Chapter 182: Chapter 173: One Punch Shattered My Dream of Becoming the World’s Number One Martial General
"We’re about to win!"
Yang Jin observed the allied dukes methodically organizing their elite forces.
The soldiers’ Qi gradually coalesced into a single entity, and the surrounding mists seemed to be drawn by this aura, surging and transforming into "Momentum Beasts" resembling Gang Qi.
This is a military array, not like those scattered troops outside that disperse upon impact.
"Kid, don’t celebrate too soon."
Standing beside Liu Bei, Hua Xiong, with a grave expression, fixated on the joyous Yang Jin and said in a deep voice, "There’s something I forgot to tell you, that is not Lü Bu’s true form."
"What do you mean?"
Hearing this, Liu Bei was taken aback, showing a look of surprise.
Hua Xiong directed his gaze toward the deep pit, his face reverent as if a devotee facing a god, and he slowly spoke:
"Do you think this is Lü Bu’s limit? No, this is merely the nascent form of his Divine Thought yet to awaken. Once fully awakened, he alone is enough to slay the entire Yellow Turban Warriors."
Years ago, Lü Bu gifted Lord Dong with three strands of Divine Thought.
The first strand of Divine Thought, several Throne Great Demons attempted to assassinate Lord Dong but were instead crushed at the heart of the Grassland by that strand.
If not for the Demon Ancestor’s timely intervention, the entire Grassland would have ceased to exist.
The second strand of Divine Thought led Lord Dong out of encirclement from the invincible Yellow Turban Warrior formation.
After that battle, the Dao Heart of the Yellow Turban Warriors collapsed, and the once unbreakable, immune to all laws legendary myth became past clouds and smoke.
This third strand of Divine Thought will be no exception.
"A strand of Divine Thought?"
Yang Jin and Liu Bei exchanged bewildered glances, completely unable to grasp Hua Xiong’s words.
But Yang Jin understood one thing: to Hua Xiong, this "Young Lu Bu" still hadn’t used his trump card. Indeed, he hadn’t seen "Young Lu Bu" use any techniques like the "Violent Qi Secret Skill."
The Spiritual Power observed within the thousand-foot-deep pit, the figure surrounded by enemies, still deftly wielded the Sky-piercing Halberd, yet this posture hadn’t even warmed up...
Yang Jin felt a chill in his heart.
"Here lie the elite of the Eighteen Lords, each capable of wielding the might of a military array. It’s impossible, absolutely impossible!" he murmured.
"Military array?"
"Heh, even when combined, your rebel military arrays were merely defeated by the Yellow Turban Warriors," Hua Xiong scoffed repeatedly.
"Lord Xuande, do the Yellow Turban Warriors really possess such might?" Yang Jin asked in amazement, for in this world, aside from clans and martial practitioners, the common people weren’t much different from those in his past life. How could they breach the united defense of the Eighteen Lords’ coalition?
"I once followed my master in campaigning against the Yellow Turbans... that mob of commoners shouted ’Peace’ and charged forth, invulnerable to swords and spears, with Vajra Indestructible bodies, impervious to water and fire, each equivalent to a Second-class General. Yet, in their presence, our military arrays crumbled instantly."
Liu Bei’s eyes turned wistful.
"If Lü Bu truly can break through the Yellow Turban Warriors, then..." He shook his head.
Yang Jin was startled and looked at Hua Xiong.
"Soon, you’ll all be able to see for yourselves."
Hua Xiong turned, eyeing the somber-looking Zhao Yun, "Won’t you make a move? With a master like you joining in, surely it could draw out his power faster."
"I... I..."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun’s palm clutching the spear was already drenched in sweat. He finally sensed the extraordinary nature of "Young Lu Bu," and involuntarily murmured:
"He is merely a strand of Divine Thought... Is there such a person in this world..."
Descending from the mountains, his master’s caution echoed in his ears, urging him to retreat three steps when encountering a Martial Artist named "Lü Bu." Though Zhao Yun solemnly agreed outwardly, inwardly, he secretly anticipated witnessing the might of "Lü Bu."
After all, since stepping onto the Martial Dao path, what martial artist doesn’t carry the dream of being the "World’s Number One Martial General?"
Confidence—a heart invincible in Martial Dao!
An unstoppable aura surged mightily from Zhao Yun!
Watching Zhao Yun’s increasingly resolute expression, Hua Xiong couldn’t help but sigh silently. He, too, was once this confident.
Confident in life for three hundred years, he, Hua Xiong, was unrivaled in the world!
His name, Hua Xiong, was to be etched in the annals of Martial Dao history!
Yet, a single, unremarkable punch from Lü Bu shattered his dream of being the "World’s Number One Martial General" into fragments.
Amid the conversations.
The military arrays transformed into "Momentum Beasts," rushing into the deep pit.
Inside the pit, the crackling sound was incessant, and the ground quaked violently.
"Aroo—"
At Gongsun Zan’s command, the White Horse Righteous Followers quickly assembled, their momentum merging into a vivid and majestic thirty-foot-long White Dragon. With an earth-shattering roar, the White Dragon plunged fiercely into the deep pit below.
Facing the overwhelming momentum gathered by the Eighteen Lords, Lü Bu felt as though he carried the weight of Da Shan, causing his movements to slow involuntarily.
Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and several First-class Generals, observing this, were overjoyed.
What an opportunity!
After exchanging hundreds of bouts, a tacit understanding had developed among them. With a shared glance, Zhang Fei and several others joined forces to temporarily restrain Lü Bu’s aggression.
Thereby granting Guan Yu precious time to accumulate power.
Guan Yu kept his eyes closed, immersed in the "Divine Will State," with azure flames rising around him.
His aura continually escalated, even taking on a tangible form. In the sky above, a figure with closed eyes slowly emerged, clad in a Cyan Robe, Green Turban, with a long beard, Phoenix Eyes, and wielding the Cyan Dragon Crescent Blade.
It was Guan Yu.
Boom!
The moment Zhang Fei and others suppressed Lü Bu, the figure in the sky suddenly opened his fierce eyes. The Cyan Dragon Crescent Blade he held seemed like the wrath of a Celestial God, with unstoppable momentum, swiftly slashing toward Lü Bu.
Like a Divine Being wielding a hammer.
For a moment, heaven and earth stood still.
Right after, a massive wave of dust surged towards all directions like a tide, the distant soldiers being scattered wildly by the sudden gust.
Dust flew, blocking out the sky.
Crunch.
Lü Bu forcefully endured the strike, barely deflecting that fierce blade’s Gang Qi, but under the Cyan Dragon Crescent Blade’s violent collision, the armor on him was instantly covered with dense, web-like cracks.
And from amongst these cracks, a faint, dazzling golden light shone through.
The youth’s indifferent eyes finally showed slight ripples; he glanced around, then lifted his gaze, staring fiercely at Guan Yu, who remained eyes closed and focused nearby.
"Second Brother, again!!"
Zhang Fei’s eyes widened like copper bells, his roar akin to thunder.
Above in the sky, Guan Yu’s gaze grew colder; he seemed to see the dawn of victory.
The Cyan Dragon Crescent Blade in his hand was raised high once more, then swung down fiercely. This time, the blade’s light was dazzling, blindingly bright, as if intending to split the entire world into two halves.
Boom!
With a deafening roar, Lü Bu fell rapidly to the ground like a meteor, raising layers of dust and rubble.
The Divine Weapon Sky-piercing Halberd in his hand, in the fierce clash with the Cyan Dragon Crescent Blade, also began to show signs of unbearable pressure, with cracks appearing.
At the same time, several military generals surrounding Lü Bu broke through their limits due to the military array’s momentum, attacking increasingly fiercely.
The cracks in the Sky-piercing Halberd multiplied and deepened.
"Break!"
The figure in the sky swung the Cyan Dragon Crescent Blade yet again, the blade’s light like a dragon, unstoppable. Guan Yu’s eyes seemed to burn with fire at that moment, bleeding.
After three strikes, the phantom figure slowly dissipated, and Guan Yu’s form also collapsed to the ground, clutching his head in excruciating pain.
At the bottom of the deep pit.
With a sound like "Crunch," the halberd’s shaft broke, splitting into two.
Lü Bu’s Beast-Faced Swallowing Head Linked Armor shattered, pieces falling to the ground, making sharp and piercing sounds. His exposed upper body resembled a porcelain doll full of cracks, remaining still for a moment.
Lü Bu surveyed the surroundings, taking everything in, then gently flexed his tendons and bones, slowly uttering a sentence.
"Interesting."
"Hahahaha."
"You must be that World’s Number One Martial General Lü Bu, today defeated by us! Turns out you’re just like this! Hahaha!"
The surrounding first-class generals, stained with blood, upon hearing Lü Bu’s words, exchanged glances and cracked sinister grins, bursting into hearty laughter.
This time, facing such a powerful enemy, each broke through their limits under life-and-death pressure, then triumphed...
The generals’ smiles suddenly froze, their pupils contracted as if witnessing something shocking.
They felt astonishingly strong momentum rapidly rising from that youth.
"Not good!"
The generals gritted their teeth, immediately launching attacks, while the ten-zhang White Dragon formed by the White Horse Righteous Followers swiftly followed suit, fiercely charging.
Just then,
Lü Bu’s body radiated dazzling brilliance, the golden aura burning fiercely.
In the deep pit, a golden sphere suddenly expanded, its brilliance as intense as a sun newly risen over the horizon.
Soon, golden rays like sharp swords shot out from the sphere.
In everyone’s eyes, there was only that radiant, dazzling golden light, impossible to look directly at.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The ten-zhang White Dragon was shockingly repelled, flying backward, its dragon roar abruptly stopping, dissolving into white light.
Following that were Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and several first-class general figures crashing out of the deep pit.
Zhao Yun dashed swiftly, catching the two steadily, then quickly reached Liu Bei’s side, handing the barely breathing two to Liu Bei for care.
After finishing all this, Zhao Yun turned with a grave expression, staring fiercely at the slowly rising golden figure.
The dust gradually settled—
Amidst the swirling golden aura, the youth stood airborne, his bare upper body, his golden eyes quietly gazing at the Eighteen Lords below.
Everyone felt a weight on them at that moment, like an invisible mountain pressing upon their hearts. The weaker soldiers around couldn’t bear it, directly succumbing to the momentum and falling to the ground.
Trembling, they looked up, eyes full of terror and awe, gazing at the airborne youth.
Hua Xiong reached out to support Yang Jin, who was about to be overwhelmed by the momentum, looking up towards the awakened Lü Bu:
"Kid, this is the Lü Bu you wanted, he’s here."
...
