Chapter 13: Lord Guan's Three Blades

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"Third Brother, what do you think Second Brother was thinking? Why was he riding so slowly?" Chen Xi said, nudging Zhang Fei's waist.

"Second Brother is playing for real. Just watch, Hua Xiong is bound to lose. Every step Second Brother takes is accumulating momentum. By the time he is a hundred paces from Hua Xiong, his momentum will be fully gathered; no one in this world will be able to stop him," Zhang Fei said solemnly. He had rarely seen his second brother act with such caution.

Just as Zhang Fei predicted, Guan Yu was accumulating momentum. After all, Hua Xiong was already a top-tier expert. If they fell into close-quarters combat, even Guan Yu would find it impossible to take down a top-tier expert capable of projecting internal qi in a short amount of time. To win cleanly and swiftly, he had to kill Hua Xiong within three to five moves!

Hua Xiong sneered as he watched the swaying Guan Yu. He could barely sense any danger from him; it seemed the allied forces truly had no one left.

The hundred paces were up. Guan Yu looked at Hua Xiong opposite him. Indeed, he was a top-tier expert with projected internal qi, but unfortunately, his qi was condensed but not solid—far inferior to Guan Yu's.

"Hua Xiong, remember that the one who slays you is Guan Yu, Guan Yunchang!" Guan Yu let out a thunderous roar. Then, a streak of azure light, accompanied by a continuous series of sonic booms, tore through the air toward Hua Xiong, wrapped in a cloud of sonic shockwaves.

*Thud!* A massive sound erupted. Hua Xiong had sensed something was wrong the moment Guan Yu flew toward him. He raised his saber and slashed violently toward the point he perceived as the greatest danger. The immense force sent both him and his horse flying dozens of meters back.

His hands were numb and his chest felt tight. But before Hua Xiong could adjust, a massive burst of azure light smashed toward him once again. There was no attempt to hide it; perhaps for Guan Yu, the crudest method was the best as long as it defeated the opponent. Concealment held no value—it was just a matter of a few more strikes regardless.

"Break!" Hua Xiong summoned all his strength. He felt as if he were burning in flames as he unleashed a massive red blade of fire against Guan Yu's azure light blade. Unfortunately, it failed to stop Guan Yu's massive strike in the slightest; it was like a tidal wave crashing against a giant rock by the sea, shattering it to pieces.

*Clang!* A deafening roar rang out, causing the ears of those hundreds of meters away to ring, forcing everyone to activate their respective protections.

The webbing of his hands split, blood flowed continuously from the corner of his mouth, and the refined iron saber that had followed him for years developed cracks at that very moment. His body's healing speed could not keep up with the rate of destruction. At this moment, Hua Xiong realized his opponent was likely on the level of Lu Bu. That kind of overwhelming strength was enough to induce despair.

"I am Hua Xiong!" Hua Xiong roared, squeezing out every last drop of his strength. The area before Sishui Pass erupted in flames, and his originally vague fire blades began to gradually solidify.

Unfortunately, none of this mattered. The massive azure light blade Guan Yu swung remained like a high-pressure water jet, crushing Hua Xiong's desperate struggle into streaks of light and continuing its unstoppable momentum toward him.

The moment the light blade reached his body, a flash of desolation crossed Hua Xiong's eyes. He had not yet challenged Lu Bu, though at this moment, he understood that the gap between himself and Lu Bu was like a chasm...

Just as the massive light blade was about to strike Hua Xiong, Guan Yu suddenly remembered what Chen Xi had said. He modified the slash into a strike, slapping Hua Xiong away like a tennis ball.

As the dust settled, only Guan Yu remained on the battlefield, with the uncertain fate of Hua Xiong hundreds of meters away. Maintaining his leisurely pace, Guan Yu reached out, hoisted Hua Xiong up, and turned his horse around.

"Mission accomplished," Guan Yu said, tossing Hua Xiong down and ordering him to be bound.

With his eyes half-closed, Guan Yu cupped his hands toward Yuan Shao. He reached out, took the cup of wine prepared by Cao Mengde, and drank. It was scalding, but fortunately, his red face made it impossible to tell.

Everyone was screaming in their hearts: *Too brutal!* In the past, when reading historical records, scholars like Kong Rong thought figures like Xiang Yu were mere exaggerations. But after witnessing Guan Yu today and reflecting on the descriptions in the annals, it was possible they weren't exaggerations at all—they were pure realism!

"The Alliance Leader can now take advantage of the enemy's lack of preparation to seize Sishui Pass!" Cao Cao was the first to react. Now was not the time to be stunned by Guan Yu's martial prowess!

Prompted by Cao Cao, the crowd immediately snapped out of it. The matter of Hua Xiong was cast aside as the various units mobilized. Taking advantage of the fact that Sishui Pass had not yet reacted, they charged forward and captured the pass.

Sitting inside Sishui Pass, Yuan Shao was in high spirits. To take the pass in such a short time—he truly was a master commander.

Sitting among the crowd, Liu Bei became the protagonist this time. He stepped forward to praise Guan Yu's peerless bravery, calling him a tiger-like general of the age. Of course, more than that, his eyes shone with envy, looking for any opportunity to poach him.

At this time, under Chen Xi's consistent influence, Liu Bei played the part of the jovial leader, chatting and maneuvering with the various lords. Even a fool could see that aside from Kong Rong and Gongsun Zan, those offering sincere congratulations to Liu Bei all had ulterior motives—especially Yuan Shu, whose burning gaze nearly melted people.

After a round of eating, drinking, boasting, and mutual flattery, Liu Bei led Guan, Zhang, and Chen Xi back to their own camp. This time, no one dared to look down on Liu Bei; the Han Dynasty still had some foundation, or at least, such heroes were still under the Han's control.

Returning to the main tent, Chen Xi, feeling a bit groggy, drank some sobering soup. Looking at Guan Yu, who still maintained a cold and proud expression with half-lidded eyes, he asked, "Second Brother, what about Hua Xiong? He is a top-tier expert. If he recovers and we don't have an expert like you guarding him, we won't be able to stop him from escaping."

Steam rose from Guan Yu's body as he regained his full spirit. "Regardless of whether Hua Xiong can wake up, even if he does, I have suppressed his internal qi within his dantian. His qi has no room to circulate; without outside help, it is impossible for him to regain his former strength."

"Oh, I see. Remember to keep an eye on him. If we can persuade him to surrender, that would be even better." Chen Xi exerted his mental strength to keep his mind sharp, beginning to plan the next steps. Following Guan and Zhang lately, he felt quite content.

"Hua Xiong was indeed fierce. In terms of pure strength, he was already very powerful. It's a pity..." Guan Yu's eyes opened slightly as he spoke with a hint of lament.

"Huh?" Chen Xi looked at Guan Yu with a strange expression. He hadn't realized Guan Yu had a hobby of praising himself.

"Zi Chuan, Second Brother is right. Hua Xiong was indeed quite strong. In a formal fight, it would have taken Second Brother seventy or eighty rounds to find an opening. It's just that that idiot Hua Xiong was too careless!" Zhang Fei shouted loudly.

"Indeed, Hua Xiong was a good opponent, but he misjudged my strength. I can now perfectly conceal my aura and momentum. Those three strikes—the first was twenty percent heavier than my normal strike, the second was thirty percent heavier than the first, and the third was another thirty percent heavier. After Hua Xiong took the first strike head-on, he had no chance to dodge, and his fate was sealed." A rare smile appeared on Guan Yu's face. This was his ultimate trump card, effective against anyone he struck.

(End of Chapter)