Chapter 1111: Ascension... to the Heavens?

As Lü Bu let out a long howl and burst into laughter, he reached out, and Diao Chan instantly appeared beside him. Red Hare then stepped onto the air and approached him, but the expected presence of Lü Qiling did not appear.

Before Diao Chan could inquire about what had happened, Lü Bu lifted her onto his horse. Meanwhile, the crack in the sky was already beginning to close.

"It seems this is fate," Lü Bu sighed deeply. "My lady, today I will fulfill the promise I made to you. It's a pity about Qiling."

Lü Bu glanced back at Jiuyuan City. Gao Shun's expression remained as cold as ever, but Lü Bu could read the unspoken message in his eyes.

"Take care of Qiling for me!" Lü Bu shouted in Gao Shun's direction. Then, with Diao Chan in his arms, he mounted Red Hare and ascended into the sky. "This is my gift to you all!"

As he spoke, a golden light and a black light shot out from the shrinking hole in the sky, now no larger than the mouth of a bowl. The two beams separated the moment they emerged.

The golden light, accompanied by the sounds of warriors battling to their last breath on the northern frontier, fell upon Gao Shun. Instantly, Gao Shun’s aura surged, and he swiftly broke through the barrier of the Qi Refining to Steel stage, entering the realm of Internal Qi Leaving the Body.

The foundation that Gao Shun had accumulated over the years exploded out after his mentality crossed that critical threshold. Combined with his already near-perfect control, his strength rapidly rose to a level comparable to Zhang Liao's.

Meanwhile, the black light, carrying the cries of iron-blooded slaughter and desperate wails, shot toward Dian Wei, who absorbed it completely.

Without the ability to manipulate the essence of heaven and earth as before, only a strong sense of will remained. For Dian Wei, there was no danger in absorbing this power.

However, unlike Gao Shun’s breakthrough, Dian Wei had already surpassed the pinnacle of Internal Qi Leaving the Body, representing the peak of body cultivation. Strengthening his spiritual will was somewhat wasted on him.

Had a general like Guan Yu, who was renowned for his divine spirit, absorbed it, his power would have taken a tremendous leap forward. Though not as exaggerated as Lü Bu's prior feats, it could have allowed a mortal body to command the essence of heaven and earth.

Unfortunately, without Lü Bu's extraordinary strength to mediate the process, even someone like Guan Yu wouldn’t dare to absorb it. After all, hadn’t Lü Bu, despite his immense power, been made a mess by the clash of wills?

"Did... did he just ascend?" Tong Yuan's eyes widened in disbelief.

Tong Yuan had arrived just in time to see Zhang Xiu retreat. Though Zhang Xiu looked severely injured, his wounds weren’t fatal; at most, he'd suffer for ten days or so. Tong Yuan thought it might do his second disciple some good to experience hardship—acting recklessly deserves punishment.

When Dian Wei charged in, Tong Yuan knew everything would be fine. Dian Wei’s physical strength and speed had reached a certain limit, enough to punch an untrained Internal Qi Leaving the Body fighter to death.

But then, Lü Bu shattered the void, mounted Red Hare, and ascended with Diao Chan. This wasn’t part of the script Tong Yuan had predicted—this was a complete shift in direction!

"He ascended..." Dian Wei looked up, his mouth wide open, unable to close it.

"How is that possible..." Xiahou Yuan's jaw had practically dislocated from shock.

Dian Wei had just pummeled Lü Bu until he could hardly fight back, yet Lü Bu suddenly exploded with power, sending Dian Wei flying before shattering the sky with a single strike. Did this mean Lü Bu had just been toying with everyone?

"Ascended..." Xu Huang stood there, his axe slipping from his grasp unnoticed.

"Can the sky really be shattered?" Pang De muttered to himself, subconsciously lifting his blade. That was real power.

"As expected, Lü Bu is the more terrifying one. What's a wall compared to the fact that the sky itself broke?" Zhang He remarked with a faint smile, as the mental cracks in his heart were completely erased.

"Does this mean there truly is a Heavenly Realm?" Zhang Xiu thought in disbelief.

At that moment, everyone fell into silence. Witnessing the birth of a master at the pinnacle of Internal Qi Leaving the Body should have been a cause for great celebration, but after seeing Lü Bu shatter the sky with one blow...

"Is this truly a power that mortals can possess?" Yan Xing trembled as he spoke, finally understanding why the martial rankings had only one person at the top. This was the power of one nearing godhood.

Cao Ren suddenly realized that his suggestion to attack Jiuyuan had been completely foolish. Lü Bu had shown mercy. Looking back, it became clear that Lü Bu had never intended to fight in the first place.

"He showed us mercy," Cao Ren thought with a bitter smile, finally understanding the meaning of true mercy.

Lü Bu hadn’t needed to do much—he could have easily slaughtered Cao's forces the moment he repelled Zhang Xiu and the others, yet he chose not to.

What followed was strange. After Lü Bu ascended, Gao Shun and his troops didn’t launch any attacks on Cao's forces, and the Cao army didn’t advance on Jiuyuan. The two sides simply stood in a standoff.

By the time Chen Xi received this news, it was already New Year’s Eve. When he first read the report, Chen Xi found it hard to believe. After confirming it several times, he finally accepted the truth.

Lü Bu had ascended. Lü Bu had ascended. Lü Bu had ascended! Not a single immortal had successfully ascended, and yet the martial general they had once underestimated ascended casually, with his wife and steed in tow!

Unlike Zuo Ci, who received the news with calm acceptance, Nan Hua became extremely excited. It turned out that the Heavenly Realm really existed! They had failed to ascend in the past simply because they weren’t strong enough!

Imagine—one man fought six or seven Internal Qi Leaving the Body experts, one of whom had just broken through, and others had armies backing them. Yet, Lü Bu remained mostly unscathed and ascended directly! Nan Hua now felt an immense pressure—was this the path of physical transcendence, becoming a god through sheer strength?

And to make things even more absurd, Lü Bu brought along Diao Chan and Red Hare when he ascended. Nan Hua could only explain this as "one man achieving immortality and taking those close to him along for the ride." It was simply too domineering.

Fortunately, Zixu, having been tricked by Jia Xu, had already left the Central Plains. He might be in Africa by now, or perhaps on a sea voyage, unaware of the biggest news currently sweeping China.

When Guan Yu heard the news in Chang’an, his first reaction was to grab his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, summon all his strength, and slash at the sky. However, nothing happened. Lü Bu hadn’t accomplished this feat through sheer strength alone.

"If even the void can be shattered, then that means everything can be destroyed. This is the ultimate power. One day, I will reach this level too!" Guan Yu wasn’t discouraged in the least after his failed attempt. Lü Bu’s overwhelming strength had been proven time and again—he was no longer seen as merely human.

Afterward, Guan Yu resumed practicing his martial arts in the courtyard. Lü Bu’s unparalleled power served as a driving force for him. It was because the strongest stood at the peak that gave them all something to strive toward.

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