Chapter 178: Chapter 169: Three Arrows Rout the Grand Army, World’s Number One Martial General
[Vigorous Qi Breaking Body Martial Artists can be considered first-class generals, naturally not weak.]
[Apart from the Three Religions and Seven Realms Immortal Gods Cultivators, Celestial Divine Generals, Confucian Saints, Grassland Great Demons... well, there are quite a few, but first-class generals are indeed the top combat force in the mortal world.]
[If equipped with divine weapons, armor, BMWs, an ancestral "Gathering the Masses Against the Few" military array, with the overwhelming aura of a ten thousand-strong army, there have been instances of first-class generals leveraging such forces to reverse-slay True Immortals in a single strike.]
[Such achievements are worthy of being called first-class. The fate of a single province can only nurture three to five such heroes.]
[And Dong Zhuo was a Destined One, acquiring inheritance at a young age, entering the eye of the Military School, grasping another layer of secrets.]
[Now, the "Divine Generals," "True Immortals," "Great Demons" in the mortal world must abide by the "Heaven and the Four Saints" signed "Five Directions Rules" from a century ago, forbidding those above Seventh Realm from descending to interfere with mortal affairs without reason.]
[Those who defy this rule will surely perish and their Dao extinguished.]
[As for the reasons, many guesses circulate among cultivators. The most widely known is the struggle between Heaven and the Four Saints, both sides equally matched, victory uncertain, so the mortal world was wagered, with the winner to take the lead.]
[In this chess game, those in it, their life and death are dictated by the Celestial Mandate. Therefore, upon learning this, most immortals chose to retreat to avoid the tribulation, except for those "loose cultivators" and "mages" without sect affiliation still roaming the world.]
[But this "Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth" prohibits Immortals from entering the fray, highlighting the importance of first-class generals.]
[Dong Zhuo learned from Li Ru that the "Gang Qi Martial Artist" could gather Qi into an arrow, repelling a thousand armies with a single shot, supposedly born in Bing Province, tormented by Alien Race onslaughts, destined to kill the "King of the Grasslands".]
[Yet, Dong Zhuo had been in Bing Province for several months without seeing the "hero" voluntarily come forth, leaving him puzzled.]
[Dong Zhuo gritted his teeth, took a piece of treasure soldier, a BMW, a set of treasure armor, these Three Treasures being prized possessions over the years, most favored by military generals, and sent Li Ru to the frontier small city to invite the "hero" for a drink together.]
[Li Ru took the command, carrying the "Three Treasures", to the frontier small city, the journey smooth and tranquil. Along the way, Li Ru inquired, finding the locals of the cities ignorant of the so-called "hero", even his name, age, were deep secrets, as if he had never existed in the world.]
[And the Alien Race knew little about him, the "hero" seemed to have sprung from a rock. Only those lucky enough to escape from his hands mentioned him with words revealing an expression of fear when speaking of him, highlighting the sole feature they described - those haunting eyes.]
[He was born a disaster star, silent, killing hundreds without batting an eye.]
[As for his appearance, opinions varied widely, with no consensus. Some described him as burly, green-faced, fang-like, like a ghoul from Hell; others earnestly warned, if a clean young man runs toward you, do not resist.]
[Run quickly! Everyone run! He’s coming! He’s coming! There’s no escape! Immediately fall to your knees and surrender!]
[An Alien Race man turned pale with fright, trembling all over, babbling nonsense, prompting laughter from the crowd.]
[Li Ru, as a first-class mage practicing "cultivation without destiny," with spiritual power vast as the sea, could truly feel the instinctive fear of the Alien Race man.]
[Li Ru discreetly ordered his personal guard to bind the Alien Race man, using spiritual power to perform "Dream Entering Skill" into the man’s mind.]
[He saw "Hell" within the man’s mind.]
[The Alien Race man hailed from a tribe of three thousand strong young men, invincible, during one hunt, they won yet again, returning triumphant, igniting a blazing campfire within the tribe, roasting "cattle and sheep", the entire tribe in joyous laughter, singing and dancing, all jubilant.]
[At this moment, a young man stormed in alone, wielding a Sky-piercing Halberd. He spoke not a word, merely gazing coldly at all before him, then began a ruthless slaughter. None could withstand his sharp edge wherever he went.]
[The tribe leader blew up in fury, trying to salvage the defeat, only to collapse under the youth’s halberd.]
[Blood surged like a spring, dyeing the earth a ghastly red, corpses lying everywhere, eyes of those dead wide open filled with deep fear and despair. The Alien Race man witnessed this gruesome scene firsthand.]
[In the sea of blood, the youth slowly turned his gaze, eyes sharp as knives. The Alien Race man felt a chill to his core, fainted in terror.]
[Li Ru awoke drenched in sweat, face pale, his mind feeling as if stabbed by countless needlepoints, the agony unbearable.]
[Li Ru rested for three days due to mental turmoil before setting out again.]
[Finally learning the "hero" was indeed a youth wielding a long halberd, around fifteen years of age, his heart thrilled, such youth already a first-class general, if acquiring this fine general, surely aiding "Duke Zhongying" in achieving grand aspirations.]
[This entire journey, within a radius of a hundred li, not a trace of Alien Race or Exotic Beast was found.]
[Li Ru successfully visited the youth, learning from him the youth’s name - "Lü Bu". He humbly and respectfully offered the "Three Treasures".]
[Lü Bu refused the generous gift.]
[He did not know the hero "Duke Zhongying".]
[Li Ru remained unfazed, coming again the next day for a visit.]
[Lü Bu refused again.]
[On the third day, Li Ru faced closed doors.]
[Reason being, Lü Bu was entertaining visiting friends from afar, not seeing guests.]
[With a contemptuous attitude, Li Ru’s personal general could no longer bear it. As the first warrior of Xiliang, an eighteen-year-old second-class general, he "Hua Xiong" is meant to become the world’s number one martial general, invincible under heaven in the future!]
[Hua Xiong clamored at the gate, wanting to duel with Lü Bu... Hua Xiong’s voice was loud and noisy.]
[Moments later, Lü Bu came out with an expressionless face. With just one punch, Hua Xiong’s previously disdainful and arrogant demeanor instantly collapsed. Like a dead dog, he fell to the ground in utter despair, without a trace of his previous arrogance.]
[Li Ru shook his head helplessly, supporting the embarrassed Hua Xiong to return with the report. When he spoke of Lü Bu’s age and strength to Dong Zhuo, even his "three visits to the thatched hut" could not entice Lü Bu to come out and assist.]
[However, beside them, the severely injured Hua Xiong seemed to have completely forgotten the previous humiliation. In front of Dong Zhuo, he repeatedly praised "Lü Bu as if a ghost and god," and "Lü Bu invincible under heaven," becoming a devoted admirer of Lü Bu’s martial strength.]
[Having witnessed Lü Bu’s prowess, his ambition shifted from being the world’s number one martial general to the world’s number two. Hua Xiong earnestly and urgently implored Dong Zhuo to find a way to recruit Lü Bu into their ranks.]
[Dong Zhuo was overjoyed and did not blame Li Ru. He also consoled the injured Hua Xiong. Soon after, he urged Li Ru to exhaust every effort to devise a brilliant plan to attract this extraordinarily gifted young martial general.]
[Li Ru, however, looked troubled, feeling that the matter was tricky. Despite Lü Bu’s youth, he was resilient and unmoved by worldly things. Be it prized horses or treasure armor, nothing could sway him in the slightest.]
[Even when Li Ru promised him high official positions and the enticing future of being ennobled and promoted.]
[Human desires are but a few. Dong Zhuo did not believe this. He selected eighteen meticulously chosen beauties, and brought a "Sky-piercing Halberd" forged from the soul of a flood dragon, to personally visit Lü Bu.]
[Dong Zhuo was swiftly met with a closed door.]
[For three consecutive days, Dong Zhuo personally visited, only to be met with the bitterness of closed doors once again every time. The reason was simple; Lü Bu was having tea and rekindling old friendships, unwilling to meet any outsiders.]
[The proud soldiers and fierce generals who accompanied him were indignant. They felt, who could be compared with "Duke Zhongying"? Thus, they all started making outrageous claims, wanting to eradicate Lü Bu and his entire family.]
[Li Ru and Hua Xiong were so startled by these words that they turned ashen, stepping forward hurriedly to vigorously dissuade the generals.]
[This was no laughing matter.]
[Trusting Li Ru, Dong Zhuo sighed helplessly, restrained the generals under his command, and turned to leave.]
[The following month, the Celestial Dynasty dispatched troops in three directions, campaigning against various major tribes of the grasslands. After a few minor victories, the army penetrated deep into the grasslands, only to be drastically defeated by the "King of the Grasslands," losing ninety percent, with only Dong Zhuo’s army remaining intact.]
[The strength of both armies was evenly matched. However, in terms of weapons and armor, the Celestial Dynasty’s troops were far superior, yet the "King of the Grasslands" led his elite personal guards in breaking through formations, unstoppable.]
[The Celestial Dynasty had to hold fast to strong fortresses to contend with the King of the Grasslands.]
[For three years, it consumed a vast amount of manpower and supplies, resulting in numerous lost soldiers and generals, reduced to nothing more than wine sacks and food bags. The Emperor was furious, repeatedly changing generals, and executed a few unlucky ones, leaving no renowned general willing to take on the task. The troublesome matter fell onto Dong Zhuo’s shoulders.]
[Dong Zhuo received an extraordinary promotion.]
[The Emperor sent an emissary, issuing a life-threatening order.]
[Three months without victory, execution on the spot!]
[Dong Zhuo received everything he had once dreamed of, but only for three months.]
[At this time, Li Ru thought of Lü Bu.]
[Amidst their busy schedules, Dong Zhuo and Li Ru took "Divine Weapons" and "BMWs" to see Lü Bu, expecting to be met once more with the coldness of a closed door, as had happened countless times over the past three years.]
[But Lü Bu calmly told them, "Give me a Treasure Bow, and I’ll help you kill that King of the Grasslands!"]
[Dong Zhuo grasped Lü Bu’s hand in front of an army of 100,000, appointing the young man, who was barely twenty, as an admiral.]
[The army was in an uproar, buzzing with discussions.]
[Holding no merit, why should he?]
[Beneath the strong fortress, the great wind blew past, and thirty li away, the King of the Grasslands led his army in another raid...]
[Lü Bu’s eyes remained calm as he drew the bowstring. Three golden arrows gradually formed, and as he released, with a loud bang, the clouds in the sky seemed to be cut open by a sharp sword.]
[With these three arrows, he knew the outcome.]
[One arrow to kill the King of the Grasslands!]
[One arrow to kill the Throne Great Demon!]
[One arrow to drive back the army of 100,000!]
...
