Chapter 11: My Great Axe Can No Longer Wait

Chapter 11: My Great Axe Can Hardly Wait...

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Inside the coalition camp, although they had suffered a defeat, it did not affect the mood of the majority. People continued to eat and drink; on the surface, everything was harmonious, but behind the scenes, various underhanded dealings were afoot.

By this time, the coalition had arrived at the foot of Sishui Pass. Sun Jian was already waiting for the coalition to avenge his capable general, Zu Mao. In any case, he had no intention of taking action himself. This damn coalition had screwed him over once, and he absolutely would not let them do it a second time—at least, that was what he thought.

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were all in the main tent. Naturally, Chen Xi, knowing that a good show was about to unfold, was also hunkered down in the tent. To be honest, the coalition at this stage wasn't very strict about etiquette; as long as you were a strategist or a general under a warlord, you could follow your lord around and grab a meal. Once, Chen Xi had slipped in behind Yuan Shao, and no one noticed, likely assuming he was one of Yuan Shao's strategists.

However, it was noted that Liu Bei's expression had been visibly unpleasant at the time. Upon realizing later that Chen Xi was still in his own tent, Liu Bei asked for clarification and learned that Chen Xi had only tagged along with Yuan Shao for a meal. After that, he was brought along every time.

If one were to speak of those Liu Bei brought, Cao Cao brought even more. The Xiahou brothers, Cao Hong, Cao Ren, and Yue Jin sat in a row behind him—all of Cao Cao's men. As for the others, only two or three generals could enter, and among the strategists, there were very few with names known throughout the entire camp.

Over the past few days, Liu Bei had become more accustomed to the environment and grew bolder. At least now, he was no longer intimidated when chatting and boasting with people like Yuan Shao. His aura had also strengthened significantly, showing the bearing of a warlord. It couldn't be helped; after spending all day mingling with warlords, they began to treat you as a figure of importance, and over time, you developed your own presence.

Of course, it was undeniable that Liu Bei possessed this ambition himself. Without such ambition, he would likely still be weaving straw sandals.

"Zichuan, stop eating," Guan Yu said, nudging Chen Xi with his elbow as the latter continued to gnaw on beef.

"Are we going to take action?" Zhang Fei whispered.

"Let's see how things go," Chen Xi said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Report! The defender of Sishui Pass, Hua Xiong, has come to challenge us! He has already slain several of our great generals!" The messenger arrived slightly later than the intelligence from the various warlords' own scouts.

Regarding Hua Xiong, all the warlords currently held him in contempt. Sishui Pass only had fifty thousand men, yet they had fifty thousand troops stationed here; for Hua Xiong to actually dare to come down and challenge them was suicidal! Did they truly think the coalition lacked great generals?

"Who is willing to engage and slay Hua Xiong?" Yuan Shao sat in the primary seat and spoke with a calm expression. Whether Hua Xiong killed the coalition's men or the coalition killed Hua Xiong was unimportant to him; he was happy to watch the spectacle.

As soon as he finished speaking, a general clad in iron armor and wielding a steel spear stepped forward from behind Yuan Shu. "This junior is willing to go!"

"This is my subordinate, General Yu She!" Yuan Shu said with a face full of pride.

"Good! If General Yu She goes and slays Hua Xiong, I shall surely record it as your primary merit!" Yuan Shao was overjoyed. A general under Yuan Shu's command—hehe, if he killed Hua Xiong, it would be like doing a favor for Yuan Shu and proving the strength of the Yuan family. If he were killed, Yuan Shu would grow weaker, making the position of head of the family more secure for Yuan Shao.

"Hey, hey, Second Lord, what do you think of this Yu She?" Chen Xi nudged Guan Yu and asked.

"He's dead. Hua Xiong defeated Sun Jian and killed Zu Mao. Yu She is merely a minor officer who hasn't even condensed his Qi; he is doomed," Guan Yu said, his eyes widening with disdain.

Sure enough, before even a single cup of tea's time had passed, the messenger returned. "General Yu She has been cut down from his horse by Hua Xiong in a single blow!"

At that moment, a sharp glint flashed in Guan Yu's eyes—the look of someone who had encountered a true opponent.

"What?" Yuan Shu was stunned, pointing blankly at the messenger. To have a capable general killed in a single move was something no one could believe.

"Who is willing to engage and slay Hua Xiong to wash away this shame!" Yuan Shao roared in anger.

Seeing that the Second Lord was about to stand up, Chen Xi quickly pulled him back.

"Zichuan, what are you doing? I suspect Hua Xiong follows a path of brute strength and has likely reached the stage of Internal Qi transforming into Astral Qi. He is quite a formidable opponent," Guan Yu whispered.

"Don't rush, don't rush. Hua Xiong hasn't shown his full strength yet. Second Lord, wait a bit longer!" Chen Xi urged, though he was also surprised by Hua Xiong's strength.

According to Guan Yu, for a martial cultivator, the entry level was cultivating the first breath of Qi. Once they condensed their Internal Qi, they could be considered minor experts. The next level up was Internal Qi transforming into Astral Qi, which was almost the pinnacle of cultivation. Beyond that was breaking through that limit—once one reached the stage of projecting Internal Qi outside the body, according to the Second Lord, one could even hold their own against Xiang Yu!

At that moment, Han Fu, the Governor of Jizhou, spoke up. "I have the great general Pan Feng, who can slay Hua Xiong!"

"Is General Pan Feng willing to go?" Yuan Shao asked with a mocking expression. Han Fu, ah, Jizhou was such a fine place.

After swallowing a mouthful of meat from a lamb leg, Pan Feng stood up. "This general is willing to go! My great axe can hardly wait!"

Pan Feng, who had been sitting behind Han Fu, stepped forward. The man stood nine feet tall, clad in military attire, carrying a massive axe the size of a door with one hand. The cold light glinting off the blade sent a chill through the hearts of those watching.

Chen Xi frowned and turned to look at Guan Yu. "What do you think of this man, Second Lord?"

"He possesses innate divine strength and is at the peak of condensing Qi into Astral Qi. He is but one step away from projecting Internal Qi outside the body. Once he breaks through, even I would find it difficult to take him down!" Guan Yu said solemnly. Although his cultivation was one level higher than the man's, looking at that massive axe made even him feel uneasy. He hated these types of men with innate divine strength the most; they held too much of an advantage at the same level.

Chen Xi's eye twitched. So fierce! Dammit, Hua Xiong could kill people in a few moves; does he think he's Lu Bu?

Chen Xi looked closely at Yuan Shao and finally couldn't help but sigh. There was an eighty percent chance that Pan Feng was being set up to die by Yuan Shao. According to Guan Yu, Pan Feng was already a top-tier expert. As battles continued and he faced more experts, he could make that breakthrough at any time. In an era of war, progress was inevitable as long as one stayed alive; if one stopped progressing, it usually meant they were already dead.

Meanwhile, having slain several men in succession, Hua Xiong's pride was ignited. He couldn't help but look down on the coalition. Fifty thousand troops and not a single officer with any real strength? He could handle them all by himself!

Sitting atop his horse, Hua Xiong gazed at the large tent opposite him. He could feel the barrier above his head continuously weakening as his courage grew. He hoped he could challenge Lu Bu again; even if he were defeated in a single move, he wanted to witness that god-like power.

"Here he comes!" Hua Xiong ceased his thoughts as he saw a dark blur streaking toward him like lightning. The oncoming pressure excited him. Leading hundreds of men to challenge the coalition, Hua Xiong was prepared to die. He would either advance further or perish.

(End of Chapter)