Chapter 962: Inescapable Calamity

In that instant when the halberd was swung, Ma Chao felt his hair stand on end. He had already sensed that Lü Bu's momentum had stalled for a brief moment, indicating that the strike had not reached its peak. However, even so, the attack still filled Ma Chao with the ultimate terror of facing death directly!

The halberd crossed thousands of meters in an instant and struck Ma Chao. At that moment, both his survival instincts and his martial instincts screamed that he must not turn and run! If he turned around, death would be certain. That strike was guaranteed to hit!

Desperately, Ma Chao unleashed all his strength, pushing his body to the limit, shattering all his meridians in a bid to erupt with every last bit of power. There was no room for concerns about severe injuries or even the threat of death—if he couldn't block this, there was only death ahead.

"I have to block it!" In that moment, Ma Chao transformed into a golden sun, illuminating the endless darkness beneath the pitch-black storm clouds.

He burned everything within himself to the extreme, but even so, he couldn't fully withstand Lü Bu's near-full-power strike. However, through sheer force of will and explosive energy, he barely avoided being killed outright. He was sent flying backward, the light from the halberd sending him crashing into the thunderclouds above.

"Did he block it?" Lü Bu did not turn to check. Trusting his instincts, he muttered to himself, but then a mocking expression appeared on his face. "The sky above is filled with thunderclouds. Will you turn to ash, or will you survive?"

Meanwhile, in the northern part of Jingzhou, Sun Ce, who had already subdued the Shanyue tribes and the Wuxi barbarians, found himself in the greatest crisis of his life. He had been ambushed in his own territory, yet no one had come to his aid.

It could be said that Sun Ce was indeed formidable. After pacifying Yangzhou, his fortunes should have come to an end, but he managed to hold on until the Shanyue were defeated, entered southern Jingzhou, and subdued Shamoke. Only then did his luck begin to decline below normal levels.

It was during an inspection of the flooding and plague situation in northern Jingzhou that he and his forces were ambushed by Yu Ji and his men. Not only were Sun Ce, Zhou Yu, and the Qiao sisters caught in the attack, but even Sun Quan was trapped. Somehow, Yu Ji’s group had set up some kind of formation or trap, and no matter how hard they struggled, they were unable to summon reinforcements from the stationed troops in northern Jingzhou.

"Daoist Yu Ji, why are you blocking our way?" Sun Quan shouted angrily, glaring at him.

Sun Quan's personal guards had been killed earlier by Ah Zui and Yu Ji's helpers. These were men whom Sun Quan had carefully selected himself, all sworn to absolute loyalty. As for the veteran soldiers that Sun Ce had assigned to him, Sun Quan had driven them away because they lacked the literacy skills for civil duties. His chosen guards, skilled in martial arts and utterly loyal, were no match for Ah Zui, who swiftly dealt with them. If not for Sun Ce sending Zhou Tai to protect Sun Quan, Sun Quan might already be lying dead on the ground.

"You had ill intentions from the start, didn't you?" Zhou Yu said calmly, without a hint of concern, as he looked at Yu Ji.

"We simply each take what we need. At that time, I planted the seeds of karma, and now I'm merely reaping the fruits. I've nurtured this 'fruit' for twenty years. Last time, I just fertilized it to hasten its ripening," Yu Ji replied, unbothered by Zhou Yu's spiritual abilities, revealing his intentions without hesitation, oblivious to the strange looks from the others.

"Bo Fu, it's all up to you now. I gave specific instructions earlier that if we hadn't sent word in one hour, the stationed troops would be dispatched. And now, that time has nearly passed," Zhou Yu said calmly, though his words were meant to reassure Sun Ce and Sun Quan. In reality, this was just a tactic to calm Sun Quan’s nerves.

"What is going on here?" Sun Ce asked in confusion.

"They're targeting you. It's probably something related to your fate. Haven't you recently felt out of sync with the natural forces of heaven and earth?" Zhou Yu replied coolly.

"I have, but what does that have to do with them causing trouble?" Sun Ce still didn't understand the connection, though he instinctively became more cautious.

"You just need to deal with these people, and everything will be fine afterward," Zhou Yu said quietly. After discovering a certain pattern, Zhou Yu had specifically consulted ancient texts and naturally understood the underlying reasons.

As Zuo Ci had said long ago, if these top strategists were to follow the path of cultivation, they would surpass even the Daoist masters, as they were truly dragons and phoenixes among men.

"Why didn’t you say so earlier! You Ping, protect my family. I’m going to take them down!" Sun Ce shouted, showing no fear, as he charged forward with a roar. He never hesitated when a problem could be solved by brute force—that was Sun Ce’s way of thinking.

With a flick of Yu Ji’s whisk, it suddenly extended several times its length, nearly entangling Sun Ce, as countless strands shot toward him.

"Good timing!" Sun Ce shouted as his entire body erupted in a dazzling golden light. His path differed greatly from the one Lü Bu had once walked. Although similarly brilliant and powerful, his demeanor now carried the majesty of a king, whereas Lü Bu exuded the aura of an invincible warrior.

The strike from Sun Ce’s spear, representing ultimate strength, clashed with the whisk. The whisk, which had the power to shred steel, suddenly lost all its force. The contrast between rigidity and flexibility left Sun Ce’s fierce attack striking empty air, almost making him want to vomit blood in frustration.

As soon as Sun Ce’s momentum was spent, the whisk transformed back into a deadly weapon, wrapping around his left hand. In the next moment, Sun Ce felt as if something was being ripped away from him.

"Kill!" Sun Ce had no time to ponder the sensation. He thrust his spear toward Yu Ji, only to find that another version of Yu Ji had appeared in front of him, blocking the full-force attack.

"So it’s true?" Yu Ji smiled as he looked at the half-formed clone in front of him. Indeed, fate could be exchanged. As his own fate exploded in this final gamble, many things suddenly became clear. His understanding of magic came as easily as breathing.

"Zhang Jiao truly reached the level where magic is born from the heart," Yu Ji mused with a smile, ready to strip Sun Ce of all his fate.

Several more exchanges followed between Sun Ce and Yu Ji, during which more of Sun Ce's fate was stolen. Sun Ce entered a state of agitation, while Yu Ji, whose fate had been boosted, began to sense something wrong within himself.

Meanwhile, the battle between Zhou Tai and Ah Zui had reached its peak. Although Ah Zui was no match for Zhou Tai, he had three Daoist allies aiding him. Zhou Tai had been beaten bloody, yet his unyielding body remained like an indestructible fortress, steadfastly protecting Sun Quan and the others.

Ding~ A single note from a zither echoed through the air, and suddenly, Sun Ce felt a wave of calm. At the same time, Yu Ji and his allies all froze for a brief moment.

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