Chapter 961: Fate Shall Not End or Death Is Destined Today

"Poof!" Ma Chao spat out a mouthful of blood, but a mocking smile appeared on the corner of his lips. He had successfully achieved his goal!

Although Lü Bu's attack was a great halberd formed from his internal energy, no matter how terrifying Lü Bu's strength was, the power of the internal energy weapon couldn't match that of a divine weapon. Relying on the massive eruption of his internal energy, Ma Chao managed to block Lü Bu's strike at the cost of serious injuries.

"Hahaha!" Ma Chao laughed wildly as he flew backward toward Li Feisha. Li Feisha, as if in sync with his master, carried Ma Chao and transformed into a streak of fire, shooting toward the horizon. The direction didn't matter anymore.

As for his severe injuries, with the healing power of the Divine Stone, they were not a problem at all. In such a situation, Ma Chao couldn't help but feel smug. Not only had he managed to escape after a fierce battle with Lü Bu, but he had also gained some advantages. His strength had seen substantial growth—he was truly favored by the heavens.

In an instant, Lü Bu's anger surged as he watched Ma Chao, now reduced to a mere dot in the distance. He had shown mercy, seeing the similarity between them, even offering some guidance. But Ma Chao had the audacity to repay his kindness with such treachery!

"Ma Chao, you seek death!" Lü Bu's fury roared as Red Hare neighed mournfully. His eyes locked on the now distant figure of Ma Chao, and with a loud shout, the Sky Piercer Halberd flew into Lü Bu's hand. Infused with Lü Bu's will, the weapon had now gained a spirit of its own—a true divine weapon!

"Do you really think you can escape without Red Hare?" Lü Bu bellowed as his body appeared several hundred meters away in an instant. With another acceleration, he moved several hundred meters more, his figure disappearing and reappearing again. Each burst of speed was beyond three times the speed of sound.

Amid Ma Chao's wild laughter, he suddenly sensed a killing intent behind him. Turning his head, he found Lü Bu only a few thousand meters away.

"Run!" In that moment, Ma Chao felt only terror. Lü Bu wasn't human! In the next second, he squeezed his thighs, urging Li Feisha to accelerate desperately.

How could this monster be so fast on his own? Why even bother riding Red Hare at all if he’s this quick himself? Ma Chao cursed inwardly, but he knew he had caused trouble and realized that Lü Bu had been holding back immensely in their earlier fight. He just didn't understand why Lü Bu had done so.

Lü Bu's face was dark. Reaching this level of speed was already his limit. If he truly maintained this velocity for an extended period, he would need physical attributes akin to Dian Wei's to withstand the strain. No matter how strong one's internal energy was, it couldn't offset the immense toll on the body.

What Lü Bu was doing now was relying on a moment of insight to phase-shift repeatedly, allowing for bursts of acceleration. He crossed into another phase just before his body could bear the full brunt of the strain, avoiding both physical exhaustion and the time lost during the phase transitions.

Even so, this sustained high-speed movement was an enormous challenge for Lü Bu. Fortunately, he had attempted something similar once before while chasing an immortal. Though not fully mastered, he had at least gained some experience.

As for Ma Chao, he was already numb with shock. Lü Bu could actually catch up to Li Feisha in flight! Even though Li Feisha was carrying him and he was injured, it was still an unbelievable feat.

This can't go on! Li Feisha is injured, and he's carrying me. If this keeps up, Lü Bu might really catch up! If that happens, I could truly die! Ma Chao thought anxiously, all the while pouring the power of the Divine Stone into both himself and Li Feisha, trying to speed up Li Feisha's recovery while brainstorming how to shake off Lü Bu.

The two continued their chase and escape, racing from the wind-swept lands of Bingzhou all the way to the northern region of Jingzhou in just a few hours, and still pressing forward. By this time, Lü Bu was already running out of steam. It wasn't that his internal energy was recovering too slowly, but rather that his body couldn't handle the strain anymore.

Lü Bu's body wasn't built for sustained movement at three times the speed of sound. If he were riding Red Hare, protecting only himself wouldn't have been a problem. But now, flying at such speeds was truly pushing him to his limits!

Meanwhile, Li Feisha's internal injuries had already healed under the Divine Stone's power. Gritting his teeth, Lü Bu pushed his speed to match Red Hare's usual galloping pace, but soon his body began showing subtle signs of damage.

After all, such high-speed movement caused immense strain. Although Lü Bu minimized the damage as much as possible, the energy left to protect his body was running out due to the extreme speed.

Minor injuries were starting to accumulate. At this rate, even if Lü Bu caught up to Ma Chao and defeated him, he would need a significant period of recovery afterward—something that conflicted with his plans to conserve strength to defend Bingzhou.

I was too careless, Lü Bu thought, feeling a growing urge to retreat.

Now that Lü Bu had a clear view of his life's path, personal glory mattered little compared to the people of Bingzhou. Understanding oneself was sometimes more important than anything else. Lü Bu was no longer the reckless warrior he once was; he had a wife, a daughter, and family and friends to protect.

Although he had the desire to retreat, Lü Bu wouldn't leave without teaching Ma Chao a lesson. Otherwise, how could he claim to be the strongest warrior under the heavens?

With a firm decision, Lü Bu began to regulate his breathing, suppressing the damage to his body through fine-tuned adjustments. However, his speed also decreased slightly.

The moment Lü Bu's speed dropped, Ma Chao immediately noticed something was off. A chill rose from the base of his spine. Lü Bu wasn't letting him go—he was preparing to deliver a fatal blow.

"Fly higher!" Ma Chao shouted. Li Feisha, understanding his master's intent, shot upward into the sky. The sudden overload even caused Ma Chao some minor injuries, but this was no time to worry about such things.

"Hmph, what keen instincts!" Lü Bu sneered, both impressed and frustrated by Ma Chao's exceptional intuition. He couldn't help but recall his own youth, causing the momentum he'd built to falter slightly.

By now, thunder was rumbling in the distance, not due to Lü Bu's power, but from an actual thunderstorm approaching. After hours of high-speed pursuit, Ma Chao and Lü Bu had traveled from Bingzhou to the central region of Jingzhou.

Gazing at the now distant figure of Ma Chao, Lü Bu narrowed his eyes and swung his halberd. It was not his strongest strike, but he didn't even look back after delivering it. If Ma Chao survived, it meant his fate was not yet sealed. But if that strike hit its mark, then today was destined to be the day of his death.

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