CHAPTER 1004: CHAPTER 961: LIFE SHOULD NOT END OR DEATH COMES TODAY

"Pfft!" Ma Chao spewed a stream of blood, but a hint of mockery hung at the corner of his mouth. He had succeeded in achieving his goal!

Lyu Bu’s attack, after all, was a Great Halberd formed by Inner Qi. No matter how terrifying Lyu Bu’s strength was, a Great Halberd formed by Inner Qi could never match the power of a Divine Weapon. By unleashing a vast amount of Inner Qi, Ma Chao managed to block Lyu Bu’s strike at the cost of severe injury.

"Hahaha!" Ma Chao laughed wildly as he was thrown back towards Lifeisha, and with a shared understanding, Lifeisha carried Ma Chao, transforming into a line of fire and flying towards the horizon. The direction didn’t matter anymore.

As for the severe injuries, they were not an issue at all under the healing of the Divine Stone. In such a situation, Ma Chao couldn’t help but feel smug. After a great battle with Lyu Bu, not only did he successfully retreat, but he also gained advantages, and his strength had made significant progress. It seemed he was favored by heaven.

In a flash, as quick as lightning, Lyu Bu watched Ma Chao, now reduced to a small dot, with rage burning inside. He had shown mercy because of their similarities, and even gave pointers, but didn’t expect the other party to have such character!

"Ma Chao, you’re courting death!" Lyu Bu listened to the sorrowful wails of Red Hare, fury swelling in his chest. His eyes fixed on the tiny speck that was Ma Chao, he roared mightily. The Sky Piercer flew straight into Lyu Bu’s hand, a weapon infused with Lyu Bu’s will and spirit, truly a Divine Weapon!

"You really think you can escape without Red Hare!" Lyu Bu roared, suddenly appearing hundreds of meters away. Then, accelerating, he covered several hundred meters more, and again, vanished, reappeared, and accelerated, repeating this over and over, explosively moving at more than three times the speed of sound.

Amid Ma Chao’s wild laughter, he suddenly felt the Evil Qi behind him. As he turned, he realized Lyu Bu was only a few kilometers away.

"Run faster!" At that moment, Ma Chao had only one thought: Lyu Bu wasn’t human. But the next moment, he urged Lifeisha to accelerate desperately.

[How could that monster’s speed be so fast without Red Hare! What’s the point of riding Red Hare if he’s already so fast on his own!] Ma Chao cursed inwardly, knowing he’d stirred up trouble and understanding that the other party probably went easy before. Yet he couldn’t comprehend why he went easy!

Lyu Bu’s face was dark. His speed had already reached its limit. Truly achieving thrice the speed of sound for an extended period required physical quality like Dian Wei, otherwise, no matter how strong the Inner Qi, it couldn’t withstand the enormous bodily burden.

Lyu Bu’s current tactic involved a kind of insight-based phasing shift, allowing for a short burst of acceleration, then performing another phase shift just before the physical strain hit, avoiding both the body’s burden and the time consumed during phase swaps.

But even so, sustained super-speed movement was a huge challenge for Lyu Bu. Fortunately, in a previous chase of an Immortal, Lyu Bu had already done this once, though unskillfully, but with some experience nonetheless.

As for Ma Chao, he was already numb with shock that Lyu Bu could catch up with Lifeisha in flight, even though Lifeisha was carrying an injured person. Even then, it was monstrously extraordinary.

[This can’t go on. After all, Lifeisha is injured, and it’s carrying me. If this keeps up, Lyu Bu might really hold out. If we’re caught, I might truly die this time!] Ma Chao worried silently, continuously channeling the power of the Divine Stone into himself and Lifeisha, quickly healing its injuries while contemplating how to shake off Lyu Bu.

The chase continued, spanning several hours, from the North Wind-swept Bingzhou to the northern areas of Jingzhou, with no sign of stopping. By this time, Lyu Bu was showing signs of fatigue, not due to slow Inner Qi recovery, but because his body couldn’t endure it.

Lyu Bu wasn’t physically equipped for such speed without Red Hare. Protecting himself while riding Red Hare was one thing, but flying at such speeds on his own was truly pushing his limits!

As Lifeisha’s internal injuries healed under the Divine Stone’s repair, Lyu Bu gritted his teeth and burst out with a speed no less than Red Hare’s usual gallop, quickly suffering various subtle injuries.

Ultra-high-speed movement severely strains the body. While Lyu Bu minimized the damage, moving at such extreme speeds left him somewhat lacking in power to protect his own body.

Minor damage began to accumulate. If this continued, even if Lyu Bu caught up with Ma Chao and won, he’d need a long recovery period—contrary to his plan of conserving Qi Power to protect Bingzhou.

[I was careless.] Lyu Bu had thoughts of retreat.

After clarifying his life’s path, personal honor and the people of Bingzhou no longer conflicted; he now had a clear choice. Understanding oneself is crucial, and Lyu Bu was no longer the same rash warrior. He now had a wife and daughter, family, and friends to protect.

Though Lyu Bu felt like retreating, he wouldn’t leave without teaching Ma Chao a lesson. Where would his claim to unmatched martial force go otherwise?

After making up his mind, Lyu Bu began to regulate his breathing. His body’s damage was quickly suppressed during adjustments, but his speed inevitably decreased.

The moment Lyu Bu’s speed dropped, Ma Chao immediately sensed the anomaly. A chilling sensation rose from his tailbone; Lyu Bu wasn’t letting him go but preparing a deadly strike.

"Fly upward!" Ma Chao shouted, Lifeisha turning towards the sky instinctively. That instant overload injured Ma Chao a bit, but this wasn’t the time to mind it.

"Hmph, such sharp instincts!" Lyu Bu sneered, simultaneously feeling dissatisfied with Ma Chao’s extraordinary intuition and reminiscing about his younger years, slightly pausing his momentum.

Unknown when, thunder rolled in the distance where Lyu Bu and Ma Chao raced, not due to Lyu Bu exerting force that affected the Celestial Phenomenon, but actual Thunderstorm approaching. Their high speed over several hours had taken them from Bingzhou to the central region of Jingzhou!

Gazing at the now tiny figure of Ma Chao, Lyu Bu half-closed his eyes and struck with a halberd not yet at its peak. Without a backward glance, he flew back. If Ma Chao wasn’t killed, he was meant to survive, but if struck by this unfinished blow, it meant today was his destined end. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)