Mythical Three Kingdoms

Ma Chao excavated two corpses from beneath the snow in the central area of the Xianbei Royal Court. The shattered royal court insignia beside the corpses indicated their identities: Xianbei elders stationed at the Royal Court, who, like the Qiang people, primarily served as guardians of the court and mediators between tribes.

"Search again, there should be two more," Ma Chao said gravely to his personal soldiers, who were now able to follow his orders without question.

"Yes!" Two Qiang Clan trusted aides cupped their fists in salute, then led their teams to begin a careful search.

[Both of these individuals possessed Inner Qi Separation strength. While not at the Ultimate Inner Qi Manifestation level, they were still impressive, yet their deaths were so bizarre.] Ma Chao looked at the Xianbei elder who was completely uninjured on the outside but had his insides shaken to liquid, now frozen solid, with a face full of disbelief.

Ma Chao had conducted thorough investigations into the strength of the Xianbei Royal Court prior to his approach, with his target being the Royal Court itself. He had prepared meticulously because he intended to eliminate the Xianbei elders when the court was left with only the old, the weak, and a small force.

Inner Qi Separation is indeed very strong, but its greatest weakness lies in being suppressed by Cloud Qi. Once caught by Cloud Qi, unless you have the blessing of Military Spirit or your side's Cloud Qi to counterbalance, even if you reach the Ultimate Inner Qi Manifestation, it takes only a few seconds to struggle free from the Cloud Qi.

Of course, when you break through to Inner Qi Separation, as Heaven and Earth Essence is intermingling with Inner Qi, the suppression by Cloud Qi is not substantial, but that only lasts for the duration of a cup of tea.

Thus, Ma Chao's initial strategy was to ambush with Cloud Qi suppression to take down the Xianbei Royal Court elders. It's important to note that Inner Qi Separation experts are truly invincible only when coordinated with an army.

Even a super expert like Lyu Bu, when facing an army led by an Inner Qi Separation expert, would surely die if struck, even with the Military Spirit blessing preventing suppression by Cloud Qi!

Inner Qi Separation with military support can extract power from Cloud Qi, capable of delivering the force of Shattered Mountain in one strike, something only peak generals can achieve with all their might, but very easily achieved by a commander with collective strength.

Ma Chao did not wish for their war with the Xianbei to result in the royal court elders also stepping down. Once Inner Qi Separation leads an army, the resulting destruction is absolutely beyond what a single Inner Qi Separation can match, so he planned to eliminate them in the bud.

After cautiously storming the Xianbei Royal Court, he encountered a situation where the Royal Court had already been flattened, as if swept by a natural disaster.

"General, here!" a personal soldier shouted from afar, "We've found a Xianbei elder." Ma Chao immediately dashed over.

Upon seeing a corpse with a cavity in its chest, Ma Chao felt a chill. Touching it, he realized it was a general of his level—Ultimate Inner Qi Manifestation, yet killed in one strike, likely from several hundred steps away in a single instant.

A standing martial arts peak expert, overlooking the mortal world, yet killed like this. The expression of wide-eyed disbelief was palpable on the opponent's face, but it was indeed such an end.

"Gulp~" Ma Chao, who had perfected his Ultimate Inner Qi Manifestation, felt a coldness he should have been immune to.

"General, here!" another shout echoed from the snowy wind. Ma Chao immediately flew over to find another body, identical in death, also killed from hundreds of steps away, also disbelieving, and also an Ultimate Inner Qi Manifestation!

"Is the opponent here?" Ma Chao returned to the spot where he first found the two Xianbei elders, "In an instant, with almost no resistance, two Inner Qi Separation elders were killed. The remaining two, realizing they couldn't possibly compete, left in opposite directions..."

Ma Chao felt a chill, a deep chill. That sense of kinfolk survival instinct arose in his heart. Just how powerful must one be for Ultimate Inner Qi Manifestation strength to flee unhesitantly, even when in the numerical advantage!

[Surpassing the Inner Qi Separation realm, like Inner Qi Separation relative to Qi Refining to Gang, that chasm-like disparity, only such strength could instill despair.] Though Ma Chao found it hard to believe, this explanation made sense.

[Who could it be? How could such a powerful person exist! Lyu Bu? No, impossible, although he's strong, not to the point of making us despair.]

Ma Chao first thought of Lyu Bu but quickly dismissed this notion. Though Lyu Bu was strong, he wasn't capable of killing such high-caliber experts like poultry.

Ma Chao looked at the lightning constantly crackling in his palm, feeling the power he possessed, realizing he had reached Lyu Bu's level. Even with this formidable power fully mastered, it was still impossible to instantly kill an Ultimate Inner Qi Manifestation.

"A ghostly deity..." Ma Chao slowly uttered, perhaps only a ghostly deity could explain it. None from the Royal Court escaped beyond a hundred paces, and many died without knowing how.

"Let's go, leave here!" Ma Chao shouted, detesting this eerie place, too strange and terrifying. Since the Royal Court was no more, his mission was completed!

In actuality, Ma Chao wasn't wrong. It was indeed a ghostly deity, and as analyzed, after two Inner Qi Separation experts were instantly killed, the remaining two elders split left and right to escape, hoping at least one could survive.

There's no need to elaborate on the result. At that time, Lyu Bu's archery was likely the most terrifying in the world, perfectly recreating Li Guang's near-divine archery across time and space. While lacking the era's overwhelming Inner Qi powers, the archery itself was unparalleled.

Or rather, that moment was essentially Li Guang reappearing in the mortal world through Lyu Bu's form, a belief passed down for a millennium. Ordinary soldiers might erode such spirit and faith, but some have left enduring legends.

The moment the bowstring pulled back, Lyu Bu's power seamlessly integrated with Li Guang's technique. No one could escape that sureful arrow; with one shot, Essence, Qi, and Spirit were all obliterated!

It was also Lyu Bu who overestimated his Spiritual Will. Though ancient powers couldn't match Lyu Bu of this era, their spiritual strength didn't lag behind the top generals of this time at all. In fact, if they lived in this era, they might match the strongest.

Lyu Bu's spirit was strong, but within the millennium-watchman's belief at least encompassed the Spiritual Will of ten Guan Yu's! (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)