"Are we really just going to charge in like this?" Chen Chi turned to Guo Jia and asked.
"If our forces haven't collapsed, we'll charge straight in. If they have, then we'll form a defensive line!" Guo Jia replied almost instantly, without a second thought.
"Alright!" Chen Chi nodded. "In a moment, have the whole army shout in unison and beat the war drums loudly!"
Chen Chi ordered the messengers to quickly pass this command to the various commanders. Soon, the message spread from the commanders to the centurions, from the centurions to the squad leaders, and from the squad leaders to the team leaders. In no time, the entire army was ready.
Once again, Guan Yu led his troops to block Lu Bu. However, this time he didn't come out unscathed as before. After fiercely cutting down dozens of wolf riders, he clashed head-on with Lu Bu. This was no longer the hit-and-run tactic from earlier; this time, Lu Bu directly withstood Guan Yu's aura, determined to take him down.
Each of Lu Bu's strikes grew heavier and heavier, making it increasingly difficult for Guan Yu to defend. However, his red face gave no indication that he was already nearing his limit.
"Die!" After over twenty rapid strikes failed to bring down Guan Yu, Lu Bu saw that Guan Yu's soldiers were once again closing in. Without hesitation, he unleashed his inner energy, regaining seven or eight-tenths of his peak strength. However, this caused a massive surge of cloud energy to rush toward him, frantically trying to neutralize his inner energy.
"Kill!" Guan Yu's eyes widened in anger, his icy killing intent permeating the air around him.
Guan Yu knew exactly what this meant. Lu Bu was recklessly unleashing his inner energy. As long as the energy flowed faster than the cloud energy could neutralize it, a warrior could indeed use their inner energy within the cloud!
Even for someone like Lu Bu, such an outburst of inner energy couldn't last for more than a few seconds. However, for Lu Bu, a few seconds was enough to cut down countless enemies with ease. Unfortunately for Guan Yu, in Lu Bu's eyes, he was just another target to be cut down...
At that moment, Guan Yu's energy, spirit, and essence surged to an unimaginable level. The barrier that had previously held him back shattered as he broke through to a higher realm, revitalizing his nearly exhausted strength.
"Boom!" Both Guan Yu and Lu Bu retreated three steps. This time, Guan Yu's body radiated a faint glow, and his Green Dragon Crescent Blade emitted an eerie light. His phoenix eyes were fixed on Lu Bu.
Guan Yu tilted his head slightly as inner energy continuously flowed through his body, nourishing his nearly depleted form. His wounds began to heal at a visible rate.
"Come again!" Lu Bu laughed wildly, unleashing his inner energy without restraint. Guan Yu, too, spared no effort in squeezing every ounce of potential from his body. The clash of blade and halberd resumed, with Lu Bu's golden aura colliding violently with Guan Yu's radiant energy.
"Splurt!" After just a few seconds, they separated again. Guan Yu spat out blood, while a massive gash appeared on Lu Bu's chest armor. Both had nearly exhausted their inner energy in that brief exchange, but the outcome was clear: Lu Bu remained the undisputed top warrior in the land.
"Looks like you're not invincible after all, Lu Bu," Guan Yu sneered, wiping the blood from his mouth. In those few seconds, they had fought like a whirlwind, each cutting down hundreds of soldiers. While Guan Yu was pained by the loss of his men, he also knew that killing so many wolf riders had greatly reduced the pressure on his forces.
"You've lost," Lu Bu said, slightly out of breath. He hadn't expected Guan Yu to become so formidable after achieving the unity of energy, spirit, and essence. Though the cloud energy played a role, Lu Bu knew that Guan Yu had surpassed Zhang Fei and was now on par with the Huang Zhong he had encountered in Jingzhou.
"Lost?" Guan Yu's eyes glinted coldly as he swung his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, exuding a powerful aura. "I didn't fear you when I had my inner energy, and I don't fear you now. There's more to being a warrior than just martial prowess!"
Guan Yu charged at Lu Bu without hesitation. He knew he couldn't defeat Lu Bu in a direct fight, but with both of their inner energy exhausted, Lu Bu would struggle to take him down. As long as he held Lu Bu back and prevented the central army from collapsing, reinforcements would eventually arrive.
The battle between Guan Yu and Lu Bu resumed, even though neither had any inner energy left. Despite this, their clash remained fearsome, with each strike carrying a powerful momentum. Lu Bu's invincible aura clashed with Guan Yu's newfound confidence and determination.
"Boom!" Guan Yu staggered back several steps, while Lu Bu stood firm. Compared to Lu Bu's inhuman recovery speed, Guan Yu couldn't match up.
"Looks like this will be your death day next year," Lu Bu boasted arrogantly.
"I've already gotten what I wanted," Guan Yu said coldly, his gaze fixed on Lu Bu. He had spotted a banner in the distance—Guo Jia's banner!
Guo Jia's timely arrival, along with the disciplined advance of his troops, did not go unnoticed by both Zhang Liao and Lu Bu. They realized that a competent commander was leading the reinforcements.
"Xu Zhongkang, we'll continue this another day," Zhang Liao said calmly to the bloodied Xu Chu. The appearance of reinforcements meant that something had gone wrong on Chen Gong's end. However, Zhang Liao had never intended to fight Guan Yu's army to the death. As Chen Gong had said, he only needed to prove his worth.
"Next time, I won't hold back!" Xu Chu growled. Though he didn't fully understand the reason for their earlier restraint, he knew that Zhang Liao hadn't fought with his full strength. After the earlier battle against Lu Bu, Xu Chu had been exhausted, and Zhang Liao could have easily overpowered him if he had tried.
"If there is a next time, we'll see. Xu Zhongkang, why do you think the civil war between the Han Chinese is happening? I was once a border guard at Jiuyuan, resisting the barbarians and defending our lands. But ever since I came to the Central Plains, I've been caught up in this endless conflict among warlords. Is the blood of Han generals meant to be spilled on this land? Is our valor and passion only to be wasted here? Shouldn't it be used to expand our territories and achieve everlasting glory?" Zhang Liao's words seemed directed at Xu Chu, but also at himself.
On the other side, Hao Meng glared at the blood-soaked Jiang Gong. "You're a madman!"
"A madman is better than a dead man!" Jiang Gong replied fearlessly, meeting Hao Meng's gaze. Unlike Zhang Liao, who had shown mercy, Hao Meng and Jiang Gong had fought a bloody battle, each trying to kill the other.
"Tell Zhang Fei that next time, if there is a next time, I won't hold back!" Lu Bu said, glaring at Guan Yu. His strength had recovered to seventy percent, and at this range, if Guan Yu let his guard down, Lu Bu could easily kill him with a surprise attack. Yet, Lu Bu didn't strike.
"Hmph." Guan Yu snorted coldly. Despite his anger, he had to admit that if it weren't for Lu Bu's occasional restraint, at least one of the three of them—if not all—would have been killed today.