"Boom!" With around thirty-five moves, Lyu Bu severely wounded Wen Chou, adding another top-tier fighter to the corpses on the ground. However, this time Lyu Bu did not charge toward Yuan Shao. Instead, he frowned slightly, looking towards the west as he sensed two astonishing auras rushing in his direction.
He smiled, for though these auras were not as strong as his, they rarely filled him with such ardor. [Come then, the experts I have been waiting for, defeating weaklings does not thrill me, it is only in defeating the mighty that my blood truly burns!]
As the distance closed, the cyan light around Guan Yu grew larger and stronger, to the point that it even began to compress Zhang Fei's black aura beside him.
"Lyu Bu, take this!" Guan Yu uttered these four solemn words with imperial authority, standing proud and arrogant.
Guan Yu, holding his Green Dragon Crescent Blade in a reverse grip, felt he was almost losing control of his raging power. However, Lyu Bu stood completely still, making for an easy target from any angle.
"Well met!" A rare trace of wariness appeared in Lyu Bu's eyes; despite having already seen through the essence of the move, he did not attempt to dodge. For he was Lyu Bu; he had no need to dodge. In this world, only others dodged him; there was no one capable of making him dodge.
"Clang!" A resounding crash echoed as Guan Yu's full-force strike, infused with his entire Essence, Qi, and Spirit, collided with Lyu Bu's own full-power strike. The thunderous sound carried a powerful vibration that killed most of the soldiers nearby.
"Not bad!" As the dust settled, Lyu Bu sat on Red Hare, his hands gripping the Sky Piercer, staring at Guan Yu opposite him, "With that skill, Hua Xiong's defeat at your hands is no injustice. But you're still lacking if you want to face me!"
Blood Qi surged in Guan Yu's chest. He had never imagined someone could outright stop his full-powered blow. No, more than that—just by their own strength, without any preparation, they could force him back, even dispersing the aura he had built with a single strike.
"A strike without retreat, a normal person might be slain outright from failing to withstand your first blow, and someone like Hua Xiong, even if they managed to block, wouldn't be able to break your momentum, leading to being killed by your successive heavy strikes. If one were to dodge, it would only fuel your momentum further, culminating in their death beneath your blade!" Lyu Bu looked at Guan Yu nonchalantly, acknowledging the strength of his move.
Guan Yu remained silent, catching his breath with the same haughty expression, ignoring Lyu Bu's assessment. The turmoil within was hidden behind his flushed face and the slight arrogance in his half-closed eyes, so well concealed that even Lyu Bu was unable to perceive the change in Guan Yu's heart.
[Is this truly the greatest warrior under the heavens? To so nonchalantly withstand my strongest blow!] Guan Yu gripped the reins, his eyes slightly widening as he focused on Lyu Bu opposite him, inadvertently admitting Lyu Bu's strength.
"Second brother, I'll help you!" Zhang Fei, itching for a fight, blustered about rushing forward to assist after seeing Guan Yu forced back.
"Not bad..." Lyu Bu glanced at Zhang Fei and spoke.
Lone amidst enemy ranks, Lyu Bu felt no danger from the encircling soldiers; only the two men in front of him posed any threat.
"It seems that you few are the only ones in the Coalition Army worth noting." Lyu Bu's contemptuous gaze swept towards Yuan Shao and then towards Cao Cao, who had just arrived, as well as the Xiahou Brothers behind him.
Lyu Bu freely exuded his aura, while Guan Yu, with his eyes half-closed, remained silent in observation, feeling outmatched by the unfathomable depths of Lyu Bu's power.
"Buzz!" With a piercing screech, a silver Light Arrow streaked across the night sky, bursting into stardust. Lyu Bu, frowning slightly, turned his horse around, ready to leave.
"Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, your heads will soon be hanging around your necks." Lyu Bu laughed coldly as he wheeled his horse.
Xiahou Yuan, gripping his bow, stared dead at Lyu Bu, the immense pressure nearly preventing him from lifting his arms. No matter how much he willed it from within, he couldn't raise his arm to release the Bow and Arrow he had prepared.
"Lyu Bu, stop right there!" Xiahou Yuan, having bitten through his lower lip, finally unleashed the arrow he had long been ready to fire, a beam of bloodstained darkness shot towards Lyu Bu like a meteor.
After releasing the arrow, Xiahou Yuan looked as if he'd been hauled out of the water.
Lyu Bu sneered as he swung his halberd to deflect the incoming arrow, then retrieved his precious bow from his horse's back, his cold laughter continuing, "Let me show you what true archery is!"
With a flick of his thumb, a golden-red phantom slowly emerged on the otherwise empty bow. As the bowstring was drawn, the phantom arrow materialized. Releasing his grip, a golden-red streak of light shot across the night sky, piercing a straight line for a kilometer without a hint of sound.
"Slip of the hand, it's been a while since I've used a bow," came Lyu Bu's loud laugh, tinted with mockery, before turning his head to see the command banner completely shattered.
Guan Yu turned to look at Xiahou Yuan, who was sweating coldly under the overwhelming aura of Lyu Bu; it was impressive that someone who had refined their Inner Qi to Gang could still shoot an arrow in such circumstances.
"Congratulations," said Guan Yu, holding the reins, controlling the nearly half-dead Xiliang fine horse underneath him and saluting Cao Cao and the Xiahou brothers.
After Lyu Bu had left, the spirit that had propped up Xiahou Yuan instantly faded. Guan Yu approached, and once he was sure it was safe, Xiahou Yuan could no longer hold back his exhaustion. His right hand loosened the reins and he slowly collapsed.
"Miaocai!" Cao Cao had a bad feeling the moment Xiahou Yuan's grip loosened, and reached out to catch him, not expecting Xiahou Yuan to topple over just like that.
Fortunately, Xiahou Dun was by his side and caught the falling Xiahou Yuan in time, "Big brother, Miaocai is fine, he's just exhausted from expending too much Inner Qi and passed out."
"Lord Cao, there is a good chance that Xiahou Miaocai will break through his current level when he wakes up. If he doesn't, ask him how he managed to fire that arrow today," Guan Yu said, unusually talkative, then turned his horse around, ready to leave.
"Oh, Lyu Bu left, huh? I came to see the excitement," Chen Xi arrived on the scene like a modern-day police officer, just in time after the fight had concluded.
"Lyu Bu left," Zhang Fei said darkly, though his complexion was so naturally dark, it wasn't easy to tell the difference.
"Oh, you didn't stop him?" Chen Xi asked with a raised eyebrow and a peculiar expression.
"Couldn't stop him..." Zhang Fei's face darkened further; he had thought himself fierce enough, but today he truly saw what it meant to be ferocious.
He'd cut down Yann Liang and Wen Chou like slicing through vegetables, and then halted Guan Yu's mightiest blow with a single move. His immense presence suppressed everyone present.
"Oh yes, I am Chen Zichuan from Yingchuan, honored to meet the Alliance Hierarch," Chen Xi introduced himself as though he had only then noticed Cao Cao, smiling as he saluted. Truth be told, it was his first time formally introducing himself after all this time.
Cao Cao, ever gracious, returned the salute, but he was more concerned about Xiahou Miaocai's condition and after exchanging courtesies with Yuan Shao, he hurried back to camp. Yuan Shao himself was in a panic, tending to Yann Liang and Wen Chou, not even paying attention to Cao Cao, let alone the unknown Chen Xi.
ps: What's up with the server, I tried to upload several times and it just wouldn't go through.
By the way, if Lyu Bu's combat power was increased tenfold, and Guan Yu's combat power was also increased tenfold, it seems like Lyu Bu could kill several Guan Yus by now. With proportional enhancement, those at the front get a much bigger strength increase than those behind, widening the gap. By this rule, Lyu Bu is truly defying the heavens.