Chapter 21: The God-Defying Lu Bu

"Clang!" After about thirty-five exchanges, Lu Bu severely wounded Wen Chou. Another supreme expert lay dead on the ground. However, this time, instead of charging toward Yuan Shao, Lu Bu frowned slightly and looked toward the west, sensing two astonishing auras surging in his direction.

He smiled. Although these two auras were not as powerful as his own, they rarely managed to stir the blood in his chest. "Come, the experts I have been waiting for! Defeating ants does not thrill me; only slaying true experts can make the blood in my heart burn!"

Guan Yu's green light grew more immense as he approached, eventually beginning to squeeze out the dark light radiating from Zhang Fei beside him.

"Lu Bu, take this!" Guan Yu spoke these words with majestic composure, his face filled with unyielding arrogance.

Guan Yu, carrying his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, could feel his own berserk power slipping out of his control. Yet, Lu Bu, standing perfectly still, looked like a perfect target from every angle!

"Well come!" For once, Lu Bu’s eyes betrayed a hint of wariness. Even though he could see through the essence of this strike, he did not dodge. Because he was Lu Bu, he disdained to evade. In this world, only others could dodge him; there was no one capable of forcing him to retreat.

"Clang!" A deafening explosion erupted as the strike, condensing the entirety of Guan Yu's essence, energy, and spirit, collided with Lu Bu's full-force blow. The shockwave directly killed most of the soldiers in the immediate vicinity.

"You are not bad!" As the dust settled, Lu Bu sat upon Red Hare, holding his Painted Halberd in both hands as he stared at Guan Yu. "Judging by this strike, Hua Xiong did not die unjustly at your hands! But against me, you still lack the necessary heat."

Blood surged in Guan Yu’s chest. He had never imagined that someone could stop his full-strength strike head-on—no, even more, with nothing but raw power and no preparation, Lu Bu had forced him to retreat and dispersed his gathered momentum with a single blow.

"An attack with no retreat, only advancement. An ordinary person would likely have been slain instantly for failing to withstand your first strike. Even someone of Hua Xiong's caliber, had he blocked it, could not have disrupted your momentum, leading to him being overwhelmed and killed by your subsequent, increasingly heavy blows. And if one were to dodge, your momentum would only grow, ultimately leading to their defeat under your blade!" Lu Bu looked at Guan Yu calmly, articulating the terrifying nature of his move.

Guan Yu breathed steadily, his expression remaining proud. He ignored Lu Bu’s evaluation, masking the turbulent waves within his heart behind his crimson face and half-lidded, arrogant eyes. Even Lu Bu failed to notice the internal change in Guan Yu.

*Is this the world’s greatest warrior? He actually withstood my strongest move as if it were nothing!* Guan Yu pulled on his reins, his eyes slightly widened as he stared at Lu Bu. In that moment, he inadvertently acknowledged Lu Bu’s might.

"Second Brother, I’m coming to help you!" Zhang Fei, itching for a fight, shouted as he prepared to rush in after seeing Guan Yu forced back.

"You are not bad..." Lu Bu glanced at Zhang Fei and remarked.

Lu Bu, having breached the enemy camp alone, felt no sense of danger from the soldiers surrounding him. The only ones capable of stopping him were the two men before him.

"It seems you are the only ones worth noting in the allied forces." Lu Bu cast a disdainful look toward Yuan Shao’s position, then glanced at the newly arrived Cao Cao and the two Xiahou brothers behind him.

Lu Bu wantonly unleashed his aura. Guan Yu watched him with half-closed eyes, remaining silent. Even after unleashing his strongest strike, Guan Yu could not fathom the depth of Lu Bu's power—it was truly bottomless. That was Guan Yu’s own assessment.

"Hum!" A sharp, high-pitched ringing pierced the air. A silver light-arrow streaked across the night sky, shattering into stardust. Frowning, Lu Bu turned his horse around, preparing to leave.

"Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, keep your heads firmly on your necks." Lu Bu sneered as he pivoted his steed.

Xiahou Yuan gripped his bow, staring intensely at Lu Bu. That immense pressure made it nearly impossible for him to raise his arm. No matter how much he shouted internally, he could not lift his hand to fire the arrow he had already prepared.

"Lu Bu, don't you dare run!" Biting his lower lip until it bled, Xiahou Yuan finally roared and loosed his arrow. A streak of blood-stained black light shot toward Lu Bu like a shooting star.

After that single shot, Xiahou Yuan was drenched as if he had been pulled from water.

Lu Bu scoffed and swatted the arrow away with his halberd, then drew his own precious bow from his saddle. He sneered continuously, "Let me show you what true archery is!"

His thumb pulled back the bowstring. A golden-red phantom image slowly appeared on the bow, which had no arrow. As the string was drawn, an arrow gradually solidified. He released it. A golden-red beam of light streaked across the night sky, piercing through a thousand paces in a straight line without a sound.

"My hand slipped; it has been a while since I used a bow." Lu Bu’s hearty, mocking laughter drifted over. When they turned to look, the grand command banner had been shattered to pieces.

Guan Yu turned to look at the cold-sweating Xiahou Yuan. When Lu Bu’s aura had fully suppressed them all, it was astonishing that a warrior at the level of 'Refining Qi into Steel' had managed to fire an arrow at all.

"Congratulations." Guan Yu held his reins, controlling his half-dead Xiliang steed, and offered a salute to Cao Cao and the Xiahou brothers.

Once Lu Bu had departed, the adrenaline that had sustained Xiahou Yuan faded. Seeing that it was safe, he could no longer resist the exhaustion; his right hand slipped from the reins, and he slowly slumped downward.

"Miaocai!" Cao Cao sensed something was wrong the moment Xiahou Yuan let go and reached out to catch him, but Xiahou Yuan had already collapsed.

Fortunately, Xiahou Dun, who was nearby, reached out and caught the falling Xiahou Yuan. "Big Brother, Miaocai is fine. He is just unconscious from excessive exhaustion of his internal energy."

"Lord Cao, there is a good chance Xiahou Miaocai will break through his current level when he wakes. If he does not, ask him how he managed to fire that arrow today." Guan Yu spoke more than usual, then turned his horse to leave.

"Yo, Lu Bu is gone? I wanted to come and watch the fun." Chen Xi arrived just as the fighting concluded, much like a policeman arriving after the crime.

"Lu Bu has left," Zhang Fei said with a dark face—though, given his already dark complexion, it was hard to tell.

"Oh? You didn't try to stop him?" Chen Xi raised an eyebrow, his expression peculiar.

"Couldn't stop him..." Zhang Fei’s face grew even darker. He had thought himself mighty, but today he had truly seen what a "mighty" man was.

Lu Bu had tossed Yan Liang and Wen Chou aside like chopping vegetables, then stopped Guan Yu’s strongest strike with a single move, his overwhelming aura suppressing everyone present.

"Oh, right. I am Chen Xi, courtesy name Zichuan, from Yingchuan. Greetings to the Alliance Leader and Lord Cao." Chen Xi seemed to have just noticed Cao Cao, saluting with a smile. To be honest, this was the first time he had formally introduced himself in all this time.

Cao Cao returned the salute with grace, but he was preoccupied with the state of Xiahou Miaocai. After exchanging pleasantries with Yuan Shao, he returned to camp immediately. Yuan Shao, currently in a state of panic trying to save Yan Liang and Wen Chou, paid no attention to Cao Cao, let alone the unremarkable Chen Xi.