Three Kingdoms, Myth

[Hero in Twilight?] This was the first thought that crossed Lü Bu's mind upon seeing Huang Zhong. He immediately tightened his grip on the Sky Piercer halberd. Lü Bu vowed that he would never let himself become like this—a fading hero. He had to prove his invincibility on the battlefield, just as he had in the past, when his presence alone made Dong Zhuo bold enough to depose an emperor, and now with Yuan Shu nearly ruling the world. Lü Bu wanted to demonstrate to everyone that he remained the most powerful warrior.

Huang Zhong tightly held the Crimson Blood Saber. Though he disliked the weapon's strange color, he couldn't deny that the blade he had found in Nan County was a true divine weapon, despite its unappealing appearance.

The overwhelming aura radiating from Lü Bu had little effect on Huang Zhong. He could unleash his own formidable aura, but he saw no need. For him, the only path was to kill his opponent and vent his pent-up rage.

"Where is Yuan Shu?" Huang Zhong's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and in that instant, his fierce aura cut through Lü Bu's like a blade through wood.

"Ha! I didn't expect to find such a mighty warrior here. Come then, defeat me, and Yuan Shu is yours to take!" Lü Bu laughed as he spoke, his golden and red internal energy swirling around him to form a detailed suit of armor. The halberd in his hands extended slightly at each end, while the red aura surrounding him flared up like flames, bursting with intense heat. Lü Bu was arrogant, but he knew better than to underestimate the man before him.

Huang Zhong's cold gaze locked onto Lü Bu as his own body began to emit an icy blue aura, which then solidified into armor as formidable as Lü Bu's. However, unlike Lü Bu, when Huang Zhong's internal energy flowed into the Crimson Blood Saber, the blade extended into a blood-red edge that exuded a menacing, almost sickly, aura. Encased in the icy blue armor, Huang Zhong appeared increasingly ominous.

"I am Huang Hansheng of Jingzhou. Lü Bu, prepare yourself!" Huang Zhong shouted as he spurred his horse forward, the steed's hooves leaving frost in their wake.

"Boom!" Huang Zhong's saber clashed directly with Lü Bu's halberd, the blood-red edge of the saber slicing toward Lü Bu. The impact sent shards of ice and waves of heat scattering in all directions.

Lü Bu's counterattack was deftly redirected by Huang Zhong at a bizarre angle, only to then arc back in a strange trajectory toward Lü Bu again.

"Crack!" Their horses passed each other, and in that brief exchange, both men had taken each other's measure. Huang Zhong had lost out in terms of strength and the power of his steed, but in all other aspects, they were evenly matched.

"Again!" Lü Bu charged once more, his halberd spinning through the air, each strike heavier than the last. The fiery heat and the gleaming edges of his halberd ravaged the surrounding camp as they fought, the battle dragging them from the front camp to the left and right flanks. Their combat was intense, leaving both Yuan Shu's and Liu Biao's soldiers awestruck. The force of their attacks was so great that the surrounding environment was devastated by the clash of their energies.

Huang Zhong's expression remained stoic, but the battle was reigniting the bloodlust within him. His strikes with the Crimson Blood Saber grew increasingly powerful. Ever since his son, Huang Xu, had fallen gravely ill, Huang Zhong had all but abandoned his martial training, devoting himself entirely to his son's care. But Huang Xu's condition only worsened by the day, and more than once, Huang Zhong had nearly taken his anger out on the local healer, Zhang Zhongjing.

Now, Huang Zhong felt that his strength had diminished compared to a few years ago. Back then, in his thirties, if his son had been healthy and he had continued training, he might have fully mastered the dual-color internal energy by now. But after his son fell ill, his progress had stalled, and his attempts to master dual-color internal energy were disrupted when the water element overwhelmed the other, leaving him with an unwelcome ice attribute that even restricted the output of his internal energy during certain techniques.

As a result, Lü Bu found the situation perplexing—his opponent's strength seemed to fluctuate. When Huang Zhong was strong, Lü Bu was caught off guard; when Huang Zhong was weak, Lü Bu could easily overpower him.

In one swift move, Huang Zhong repelled Lü Bu, swiftly switching from saber to bow. An icy blue arrow shot from the string, hurtling straight toward Lü Bu.

Lü Bu dodged the arrow with all his might, but the wind force generated by the arrow still managed to slice a small cut across his arm, causing blood to drip from the wound.

Huang Zhong sighed inwardly. He needed to find a way to resolve his issues. Lü Bu was incredibly strong, and even if his son had never fallen ill and he hadn't neglected his training for years, Huang Zhong estimated that defeating Lü Bu would still be challenging. As it stood now, while Lü Bu might struggle to kill him, it wouldn't be difficult for Lü Bu to defeat him. Huang Zhong cursed his misfortune, feeling that his son had inadvertently caused his current predicament.

Thinking of his son, Huang Zhong's mood darkened. Just as he was about to declare a truce and withdraw, Lü Bu roared, "It's rude not to return a favor!" and fired a volley of arrows at Huang Zhong.

Huang Zhong laughed, confident in his superior archery skills. If it came down to archery, Lü Bu was no match for him.

Huang Zhong once again fired a single icy blue arrow, but as soon as it left the string, it split into countless beams of light. The thin beams deflected Lü Bu's arrows, converging into seven distinct arrows that targeted Lü Bu from all sides.

"Hah!" Lü Bu swung his halberd with all his might, managing to disperse six of the arrows. However, the seventh arrow slipped through his defenses, slicing through his armor and leaving a cold, chilling sensation in its wake.

Huang Zhong sighed again. Lü Bu might have other tricks up his sleeve, but Huang Zhong knew that he himself was already at his limit. If his most powerful technique couldn't seriously injure Lü Bu when he was unprepared, it would be even more impossible to kill Lü Bu once he was on guard.

"Lü Bu, we shall meet again!" Huang Zhong declared, his cold eyes fixed on Lü Bu. By now, Ji Ling had reacted quickly, and the army was already beginning to form ranks.

Lü Bu said nothing, simply turning his horse around. He knew that the white-haired warrior before him wasn't someone he could force to stay in battle. The time wasn't right. Gripping his halberd tightly, Lü Bu vowed that next time, he would kill this man.

Huang Zhong watched Lü Bu's retreating figure. Now would have been the perfect moment to kill Lü Bu, but his honor wouldn't allow him to shoot a man in the back. So, he too turned his horse around and swiftly left the battlefield. Once Ji Ling's troops fully formed their ranks and their collective aura negated his internal energy, Huang Zhong knew he would be at risk of capture.

"General, you were magnificent!" As Huang Zhong entered the city, he was greeted with loud cheers. He sighed, casually removed his helmet, and tossed it to Liu Pan before dismounting. Then he noticed that Liu Biao had come out to greet him personally.

"Greetings, my lord!" Huang Zhong said with a bow, though his tone lacked deep respect. After all, Liu Biao bore much of the blame for Jingzhou's current state, and Huang Zhong had never truly served under him before.

"Rise, General," Liu Biao responded warmly, not taking offense at Huang Zhong's casual attitude. He had clearly seen Huang Zhong fight Lü Bu to a standstill—the very Lü Bu known as the mightiest warrior in the land. In Liu Biao's eyes, Huang Zhong had every right to be proud.