Having breached Xiangyang’s defenses, the remaining force fiercely smashed through the city gates of Xiangyang. The Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry and the seasoned troops led by Sun Ce surged through the North Gate, pillaging and slaughtering their way straight to Liu Biao’s mansion.
"Kill!" Sun Ce’s eyes were blood red as he charged ahead. Lyu Bu’s strength, akin to that of a Celestial God, truly astonished him. It was not just martial arts prowess, but also command capabilities. The troops led by Wang Wei, an old general located thirty li from Xiangyang City attempting to block the attack, were pierced by Lyu Bu in a mere quarter hour, then divided and crushed.
Afterward, Lyu Bu charged at the forefront, with the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry echoing his lead. Forsaking the achievements within grasp, they raced toward the gates of Xiangyang City at incredible speed. Before the Xiangyang Guards could fully react, Lyu Bu’s attack fiercely struck the protective light shield. Known to house hundreds of thousands of residents, Xiangyang City saw its nascent light shield shattered by Lyu Bu’s strike before it could harness the dispersed Cloud Qi of the city’s people. Then, Lyu Bu forcefully shattered the forming Cloud Qi, and with the remaining force, blew the city gates right in front of Sun Ce, who had just caught up.
Sun Ce was completely astonished; this was utterly reckless. Lyu Bu was unbridled in his recklessness. Originally, Zhou Yu estimated that they would have to besiege Xiangyang and starve it out for a year or half, but now, the city fell in a single blow.
"Kill!" Sun Ce now saw the hope of avenging his loss; the Governor of Jingzhou’s residence was right before his eyes.
"Hahaha!" Lyu Bu exuberantly unleashed his power.
After the defeat at Hulao Pass, Lyu Bu felt a blemish in his heart. Once he’d cleared away the dust, he then faced the massive armies of Li Que and Guo Si. Facing a force where individual valor was but a joke, Lyu Bu endured another defeat, yet this defeat was filled with honor, for he had single-handedly breached Guo Si’s army, inflicting a severe wound on Guo Si. He was so close to killing his opponent, but alas, the enemy’s military formation was about to close in. With no other choice, Lyu Bu turned his horse around and narrowly escaped danger.
The exhilarating close brush with death, the resolve to move freely in the face of millions, profoundly filled Lyu Bu’s spirit. At that moment, his nearly perfect Martial Arts heart became utterly cleansed, washing away all vestiges of the past. He now understood; he needed none of those things – not Zhang Fei’s frenzied strength, not Guan Yu’s lethal strikes, nor Zhao Yun’s superhuman speed. He needed none of these! He was Lyu Bu, and he didn’t need to chase after them!
With a single strike, Lyu Bu killed a minor Jingzhou officer, and his aura grew increasingly grand. He did not require explosive techniques. Lyu Bu, steady with each thrust of his halberd, was enough to overpower all enemies. He had that confidence, regardless of whether it was Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, or Zhao Yun. The current Lyu Bu now had the realization and confidence to defeat all enemies before him.
Sun Ce fought fiercely, cutting down the surrounding guards as he burst into the Jingzhou Governor’s residence. Sadly, he was stopped by an officer leading troops, but Sun Ce, burdened with a blood feud, forcefully pressed on the opponent. Despite his youth, he showed no signs of disadvantage; in fact, his aura grew slightly due to his anger.
"Quickly, escort the Lord and the strategist away! Order the counties to block their progress at every step, retreat to Jiangling!" The man who stopped Sun Ce pushed him back and roared his orders. Even now, Liu Jingsheng’s head still ached unbearably, rendering him incapable of handling affairs, and likewise, nearly all high-ranking officials in Xiangyang were similarly unable to deal with governmental matters.
"Get out of my way!" Sun Ce gripped the Ancient Ingots Knife that his father had left him and savagely hacked down a soldier beside him. Amid the slaughter, Sun Ce felt himself growing continuously—his speed became faster, his strength more substantial, his reactions quicker, and his sense for the flow of Cloud Qi somewhat perceptible. Even amid the relentless fighting, he never felt fatigued. His chest blazed with fury that swelled as it burst forth, and his aura grew more impressive with each passing moment.
Sun Ce couldn’t see the changes in himself, but Wen Pin, facing him, clearly observed everything. He understood even better that this youth, just coming of age, was already nearing the ultimate martial artist’s plateau; one could even say he’d touched it but hadn’t yet broken through his shackles.
At that moment, Sun Ce’s body shone with an increasing golden radiance, and wafts of golden mist even began to emanate from him, becoming more pronounced as the battle waged on.
Sun Ce, in that instant, resembled a Celestial God—enveloped in a golden light that gently refined his body, clearing the barrier between him and the Qi of Heaven and Earth, inching ever closer to the stage of Inner Qi Manifestation. 𝓷ℴ𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝒸𝓸𝓶
[I can’t let this go on! If we continue to fight, this youngster could break through with just one more kill. I can’t allow him to achieve Inner Qi Manifestation so smoothly. With the current state of affairs, Jingzhou is already under tremendous pressure just with Lyu Bu; if we add Sun Bofu to the mix, that would be courting death!] Wen Pin roared and thrust his spear at Sun Ce’s waist!
"Pugh!" Wen Pin spat blood. Sun Ce, remarkably, didn’t dodge or defend and took the hit head-on. At the same time, he fiercely brought down the Ancient Ingots Knife on Wen Pin, who desperately flicked backward to evade, barely avoiding the blow. Yet, the extended Knife Qi still tore through Wen Pin’s armor, gravely wounding him, and his treasured steed that had been with him for many years was cleaved in two.
"Zhongye, fall back! Let me finish him!" A red-faced, burly man on a chestnut steed burst forth from the rear, forcing Sun Ce, who sought to slay Wen Pin, to retreat with a swing of his blade, then enveloped himself in a whirlwind of slashes aiming ruthlessly at Sun Ce.
"It’s up to you now, Wen Chang!" As Wen Pin was assisted up, he shouted loudly. The potentially fatal injury had stopped bleeding under the pressure of his Inner Qi, and it seemed he would recover within just over ten days.
"Get going!" Wei Yan shouted without looking back, his voice ferocious. He knew from the moment they clashed that he was evenly matched with Sun Ce. However, in such circumstances, what mattered was momentum—mighty and heavy, with every strike lethal, keeping Sun Ce on his toes.
Although Wei Yan managed to suppress the seventeen-year-old Sun Ce, the prospect of killing him was virtually impossible, even if Sun Ce had a gaping hole in his abdomen! Moreover, the tide of battle could turn if the fight continued, for every counterattack by Sun Ce was sharper than the last. With each clash drawing him closer to a martial artist’s ultimate realm, his strength was soaring visibly.
[This is bad!] Wei Yan had no intention of dying for Liu Biao. Though a native of Jingzhou, Liu Biao’s preference for scholars over warriors left Wei Yan unenthused about serving such a lord. He only rushed in because he was acquainted with Wen Pin; otherwise, he would have turned tail and fled.
With a determined swing, Wei Yan fiercely drove back Sun Ce. In this setting, he dared not use any of his most destructive moves, mindful of Lyu Bu’s colossal Slash that was still fresh in his memory. He was not looking to catch Lyu Bu’s attention, fully aware that without Old Man Huang’s strength, such a move would surely lead to his death! (To be continued. If you like this story, please visit qidian.com to cast your votes and support me. Mobile users can read at m.qidian.com.)
