Volume 1, Chapter 16: Lu Bu, the God of War of the Three Kingdoms!

With a forceful tremor of his arms, Lu Bu’s upper garment shattered instantly. The sheer power of the release forced Guangchengzi to step back several paces. Lu Bu’s body was now covered in blood-red veins, and a terrifying, searing heat radiated from him. Without further ado, Lu Bu raised his halberd, and his steed, Red Hare, surged forward at breakneck speed.

Guangchengzi did not lower his guard. His spiritual energy swelled, and his twin swords shimmered with an unprecedented brilliance. When the blade and halberd collided, it was Guangchengzi who was pushed back!

"The God of War physique? Interesting." Guangchengzi’s grin grew menacing as he slowly stripped off his own upper garment. "But only just interesting!"

The next moment, golden veins appeared across Guangchengzi’s body. The scorching heat they emitted was on par with Lu Bu’s. Clearly, he, too, possessed the God of War physique. The twin swords in Guangchengzi’s hands dissipated, replaced by a massive halberd. Looking closely, it was the exact same weapon as Lu Bu’s.

"Oh? You use a halberd as well?" Lu Bu laughed boisterously. "Then let us see whose halberd is stronger!"

With that, Lu Bu dismounted, and as the two lunged at each other, the very space seemed to tear. A single swing of the halberd cleaved the stone platform in two, though it mended itself in the blink of an eye. The dark clouds overhead were split asunder.

After the first strike, Lu Bu did not pause. He crouched low and swept his halberd horizontally. *Clang!* The sound of clashing weapons rang out as Guangchengzi blocked the blow with his formidable strength. Yet, just as he prepared his follow-up, Lu Bu performed a bizarre 180-degree turn, bringing his halberd instantly to the other side. Caught off guard, Guangchengzi—who had not used this physique in ages—could barely defend himself, staggering backward.

Lu Bu sneered and let out a sharp whistle.

*Oh no!* Guangchengzi felt a jolt of panic, but it was too late. Red Hare’s front hooves were already raised high above his head. *Thud! Thud!* The hooves struck their target squarely, and before the eyes of all, Guangchengzi was sent flying backward. He tumbled countless times before finally coming to a stop at the edge of the platform. Dazed and disoriented, he stared at the scene, yet the grin on his face remained arrogant, growing even louder.

However, Lu Bu was already upon him. His halberd was raised high, his eyes burning with killing intent. "Die!"

*BOOM!*

The halberd struck, kicking up a cloud of dust as a massive wave of energy swept across the "Taiming Yuwantian." Even the stone platform fractured and split, its recovery slowing visibly under the weight of Lu Bu's assault. Amidst this seemingly advantageous battlefield, Chen Yan’s expression remained grave. He knew that Guangchengzi had not yet revealed his true power.

Just as he thought this, a figure burst from the dust—the red mist surrounding him marking him as Lu Bu. He landed straight on the other side of the platform. As the dust settled, Guangchengzi stood upright. Though golden blood flowed from his arm, his bloodthirsty expression showed that he had now fully adapted to the God of War physique.

Ignoring his wound, Guangchengzi charged at Lu Bu with a wild laugh, his halberd shifting in his grasp. The shaft of the weapon began to split open, and within it, countless pieces of flesh pulsed as if alive. Seeing this, Chen Yan’s expression changed, and he shouted, "Lu Fengxian, get out of the way!"

It was too late. Before Chen Yan’s words had faded, Guangchengzi was already upon Lu Bu. Lu Bu had no choice but to brace himself for the impact.

*BOOM!*

A thunderous roar echoed across the platform, followed instantly by the sound of countless souls weeping. Lu Bu had vanished, and in his place remained a bottomless black hole.

"Hahaha! Hahahahaha! Can you even withstand a halberd forged from the souls of ten thousand natives of the Human and Divine realms?" Guangchengzi stared into the hole and plunged in without hesitation. "Go to hell! Hahahahaha!"

Outside the fray, Chen Yan’s face turned pale. He had never imagined that Guangchengzi would be insane enough to slaughter so many humans and gods just to craft a weapon for a God of Slaughter, sealing their souls within it. Such a weapon held a powerful restraint over all living beings in both realms; that was why he had warned Lu Bu to dodge.

*Boom! Boom!*

Listening to the sounds of battle echoing from beneath the ground, Chen Yan breathed a sigh of relief. The fact that the fight continued meant Lu Bu still possessed the strength to struggle. About a minute later, two figures burst forth from the black hole. Seeing them, Chen Yan’s heart sank even further.

Lu Bu was drenched in blood, and his left leg was gone. "Die, die, die!" Despite this, Lu Bu remained filled with fighting spirit, though his desire for battle had turned to loathing. "Are all of you in the Heavenly Realm this disgusting? If it isn't poison, it's tormenting the living!"

"You haven't shed any less blood than I have," Guangchengzi retorted, his halberd dancing in his hands.

Severely wounded, Lu Bu could only offer a weak defense. He did not last long; under a full-force blow from Guangchengzi, he was sent flying, and his halberd began to crack. Suddenly, Red Hare appeared along the trajectory of his fall, bracing its body to absorb the impact. Lu Bu looked at the horse, his hatred softening into tenderness. Red Hare let out a piteous whinny.

"Old friend, thank you." Lu Bu pressed his hands against Red Hare and slowly stood, the blood from his leg blurring his vision.

"Cough... *cough*..." Lu Bu coughed, and without turning, he spoke to Chen Yan behind him. "I, Lu Bu, took a wrong turn once, causing my foster father to die by my hand, making me a sinner of history. I have lived with deep guilt for that sin. Fortunately, the Human Emperor showed mercy, granting me a chance to be reborn and to slay these tyrannical gods with my own hands."

Lu Bu held the halberd in his right hand and rested his left gently on Red Hare’s back. A crimson energy began to flow from the horse into Lu Bu. "Old friend, let us fight one last time!" Red Hare let out a militant roar as its body slowly dissolved, and the energy radiating from Lu Bu grew increasingly powerful.

Guangchengzi, who had been watching with detached amusement, was suddenly seized by panic. The souls within his halberd trembled as if they were slipping from his control. Without hesitation, he lunged forward, thrusting the halberd with his right hand while his left conjured a powerful seal of light. "Heaven-Turning Seal!"

At that moment, Lu Bu and Red Hare had finished merging. His severed leg and the cracked halberd were restored to their pristine state. Standing in a low, lunging stance with his halberd held behind him, he looked at the incoming Guangchengzi and grinned savagely. "One halberd to open the gates of heaven!"

The strike landed. The two figures froze in place. Red and golden blood pooled on the ground as the halberd pierced Guangchengzi’s chest, while the Heaven-Turning Seal shattered Lu Bu’s abdomen.

"Lu Bu..." Chen Yan’s lips trembled. He had held great hope for Lu Bu’s strength; after all, for a human to cultivate such physical prowess after being stripped of the Human Emperor’s fortune and essence was a feat few could match. He had expected that Guangchengzi, having grown complacent through long ages of peace in the Heavenly Realm, would fall to a sudden, decisive strike. He had not expected it to come to this.

Everything now depended on who would fall first, or whose life would fade first. As time slipped away, one of the figures coughed, his eyes filled with terror and reluctance before he slowly collapsed. A faint smile touched Lu Bu’s lips as blood trickled from his mouth. With his final breath, he spoke:

"I, Lu Bu, am the God of War of the Three Kingdoms!"