NOVPUBIf Chen Xi’s invocation of Spiritual Capacity caused disruptions among the troops due to a multitude of distracting thoughts, then Zhou Yu’s unified belief served as the best shield to isolate such disturbances.
"Kill for me!" The moment Taishi Ci saw that blaze of fiery light sweep over Sun Ce’s Army, he knew trouble was brewing—true enough, after the light passed, the soldiers’ morale soared as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
"Legion Talent!" Taishi Ci’s face darkened. This was not the first time he had encountered such game-changing abilities on the battlefield, but it was indeed his first encounter with one that covered such an abnormally large range and number of people.
"Is Xingba still waiting for the right moment?" Chen Xi frowned slightly. By now, the ships of both sides were almost completely intermingled; although the larger ships had not yet been boarded by enemy forces, the smaller ones were already engaged in battle.
"Strategist Chen, I’ll stay by your side to ensure your safety. Although I’m not well-versed in naval battles, it doesn’t look like you’ll be able to break through the enemy in the short term, given the current situation," Guan Hai stepped out of the cabin and stood behind Chen Xi.
"Thank you, Ziyi. Don’t you have any Legion abilities?" asked Chen Xi with a furrowed brow.
"I do, but they’re not very effective. I’ve already used them, but the synergy between my will and the Navy isn’t strong—the soldiers haven’t had enough time to become accustomed to me, and I lack absolute authority," Taishi Ci said with a wry smile.
Chen Xi didn’t speak; he was considering how to break the stalemate. The situation was not looking good—not that they were on the verge of defeat, but continued attrition was also not favorable.
"Gan Yi, you take command and protect the Strategist. I’ll Break Formation!" Taishi Ci watched as Sun Ce leaped onto a large ship, struggling to contain his emotions. The age-old maxim of capturing the leader to defeat the enemy remained unchanged.
"Understood!" Gan Yi bowed and took Taishi Ci’s Command Talisman. When Gan Ning had left home, his father had given him quite a few talented individuals, prepared for moments of peril—after all, the Gan Family had invested their all in cultivating a member of the Direct Lineage, naturally ensuring he wasn’t easily endangered.
As these words were spoken, Taishi Ci grabbed his Sky Piercer and leaped toward the large ship boarded by Sun Ce and his men. Although half his strength was suppressed by the sparse Cloud Qi, he still managed to land on the deck with just a few jumps.
"Clang!" Taishi Ci’s Sky Piercer traced a wide arc, locking onto Sun Ce’s Long Spear with the Halberd’s smaller end, and then cleverly flung Sun Ce aside. "You all form up and deal with those three—leave him to me!"
"So you’re the one who shot the arrows just now. I didn’t expect that, aside from Gan Xingba, there would be a military general like you among this Navy," Sun Ce, gripping his Long Spear tightly, looked at the tall Taishi Ci with a hint of excitement in his eyes.
"Sun Bofu?" Taishi Ci confirmed the identity of his opponent once again.
"Do you wish to surrender to me?" Sun Ce said with a smile, "For a valiant general as brave and heroic as you, I always welcome new talent. What do you say, will you surrender to me? With me, Sun Bofu here, it won’t be easy for you to fight your way out!"
"Remember the one who killed you is Taishi Ci of Donglai!" Taishi Ci, after hearing Sun Ce’s words, showed no emotion, just waved his Sky Piercer and charged towards Sun Ce.
"Hmph!" Sun Ce laughed and charged towards Taishi Ci as well, his Long Spear vibrating slightly as he thrust it forcefully towards Taishi Ci’s chest and abdomen.
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"Ding!" Taishi Ci’s Sky Piercer clashed with the spear tip, the tremendous force transmitted directly through it, causing the hand gripping the halberd to tingle slightly, before he swung out a huge arc aiming for Sun Ce’s throat.
"Thud!" Sun Ce immediately slapped his spear against Taishi Ci’s halberd shaft, sending Taishi Ci flying backward as if weightless, widening the distance between them.
After being sent flying, Taishi Ci gripped his halberd with both hands, flipped in the air, and stomped the air into a liquid state, transforming into a streak of golden light slashing towards Sun Ce, who likewise flipped and stomped on the deck, his long spear releasing more than a dozen streaks of golden light enveloping Taishi Ci’s figure.
With one strike, Taishi Ci swept away all the spear light from Sun Ce and brandished his Great Halberd, chopping directly at Sun Ce’s waist.
"Thud!" With a loud explosion, Sun Ce was sent flying like a golf ball hundreds of meters away, while Taishi Ci too became a streak of golden light, leaping into the sky. Then the two streaks of golden light, with the covering extent of the Cloud Qi, sped away increasingly faster until they plunged into the river below. 𝚗o𝚟pub.𝚌𝚘𝚖
The leading golden light landed squarely on the river surface, followed by Taishi Ci, who both, clutching their respective weapons, looked at each other with an unperturbed demeanor.
"Here, we can both fight to our heart’s content," Sun Ce said with a slight smile, "I have always liked formidable opponents."
"I do as well!" Taishi Ci laughed heartily, the golden Qi around him bursting forth crazily, while Sun Ce, as if responding in kind, suddenly unleashed his own golden Inner Qi, causing the entire river to surge tumultuously.
"Hmph, I hate it when someone has the same Qi as mine!" said Sun Ce, tightly clutching his long spear and staring at Taishi Ci in annoyance. Sun Ce, who had always thought himself unique, found it extremely irritating to see someone else like him.
"Leave with your head, and I’ll be the unparalleled one," Taishi Ci sneered, stepping on the river surface causing a large vortex to form before he transformed into a streak of golden light, slashing towards Sun Ce.
"I was thinking the same thing!" Sun Ce amalgamated all his voice into a roaring blast, pressing towards Taishi Ci, and pushing aside the mist on the river, creating a clear path.
"Thud!" Taishi Ci’s Light Blade tore through the blast and with the force of Mount Tai crashing down, he chopped at Sun Ce’s long spear. One strike of unmatched might sent Sun Ce plunging into the river, creating waves tens of meters high, while Taishi Ci, finding leverage in thin air, flipped and landed gracefully on the water’s surface.
"Boom!" A golden long spear emerged from the water just as Taishi Ci touched down, covering the area he had alighted upon.
Taishi Ci swung his Sky Piercer horizontally, severing several golden long spears and using the recoil to immediately escape the attack range of Sun Ce, standing midair with a loud roar before slashing down towards Sun Ce still in the water, cleaving the river apart, through the opening in the river, Taishi Ci instantly spotted Sun Ce, ready to leap out!
"Die!" Drawing the Precious Bow, he pulled at the air where the bowstring should be, and countless strands of Golden Thread formed on it. Releasing his grip, the humming sounded like a violent storm as numerous threads pierced the entire river surface, causing countless ripples—the golden threads enveloped all possible escape routes for Sun Ce.
"How can I die here!" Sun Ce’s eyes were bloodshot, with nowhere to retreat, he erupted all his Inner Qi and gripped his long spear, stabbing at the densest cluster of fine threads, "Break for me!" (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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