Chapter 1107: Worlds Apart

Ma Chao froze at the sight in front of him, his body trembling uncontrollably. "You're courting death!"

The power Ma Chao unleashed in that moment far surpassed his previous peak. Without even seeing who attacked, he summoned all his strength and launched an attack in retaliation.

In that instant, the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry behind Lü Bu saw a blinding golden light roaring toward them, only for Lü Bu to block the entire assault.

"Hu people, you deserve to die!" Lü Bu said coldly, his eyes devoid of emotion as he looked at Ma Chao. With a single backhand strike, he sent Ma Chao flying and prepared to leave.

"Lü Bu!" Ma Chao, having been knocked back, glared with bloodshot eyes. His hatred for Lü Bu ran so deep that not even the waters of the Three Rivers and Five Lakes could wash it away. Those who had followed him through life and death were now slain under Lü Bu’s halberd.

Clang! Lü Bu turned his horse around without looking back. As Ma Chao mustered his strength to attack again, Lü Bu casually raised his Fangtian halberd and sent Ma Chao flying once more.

During his slaughter of the Hu people, Lü Bu had been channeling the ancient belief passed down through millennia, a state where every move harmonized with heaven and earth, each strike imbued with immense power.

Against Ma Chao, Lü Bu merely struck casually, yet the overwhelming force left Ma Chao with a deep understanding of what it meant to face the might of the world’s greatest warrior.

With just one blow, Ma Chao spat blood and was thrown through the air. Lü Bu, as if remembering something, turned his horse back toward Ma Chao. His golden eyes, as cold as ice, stared down at him. "If you don’t want to die, stay away from me."

At that moment, Lü Bu sensed the Qiang and Hu blood flowing within Ma Chao. The ancient belief paid no heed to whether Ma Chao identified as Han or not. A Hu was an enemy, and the stronger the Hu, the greater the threat. The belief dictated that all threats be eliminated.

Thus, Lü Bu felt an overwhelming urge to kill Ma Chao, driven by the ancient belief. It even began urging him to strike and end Ma Chao’s life.

However, Lü Bu admired this young man. Ma Chao’s once lone-wolf gaze had now transformed into the commanding presence of a wolf king, recognized by his men. He was like Lü Bu in many ways. Because of this, Lü Bu refrained from killing him. He had his pride, confident that in terms of willpower, no one—human or otherwise—could overpower him.

Without another word, Lü Bu turned and rode away. Distancing himself from Ma Chao was beneficial for both of them. As for the Hu people he had killed, Lü Bu felt no remorse. They were dead, and that was that.

Lü Bu’s indifferent departure, without a care for the enraged Ma Chao, was an act of utter contempt. This disregard trampled on Ma Chao’s pride, especially after Lü Bu had slaughtered his trusted companions.

"Ahhh!" Ma Chao roared like a wounded beast, summoning all his inner energy with reckless disregard for the damage it inflicted on his body. He unleashed it with full force.

Lü Bu's face remained cold, his disdain for Ma Chao unchanged from their last encounter.

Even though Ma Chao had reached the peak of his inner energy, unleashing his full potential, he still managed to pressure Lü Bu, who was only using about thirty percent of his strength. Lü Bu was struggling under the onslaught.

The reason was simple: Lü Bu had to devote most of his power to suppressing the agitation of the ancient belief. Without this restraint, one blow would have been enough to decapitate Ma Chao.

In his frenzied state, Ma Chao managed to suppress Lü Bu with his overwhelming energy, thrusting his spear directly at Lü Bu's throat.

Lü Bu, preoccupied with keeping the ancient belief in check, was unable to dodge the attack. He tried his best to evade, but the wind from Ma Chao’s spear left a deep gash on his neck, causing blood to pour out.

In the next instant, Lü Bu’s demeanor shifted, becoming cold and merciless. Before Ma Chao could shout in victory, Lü Bu’s halberd swept upward with unimaginable speed, slashing toward him. Yet for some reason, Ma Chao sensed the halberd hesitate just before it struck him.

That momentary pause saved Ma Chao’s life. Even so, his chest and abdomen were left with a massive wound, every rib in its path shattered by the halberd’s edge.

"How… is this possible?" Ma Chao knelt in the snow, blood flowing uncontrollably as he looked up at Lü Bu. Whether it was an illusion or something else, he thought he saw a hint of approval in Lü Bu’s eyes.

Perhaps it was just a hallucination before death. As Ma Chao’s eyes began to close, he thought, Am I really going to die here? Such a pity, I didn’t get the chance to become the best in the world. Bofu, I really wanted to fight you. Lü Bu, if there’s a next life, I will defeat you...

As Ma Chao collapsed, Lü Bu rode up to him, his gaze still filled with killing intent. But as he stopped beside Ma Chao, Lü Bu raised his left hand, and a golden energy surged from his palm, flowing into Ma Chao’s body.

Then, with a murderous glint in his eye, Lü Bu turned and left. For him, allowing himself to be controlled by an external force was unacceptable, and that had nothing to do with Ma Chao.

Lü Bu rode away, and none of the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry dared question why he had saved Ma Chao. They simply followed him, leaving behind Ma Chao’s loyal steed, Li Feisha, standing alone, letting out a sorrowful neigh toward the sky.

In fact, it was thanks to Li Feisha’s presence that Ma Chao survived. If not for the horse, when Pang De arrived, there might have been nothing left but a bloodstain on the ground. The wolves of the time, struggling to survive the winter, would have seen the helpless Ma Chao, drenched in blood, as an easy meal.

"Hurry! Carry the young general! The rest of you, notify General Ma!" Pang De ordered in haste as they placed Ma Chao on a stretcher.

When Pang De brought Ma Chao back, Ma Teng was on the verge of madness upon hearing the news. Given Ma Chao’s formidable abilities, to see him beaten so severely, and with Lü Bu just having passed through the area—it wasn’t hard to guess what had happened.

Naturally, Ma Teng was furious. He immediately went to demand an explanation from Cao Ren, asking him to join forces to confront Lü Bu. At this point, Ma Teng was still rational. After all, this wasn’t the first time Ma Chao had been beaten senseless. As a warrior with powerful inner energy, Ma Chao had survived before, and Ma Teng’s anger was simply a father’s frustration.

But days passed, and Ma Chao still hadn’t woken up. Ma Teng grew increasingly agitated and prepared his troops, ready to confront Cao Ren once again. This time, he was out for blood.

Had Lü Bu simply left Ma Chao half-dead, and Ma Chao had bounced back the next day, Ma Teng wouldn’t have been so enraged. He knew his son’s habits too well—Ma Chao had once provoked Lü Bu and been chased across half of central China.

When Ma Chao had returned after that, swollen and bruised, he had been as lively as ever. In those cases, Ma Teng wouldn’t have minded, and he might even have dragged Ma Chao over to apologize to Lü Bu. But now, Ma Chao had been unconscious for days!

This wasn’t just an ordinary warrior—Ma Teng’s son had powerful inner energy, and this went beyond what Ma Teng could tolerate. Having his son return home bruised was one thing, but seeing him beaten into a coma—there was no way Ma Teng wasn’t going to go all out for this!

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