Chen Xi frowned as he observed Sun Ce's forces gradually organizing a counterattack, along with the reinforcements pouring out of Lujiang City.
"Xingba, finish off those two quickly!" Chen Xi ordered, while simultaneously gathering his own troops and shouting toward Gan Ning.
"Got it!" Gan Ning responded without turning his head. Although both Zhou Tai and Sun Ce were injured, Gan Ning knew that defeating them wouldn't be as easy as just saying it, but he enjoyed challenging the limits.
"Die!" Gan Ning retracted all the internal energy swirling around him. While the protective layer of energy made it difficult for ordinary attacks to penetrate and harm him, it also hindered his maximum offensive output.
In the next moment, a layer of blue-green internal energy burst onto Gan Ning's broadsword and his Hengjiang Iron Chain, flashing with an intense sharpness.
Sun Ce silently gathered his remaining internal energy, forming a golden armor around his body. His spear was also enveloped in a layer of golden flames, while Zhou Tai looked like a fierce deity, dark energy radiating from him as black flames ignited on his broadsword.
"It seems you two aren't compatible!" Gan Ning laughed loudly, disregarding everything else as he launched himself at Sun Ce. In this critical moment, Gan Ning believed that his short-term explosive speed far surpassed that of a horse, and the only way to kill his opponents was to be faster than them.
"Kill!" Zhou Tai growled lowly, slashing his broadsword toward Gan Ning's path. The blade split into three, sealing off Gan Ning's escape routes from all directions. At the same time, Sun Ce thrust his spear with overwhelming force, lacking Zhao Yun's delicate spearwork but brimming with boundless dominance.
Gan Ning sliced through Sun Ce's energy with his broadsword while his left hand manipulated the Hengjiang Iron Chain like a serpent, slipping through the gaps between Zhou Tai's three blade paths and stabbing toward Zhou Tai's head. Gan Ning himself followed the chain's trajectory, shooting forward like lightning.
As Zhou Tai deflected the chain, Gan Ning had already evaded the three blade strikes. The chain's tip, predictably deflected back toward Gan Ning, coiled around his body in an instant.
With the Hengjiang Iron Chain wrapped around him, Gan Ning's left hand finally freed itself. In the next moment, he gripped his broadsword with both hands and unleashed his most powerful strike, a blue-green blade of energy combined with his rapid descent, slashing directly at Zhou Tai.
Zhou Tai realized the danger as soon as Gan Ning wrapped the chain around himself. In that split second, Zhou Tai understood that evading the attack was impossible. A desperate counterattack was his only hope, so he poured all his energy into a powerful slash aimed at Gan Ning.
"Boom!" A series of explosions echoed as if a meteor had crashed into the ground, sending up a mushroom cloud. Before the dust could settle, Sun Ce rushed toward Zhou Tai.
The sound of air splitting accompanied the scene as Gan Ning emerged from the dust cloud, his face slightly pale and his broadsword missing. A gust of wind followed in his wake.
"Zhou Youping, I underestimated you," Gan Ning remarked in shock as he looked at Zhou Tai, who was still standing in the massive crater.
When Chen Xi looked over, he saw Gan Ning's broadsword embedded deeply in Zhou Tai's shoulder. Zhou Tai's broadsword had been shattered into two pieces, with the hilt in his right hand and the blade tip in his left. Zhou Tai himself was buried waist-deep in the ground.
"You okay, Youping?" Sun Ce asked as he noticed Zhou Tai standing next to him, seemingly taller and bulkier.
"I'm fine. It's just a minor injury," Zhou Tai replied, casually tossing aside the broken pieces of his broadsword. He then helped Sun Ce out of the crater, completely unfazed by the massive broadsword still lodged in his shoulder.
"A minor injury..." Sun Ce muttered, his eye twitching. Even for someone at the Internal Qi Manifestation level, this kind of injury would take at least a month to heal. However, the fact that Zhou Tai was still alive was a huge relief—Sun Ce had never lost a comrade in battle.
At this point, Sun Ce finally confirmed that Zhou Tai had indeed grown taller—by about three feet—and his body had become even more muscular.
"The 'Undying Monster'?" Chen Xi murmured as he looked at Zhou Tai. This man was indeed the most resilient creature of this era, surviving countless wounds and still able to fight.
With a loud crack, Zhou Tai yanked the broadsword out of his shoulder. Blood gushed from the massive wound, but it was soon suppressed as black internal energy spewed from the wound. Zhou Tai, as if unaffected, casually swung the broadsword a few times.
Gan Ning gripped his Hengjiang Iron Chain tightly, ready to resume the fight with Zhou Tai. But before they could clash again, Sun Ce's reinforcements, led by Cheng Pu and Ling Cao, had already charged out of Lujiang City.
"Xingba, it seems our luck isn't on our side today. Let's go," Chen Xi said as he turned his horse and gestured for Gan Ning to follow.
"Zhou Youping, I'll leave my broadsword with you for now. Next time, I'll definitely take it back," Gan Ning taunted Zhou Tai with a cold smile, not waiting for a response before vanishing with a few quick steps to join Chen Xi.
"Let's focus on rescuing our wounded soldiers. I've already sent someone to prepare along the Yangtze River," Zhou Yu said as he saw Ling Cao and the others preparing to pursue the retreating enemies.
"You okay, Youping?" Sun Ce asked, patting Zhou Tai on the back.
"I'm fine for now, but it won't last. This technique allows me to surpass my peak strength even while heavily injured, but my body... the cost is..." Zhou Tai's words trailed off as he collapsed to the ground. His previously bear-like figure shrank significantly, and blood began to pour from his wounds once more.
"Get help, now!" Sun Ce shouted, realizing that things weren't as simple as they seemed. As expected, such powerful techniques always came with a price—the stronger the effect, the more dangerous it was!
Gan Ning spat out a mouthful of blood and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "That Zhou Youping... his brute strength is terrifying!"
"You didn't see how much bigger he got—his height increased by thirty percent, and his body expanded as well. It's no wonder his strength increased. I figured you were knocked away by him, and it seems I was right. Make sure to take some medicine later so you don't suffer any lasting effects," Chen Xi sighed. He had already guessed that something wasn't right when Gan Ning had been thrown out of the smoke earlier.
"I originally planned to cut him in half, but I miscalculated. His broadsword absorbed most of the force, along with his internal energy, so I could only wound him that much. Then he hit me square in the chest and sent me flying. That technique is no joke. By the way, you called him the 'Undying Monster'—what's that about?" Gan Ning asked with a wry smile, holding onto his reins. Zhou Tai's ability to withstand his most powerful strike had truly surprised him.