Chapter 30: Truly Not Human!

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The shouts and drumbeats from both sides frantically stimulated the two combatants in the battlefield, just as they stimulated all the soldiers; the morale of both sides was rising continuously.

"Not good! Lu Bu, watch the arrows!" Zhao Yun let out a great shout, and arrows he had long prepared shot forth like lightning toward Lu Bu!

Lu Bu was feeling irritated by Wu Anguo's swinging hammer, which kept coming and going. He admitted that this fellow's strength was indeed immense, and he possessed the ability to project internal qi outside his body. Most importantly, this man was fighting desperately and possessed quite a decent hammer technique.

"Warm-up ends here!" Lu Bu roared. His previously tempestuous attacks suddenly paused, and his Sky Piercer halberd seemed to suddenly increase in weight a hundredfold, as if the air had become viscous. It struck Wu Anguo's great hammer with a movement that appeared slow but was actually incredibly fast.

Wu Anguo felt as if he had been struck by lightning, nearly losing his grip on the hammer. His previously flawless attack revealed a flaw due to this momentary pause. Lu Bu's halberd, trailing an arc of light, sliced through the opening; no matter how hard Wu Anguo struggled, he was just a fraction too late.

"Bang!" Just as Wu Anguo fell into despair, a streak of silver-blue light forcibly deflected Lu Bu's halberd. Wu Anguo, who would have otherwise been disemboweled by the extending air blade, managed to save his life.

Lu Bu glanced toward the direction from which the arrows had been shot and abandoned his intention to continue killing Wu Anguo. The opponent had signaled before attacking; although the arrows were so fast that he only heard the voice after they hit, it was undeniable that the opponent had not violated the rules of the duel.

Looking at the grim-faced Zhao Yun, Chen Xi was somewhat puzzled. Why did Wu Anguo suddenly lose? Wasn't he pressing Lu Bu back just a moment ago?

"The Art of the Heavy Sword—a technique that allows a light weapon to strike with the power of a heavy weapon in an instant," Zhao Yun said with a somber expression. "And likewise, the Art of the Light Sword—a technique that makes a heavy weapon feel extremely light. General Zhang, do you understand what this means?"

Zhang Fei opened his mouth. He naturally understood the trouble caused by an opponent's ability to manipulate the perceived weight of their attacks, especially when they could control the transition between light and heavy.

"Zilong, just call me Yide! No matter how strong Lu Bu is, I will face him. I am Zhang Yide of Yan!" Zhang Fei roared, his eyes flashing with a fanatical fighting spirit. Without waiting for Guan Yu or Zhao Yun to stop him, he spurred his horse and charged out from the formation with his spear.

"Zhang Yide, is it?" Lu Bu gripped his Sky Piercer. A golden-red luster slowly materialized, and the golden-red aura condensing around him formed a layer of celestial armor. Lu Bu was prepared to fight the whole world alone; no matter who the opponent was, whether it was a series of duels or a group attack, he was ready to slay them all right here.

Similarly, the pitch-black aura on Zhang Fei's body coiled around him under the pressure from Lu Bu, condensing into a translucent armor.

"Take this!" With his momentum at its peak, Zhang Fei no longer hesitated. Abandoning all flashy moves, he thrust his serpent spear straight at Lu Bu—simple and swift!

"Boom!" Lu Bu swung his halberd, directly deflecting Zhang Fei's serpent spear. The power transmitted through the clashing of metal allowed him to be prepared; the strength was great, but it was roughly the same as the previous man. Most importantly, the weapon was not heavy enough, not large enough, and not fast enough!

Zhang Fei swung his serpent spear so rapidly it almost formed a circle, looking like a black dragon coiling around him. His immense strength, accompanied by intense sonic booms, pierced the air repeatedly. Yet, every one of Lu Bu's counterattacks was so timely that Zhang Fei was forced into a defensive stance.

In the first ten moves, Zhang Fei relied on his raw bloodlust and courage to suppress Lu Bu's attacks. He forced the entire hundred-meter combat range to compress onto Lu Bu's person; a massive black dragon coiled beneath Hulao Pass, frantically biting at a golden-red pearl.

However, once ten moves had passed, Lu Bu stabilized and began to counterattack steadily.

After twenty moves, the frequency of Zhang Fei's attacks began to decline.

After thirty moves, Lu Bu had suppressed Zhang Fei, and the frequency of Zhang Fei's counterattacks began to drop sharply.

After fifty moves, Lu Bu's mass of golden-red fire had firmly suppressed the black dragon.

The fighting spirit in Zhang Fei's eyes increased frantically, and his aura continued to grow, yet he still could not break through Lu Bu's blockade. Eventually, Lu Bu suppressed the combat within a range of about ten meters; outside this range, all was calm, but inside this circle, it was a tempest!

Guan Yu's expression grew increasingly solemn. The strength Lu Bu displayed filled him with dread. Zhang Fei had been the first to charge in to give him a chance to deal with Lu Bu, but it was obvious that Lu Bu was not fighting at full strength.

Chen Xi could not tell who was winning or losing, but he knew Zhang Fei definitely could not beat Lu Bu. Unable to read the situation from Guan Yu's expression, he turned to look at Zhao Yun, only to find that the previously depressed Zhao Yun had clearly breathed a sigh of relief. Chen Xi then knew that the situation likely had not exceeded his expectations.

Finally, the Second Lord made his move. Once again, a flash of green light appeared as a massive force, laced with powerful momentum, slashed fiercely toward Lu Bu. Unlike their clash last night, this time with Zhang Fei providing distraction, Lu Bu had no chance to interrupt Guan Yu's charging of energy. As a result, Guan Yu was able to build his momentum to its peak and delivered a devastating third strike toward Lu Bu.

"Dong!" It was just as shocking as before. The powerful blade of light not only sent Lu Bu flying but also left a scar nearly a hundred meters long on the earth, extending all the way to the walls of Hulao Pass, leaving a massive mark upon them.

Guan Yu panted as he looked at the dust-filled battlefield below Hulao Pass. Unlike his fight with Hua Xiong, Guan Yu had truly exerted his full strength this time. He could guarantee that with this single strike, even a hill in front of him would be split in two.

The shouting soldiers were all stunned by this strike, staring at the general in the green robe. The soldiers of Hulao Pass, whose morale had been soaring due to Lu Bu's incredible performance, instantly wilted as if they had lost a father. Even Dong Zhuo, sitting atop Hulao Pass, was rendered speechless by the massive impact, his trembling figure involuntarily recoiling.

As the dust settled, Lu Bu rode the Red Hare through the air. At this moment, a tinge of blood had entered his original golden-red aura, and drops of blood slid down the tip of the Sky Piercer.

"Hahahaha~" Lu Bu held his halberd with one hand and covered his face with the other, his mad laughter echoing throughout the surroundings of Hulao Pass.

"Has this guy gone crazy?" Chen Xi remarked in wonder, watching Lu Bu and the Red Hare seemingly walking on air, as he turned to speak to Zhao Yun.

"Quite the opposite. Lu Bu's momentum is continuously climbing; it has already exceeded my estimates. The aura he is emitting and the internal qi surging from him have completely surpassed imagination. This is simply not a human being!" At the start, Zhao Yun could still maintain a refined and elegant demeanor, but by the end, he himself had become somewhat frantic.

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(End of Chapter)