Chapter 150: The Peerless Warrior

Dong Zhuo forced down the anger rising in his heart upon hearing Li Ru's words and said, "General-in-Chief, I agree. I only hope you keep your word!" Dong Zhuo ultimately agreed because, in his view, these were trivial matters, and he had never really intended to do such things in the first place. His initial anger stemmed merely from his inability to tolerate being threatened by others.

"Dong Zhuo, you know what is good for you. If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave. I leave the battlefield here to you and Alliance Leader Yuan." Seeing Dong Zhuo yield, Liu Yao laughed heartily. With that, he whipped his horse and rode back to his own main army, quietly watching the contest between Lu Bu and the various warlords.

Seeing that Liu Yao had left, Dong Zhuo vanished from the ramparts as well. The next moment, the gates of Hulao Pass swung open. Out rode a warrior wearing a triple-forked, purple-gold crown with phoenix tails, draped in a red brocade hundred-flower robe from Xichuan, clad in beast-faced, swallowing-monster interlocking ring armor, and girded at the waist with an exquisite lion-patterned jade belt. At his side hung a three-foot Longquan sword, complete with bow and quiver, holding a painted halberd and mounted on a neighing red hare steed. Who could this be if not Lu Bu?

Lu Bu led three thousand Bingzhou wolf cavalry up to the front of the allied forces and bellowed, "Lu Bu, the Marquis of Wen, is here! Who dares to fight me to the death?!" His voice was like rolling thunder, and his spirit shook the heavens, truly living up to the titles "The foremost among men, Lu Bu; the foremost among horses, Red Hare."

Upon seeing this, Yuan Shao shouted urgently, "Who dares to go forth?"

"This general is willing to go." At that moment, a general stepped out from behind Wang Kuang. He was Fang Yue, a renowned general from Henei. Yuan Shao immediately waved his hand and ordered Fang Yue to engage Lu Bu. Yet, after a single bout, Fang Yue was pierced by Lu Bu's halberd and knocked straight off his horse.

Yuan Shao was greatly shocked and hurriedly shouted once more, "Is there anyone else who can capture this Lu Bu for the Alliance Leader?"

The next instant, a general charged out from the vanguard array of Shangdang Taishou Zhang Yang. It was his leading general, Mu Shun. This Zhang Yang had originally served under the Bingzhou Inspector Ding Yuan and had accompanied him to Luoyang. However, Ding Yuan had since been killed by Lu Bu, so the moment Zhang Yang laid eyes on Lu Bu, his eyes turned bloodshot with hatred.

Yet, as had happened just before, a flash of Lu Bu's halberd shadow swept by, and Mu Shun was instantly hacked into large pieces, dead beyond all doubt.

"Hahaha, what kind of pathetic warlord alliance is this? You are all nothing but a bunch of good-for-nothings. Not a single person can take even a single strike from my halberd. I have heard that the Front-Riding General Liu Yao has quite a few fierce generals under his command. I suggest you all withdraw quickly and let the Front-Riding General's men come and spar with me instead!" Lu Bu roared, arrogant and unbridled.

Hearing this, the assembled warlords felt anger burning in their chests, yet none dared to speak out, forced to yield because Lu Bu's martial prowess was simply too formidable.

"Alliance Leader, this general is willing to try." At this point, Guan Yu stepped out from behind Kong Rong and spoke. At that moment, Guan Yu's expression was filled with battle intent as he stared at Lu Bu with an air of supreme arrogance.

Kong Rong had originally felt some displeasure toward Guan Yu due to previous events, but considering that Guan Yu's martial arts were indeed exceptional, he granted his permission.

"Oh? Guan Yu." Yuan Shao cast a surprised look at Guan Yu. Yuan Shao only remembered Guan Yu because of a few prior incidents, but naturally, he had no reason to object. If Guan Yu won, that would be wonderful; if he died, that would be fine too, as it would exhaust a portion of Kong Rong's strength.

"Very well!! Let Commander Guan go forth and make sure to sever that Lu Bu's head!" Yuan Shao laughed aloud.

Having received Yuan Shao's consent, Guan Yu spurred his horse and charged forward, gripping his eighty-two-catty Green Dragon Crescent Blade as he stood face-to-face with Lu Bu. Anxious that Guan Yu might come to harm, Liu Bei informed Kong Rong and likewise spurred his horse to the front lines to provide backup for Guan Yu.

Lu Bu narrowed his eyes as he looked at the red-faced scoundrel before him. A warrior's intuition told him that, at last, a worthy opponent had arrived. Lu Bu immediately raised his Heavenly and Earthly Painted Halberd high and shouted down from his lofty vantage point, "Haha, I never expected the alliance to have someone of your caliber among them. State your name! Lu Bu's halberd leaves no nameless souls behind."

Guan Yu's arrogance was as deeply rooted as an incurable disease, something that could never be altered. How could the proud Guan Yu endure being addressed in such a condescending tone by Lu Bu? Instantly, he dug his heels into his horse's flanks and charged at Lu Bu. "Guan Yu of Hedong! Scoundrel Lu Bu, prepare to meet your death!"

Lu Bu had not expected Guan Yu to charge straight at him without uttering another word, and a trace of contempt flickered in his heart. Yet this was precisely Guan Yu's habitual tactic of launching a sneak attack. Historically, Hua Xiong, Yan Liang, and Wen Chou had all been slain in a single blow because Guan Yu relied on his horse's charging speed to ambush them. Unfortunately for him, the person he faced today was Lu Bu.

As Guan Yu reached Lu Bu's side, he gathered his inner breath into his dantian and let out an explosive roar. Three immensely powerful slashing strikes, carrying the formidable momentum of his blade, continuously rained down upon Lu Bu.

"Clang, clang, clang." Following three metallic clashes, the two riders crossed paths and separated.

"Splendid, splendid, splendid! You can generate such immense might from your horse's momentum with those three strikes. Had you not encountered this Marquis of Wen, anyone else would have lost their life to those three swift strikes if they let their guard down for even a second." Feeling a slight numbness in his hands, Lu Bu could not help praising him.

Meanwhile, Guan Yu stared in utter astonishment at Lu Bu, who looked as unbothered as if nothing had happened. Eighty percent of Guan Yu's martial prowess could be said to lie in those first three strikes, and no one had ever been able to block them all. Yet today, he had met his match in Lu Bu. Once Guan Yu's initial three strikes failed to secure victory, he was bound to fall into a passive state.

"Taste my halberd!" Hearing Lu Bu's loud shout, he continuously shifted and maneuvered his mount, the Red Hare, making it impossible for Guan Yu to match his speed. At the same time, the Heavenly and Earthly Painted Halberd in his hands thrust, parried, and slashed with relentless precision, reducing Guan Yu to a flustered, purely defensive posture.

In terms of sheer physical strength, Lu Bu surpassed Guan Yu by a margin, and since Guan Yu's steed could not keep up with Lu Bu, he was restricted to passive defense, causing his disadvantage to gradually become apparent.

"Hansheng, Zilong, Mengqi, what do you think of the martial arts of Guan Yu and Lu Bu?" Liu Yao, who had been watching the battle from the sidelines, asked the three men around him.

"That Lu Bu—I am not his match. But that Guan Yu is nothing special either," Ma Chao said slowly as he watched the unfolding combat. For someone like Ma Chao to admit "I am not his match" demonstrated that Lu Bu's martial prowess was truly worthy of Ma Chao's respect.

"Lord, that Lu Bu can truly be called the greatest warrior under heaven; indeed, I am no match for him. However, Mengqi, you underestimate that Guan Yu. Guan Yu's martial arts are still superior to yours right now. Do not judge him by how flustered he looks; he is simply suffering from the disadvantage of his steed. If he were mounted on a warhorse like ours, fighting Lu Bu for over a hundred bouts would be no difficult task," Zhao Yun remarked.

"Hmph." Ma Chao snorted coldly and said nothing more, clearly still looking down on Guan Yu. His haughtiness bore a striking resemblance to Guan Yu's own.

"Hansheng, what are your thoughts?" Liu Yao turned to Huang Zhong, who had remained silent.

Huang Zhong frowned and replied, "Within two hundred bouts, it would be a draw. After two hundred bouts, I would certainly lose. However, if I were to use my archery, the outcome would be hard to predict."

Liu Yao pondered for a moment and said, "Hansheng, Zilong, Mengqi, if we were to rank the warriors of this world, Lu Bu is naturally first, and Hansheng may be considered second. Zilong and one other can be ranked third. As for the rest—such as Yide, Guan Yu, and you yourself, Mengqi—you are likely evenly matched for now."

"Lord, who is the person ranked third alongside the Master?" Ma Chao asked out of curiosity, a trace of fighting spirit flashing in his eyes. Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong also turned to look at Liu Yao with simultaneous curiosity.

Liu Yao smiled and pointed toward Dian Wei, who was standing behind Cao Cao, saying, "It is him! Dian Wei's mounted combat may not equal Zilong's, but once he is on foot, even Lu Bu cannot best him. He is undeniably invincible in infantry combat."

"It's him!" The three men exclaimed inwardly at the same time, etching the name Dian Wei into their memories.

Returning to the duel, Guan Yu and Lu Bu had traded no less than thirty bouts. Guan Yu remained entirely suppressed, unable to find an opening to counterattack. At that moment, Lu Bu seized a flaw in Guan Yu's defense, yanked the left rein, and caused the Red Hare to rear up on its hind legs. Reversing his grip on the Heavenly and Earthly Painted Halberd with his right hand, Lu Bu drove it downward toward Guan Yu like a fisherman thrusting a spear into the water.

"Get down with you!" Following Lu Bu's thunderous roar, Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade took the full force of the blow. One can imagine the magnitude of Lu Bu's strength. Guan Yu himself was heavy, and Kong Rong had no exceptional steed to gift him, meaning Guan Yu was riding an ordinary warhorse. After fighting Lu Bu for so many rounds, he was already thoroughly exhausted. Now, struck by this overwhelming blow, his mount let out a neigh, its legs buckled, and it collapsed to the ground.