NOVPUB[The Twilight of a Hero?] The moment Lyu Bu saw Huang Zhong, he felt a sense of decline and immediately gripped his Sky Piercer tightly. He absolutely did not wish to end up like this one day. Lyu Bu wanted to prove his invincibility on the battlefield, just as previously Dong Zhuo became bold enough to depose the Emperor with him by his side, and Yuan Shu nearly ruled the world with his support. He wanted to show everyone the strength of Lyu Bu!
Huang Zhong clenched the Red Blood Knife firmly in his hand. Although he disliked the eerie color of the blade, he had to admit that the great sword he had found in South Commandery was truly worthy of the name Divine Weapon, except that it was a little ugly.
Against Lyu Bu’s unrestrained aura, Huang Zhong felt almost nothing. It wasn’t that he couldn’t release the same energy; he simply saw no need to. Slaying his opponent to vent the anger in his heart was the King’s Way.
"Where is Yuan Shu?" Huang Zhong’s eyes flashed with a sharp gleam, and for a moment, his aura fiercely slashed through Lyu Bu’s, carving a path through it.
"Hahaha, I never expected there to be such a brave warrior in the world. Come, defeat me, and you’ll find Yuan Shu in the rear!" As Lyu Bu spoke, golden and red Inner Qi intertwined to form a set of armor with clear patterns, extending from every part of his Sky Piercer. Then, a red flame of Qi engulfed him, bursting forth with scorching power. Lyu Bu was arrogant, but he understood the person before him was not to be underestimated.
Huang Zhong’s icy gaze locked onto Lyu Bu, as a frosty blue aura slowly emanated from him, wrapping him in a layer of armor comparable to Lyu Bu’s. Unlike Lyu Bu, however, when Huang Zhong’s Inner Qi flowed to the Red Blood Knife, it extended a blood-colored Qi Blade that even carried a scent of blood. Wrapped in his ice blue armor, Huang Zhong looked even more eerie at that moment.
"I am Huang Hansheng of Jingzhou, Lyu Bu, face my challenge!" Huang Zhong urged his horse, and the blue-maned mount charged forward, its hooves treading on frost.
"Boom!" Huang Zhong’s great sword struck directly against Lyu Bu’s halberd, with the extended Blood Blade fiercely chopping at Lyu Bu, amidst an explosion that scattered ice and searing Qi.
Lyu Bu’s counterattack was diverted by Huang Zhong with an odd angle, only to curve back in a bizarre trajectory.
"Crack!" As their horses crossed, both knew where they stood. Huang Zhong was completely outmatched in strength and in his steed, but in other aspects, the two were nearly equal.
"Again!" Lyu Bu charged forward wildly, his Sky Piercer flying in an array of slashing attacks, each blow heavier than the last. The heat of the flames and the radiance of the Qi Blade wreaked havoc upon the surrounding military camp, as the two combatants fought from the front camp, through the left fort, all the way to the right fort, with the forces of both Yuan Shu’s Army and Liu Biao’s Army watching in astonishment as their random bursts of power devastatingly altered the environment.
Huang Zhong’s face was expressionless, but the blood in his chest slowly began to simmer. The Red Blood Knife danced with increasing vigor. Ever since his son Huang Xu had fallen gravely ill, he had hardly practiced martial arts, devoting himself entirely to caring for his son. His condition had been worsening day by day. There were several times when Huang Zhong had considered slaughtering Zhang Zhongjing from the same city... 𝚗ov𝚙𝚞𝚋.c𝚘m
Now, Huang Zhong felt that his strength was not what it had been years ago. If his son had not fallen ill when he was in his thirties and he had continued to train, he would have at least achieved Great Achievement in the two-colored Inner Qi by now. After his son’s illness, his half-hearted practice of two-colored Inner Qi was completely swallowed by the first color, the Water Attribute Inner Qi, and then it naturally took on the Ice Attribute. Huang Zhong himself was helpless; he really didn’t want this damned Ice Attribute Inner Qi.
Half of Huang Zhong’s original sword techniques relied on the water’s supreme softness and hardness, but now that it had swallowed his other attribute’s Inner Qi and become Ice Attribute Inner Qi, when he utilized certain sword techniques, they actually ended up inhibiting the output of his Inner Qi.
This was why Lyu Bu found it quite strange that the man opposite him seemed strong one moment and weak the next; when he was strong, he could catch Lyu Bu off guard, and when he was weak, Lyu Bu could easily suppress him in return.
With one move forcing Lyu Bu back, Huang Zhong swiftly exchanged his sword for a bow, releasing an ice-blue arrow that sped towards Lyu Bu in an instant.
"Whoosh!" Lyu Bu desperately dodged the arrow, yet the wind blade created by its passing still sliced a small cut on him, from which blood dripped drop by drop.
Huang Zhong sighed. He realized that he must find a way to resolve his own problems. Lu Bu was powerful; Huang Zhong estimated that even if his son hadn’t fallen ill years ago, and he hadn’t wasted so much time, it would still be somewhat difficult to kill this man now. At present, Huang Zhong felt it would be somewhat difficult for Lyu Bu to kill him, but not very for Lyu Bu to defeat him. Cursed luck with his son!
Thinking of his son clouded Huang Zhong’s mood. He was just about to suggest they fight another day when Lyu Bu bellowed, "It’s discourteous not to reciprocate!" and drew his bow, loosing a fan of arrows straight at Huang Zhong.
Huang Zhong laughed heartily. You might beat me in other things, Lyu Bu, but when it comes to archery, you’d better just cry.
Just like before, Huang Zhong shot only one ice-blue arrow, but it transformed into countless threads of light as soon as it left his hand, similar to the aurora borealis. Several extremely fine light threads knocked Lyu Bu’s fan of arrows out of the air, and the other thin strands, fine as cow hair, plunged directly into Lyu Bu. Before Lyu Bu could prepare his defense, they quickly reformed into seven arrows, surrounding him from all sides.
"Ha!" Lyu Bu struck fiercely, scattering six arrows, but one slipped through his guard, grazing his waist and shredding the armor he cherished, immediately followed by an intense coldness enveloping him.
Huang Zhong inwardly sighed, knowing Lyu Bu might have other tricks up his sleeve, but he understood that he was out of options. His proudest ultimate knowledge hadn’t seriously injured Lyu Bu when he was unprepared, so it was even more unlikely to kill Lyu Bu once he was ready.
"Lyu Bu, we shall fight again another day!" Huang Zhong said, his cold gaze fixed on Lyu Bu. Jii Ling reacted quickly; the two had been fighting for merely one quarter hour when the armies were already mobilizing.
Lyu Bu said nothing but turned his horse around, knowing well that the silver-haired middle-aged man before him could not be kept by force. The time was not right, and Lyu Bu gripped his Sky Piercer tightly, vowing that next time, he would definitely kill this middle-aged man!
As Huang Zhong watched Lyu Bu’s retreating figure, he knew that now was the best opportunity to kill him. However, his honor would not allow him to shoot a cold arrow in the back. So he too turned his horse and quickly left the dangerous place. Once Jii Ling’s army formation of Cloud Qi enclosed the area, he, without his Inner Qi, would certainly be captured.
"The general is mighty!" As soon as Huang Zhong entered the city, he heard loud cheers. He sighed, removed his helmet casually, and tossed it to Liu Pan. After dismounting, he saw Liu Biao welcoming him not far away.
"I greet you, my lord!" Huang Zhong bowed, showing not much respect for Liu Biao, as a significant reason for Jingzhou’s current state was this very man before him, and previously, Huang Zhong wasn’t even a follower of Liu Biao.
"General, please rise," Liu Biao said, completely unconcerned by the indifference in Huang Zhong’s demeanour. After all, he had clearly watched Huang Zhong fight Lyu Bu to a standstill—the very same Lyu Bu known as the foremost military general in the land. Therefore, in his view, it was only natural for Huang Zhong to be somewhat arrogant. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
