Mythical Three Kingdoms

Chapter 513 - 486 It’s Time to Show Real Strength_3

"Ma Mengqi, today I have no interest in playing with you," Zhang Xiu, looking at the person and horse covered in golden-red Inner Qi, said with slight trepidation.

"Hmph, today I will see who is superior!" Ma Chao paid no heed to Zhang Xiu; with a squeeze of his horse’s sides, he charged directly at Zhang Xiu.

Zhang Xiu, with a dark expression, suddenly released red and blue Inner Qi from his body, which then merged into purple and charged straight toward Ma Chao. As the two met on horseback, a frenzied roar erupted, after which Zhang Xiu spewed out Inner Qi, pulled the reins firmly, and his mount, the Qing horse, stepped into the void and flew towards the sky.

"You don’t know what’s good for you!" Zhang Xiu sneered repeatedly, not worrying for a moment that if he gravely injured Ma Chao here, the day’s pact would be broken. In his view, once Guo Si arrived, their strength would surpass that of the Qiang people, and they could just force their way through!

Zhang Xiu’s long spear almost danced into a complete sphere, while Ma Chao rode his horse straight at Zhang Xiu, a line of fire streaking toward the purple light in the sky. In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged nearly a hundred moves in the sky without the roaring sounds stopping for a moment.

"Ma Chao, you’re courting death!" With a loud boom, Zhang Xiu’s original purple glow burst into a burst of spear flowers like fireworks and then unfolded like a golden-thread chrysanthemum before closing back again. That moment’s explosion melded into a relentless stream, and the sound of the air tearing was chilling to the ear.

The two separated once again, and Zhang Xiu, with a pained expression, looked at the neck of his Qing horse beneath him, his eyes nearly spewing fire, as his horse had been bitten by the little red horse under Ma Chao’s seat.

"Hahaha, Zhang Xiu, you’re nothing special!" Ma Chao, gasping heavily, made no attempt to hide his weakness, but his eyes shone with an exhilarating brilliance!

Ma Chao had used all his strength for the previous move and barely blocked it without getting injured, nor was his horse harmed, but Zhang Xiu’s horse was hurt, and that was enough. The pent-up frustration in Ma Chao’s chest vanished with his loud laughter, and since meeting Zhang Xiu, he had never felt so good.

Zhang Xiu’s eyes flashed coldly, no longer wasting words with Ma Chao. He drew all the purple Qi back into his body, leaving only the spear shimmering with purple radiance. This horse had been with him for over a decade, a gift from his master Tong Yuan. It was no more than a beginner-level Qi Refining to Gang, and now it already possessed the strength of Beginner External Internal Qi. And yet, it had been bitten by the horse under Ma Chao’s seat. Indeed, he hadn’t misjudged the situation!

Zhang Xiu pulled on the reins, transforming into a purple streak, charging at Ma Chao below, "Die!"

Zhang Xiu’s spear thrust down without any fancy maneuvers, just a plain thrust. Ma Chao, thrusting his spear at Zhang Xiu, felt an overwhelming force on impact. His right arm holding the spear resounded clearly with a series of cracks. Before he could react, he was sent flying, turning into a golden streak!

"Boom!" A loud crash, like a meteorite hitting the earth, marked where Ma Chao fell, forming a deep crater as Sima Lang watched in disbelief. The next moment, dust billowed up, and then, without waiting for Zhang Xiu to react, that same small red horse that had treaded the void shot like a line of fire into the dust cloud.

"Hmph." Zhang Xiu, riding his horse gently to the ground, stared at the rising dust, then turned his head to see Ma Teng, Hann Sui, Pang De, and the Eight Banner Generals appear within his field of vision, followed closely by a massive contingent of Ma Teng and Hann Sui’s elite cavalry.

"Zhang Boyuan, are you asking for a full-blown battle with us?" Liang Xing saw the dust and immediately shouted angrily. They had completely sided with Ma Teng and Hann Sui, sharing their fortunes and misfortunes, and naturally could not allow Ma Chao to come to harm.

"Hmph, what right do you have to talk to me about a battle! Just earlier, someone was telling me to die; I wonder if they are dead now!" Zhang Xiu scoffed coldly.

Those were his words, but Zhang Xiu already knew that Ma Chao had only broken his right arm and a few ribs. If it had been on land, Ma Chao would have certainly died, but in the air, Zhang Xiu’s technique of condensing the Phoenix’s Seven Nods into a single strike was diminished because Ma Chao fell from his horse and constantly manipulated his body in the air to reduce the enormous force. When he finally smashed into the ground, he ended up with just a few broken ribs.

"You!" Liang Xing was furious, but he dared not act against Zhang Xiu because of Zhang’s superior martial force.

"What about me? Apart from Ma Mengqi and Pang Lingming, none of you are worth one of my hands!" Zhang Xiu said, sneering.

Suddenly, the faces of the Eight Banner Generals, who ruled over Xiliang with their martial prowess, turned dark. Yet, they also didn’t dare to lift a hand against Zhang Xiu, because what he said was the truth.

On the other hand, although Ma Teng was anxious, he was restrained by Pang De. After all, while the others were not aware of the power of Inner Qi Manifestation, Pang De had some confidence. Although the preceding turmoil was great, it had come from the sky. Since Ma Chao had not died in the air and had maintained the Golden Thread while falling, which meant his Inner Qi was still present, the velocity would mean only suffering some hardships, not death.

Sure enough, as the dust settled, a hand emerged from the large pit. Ma Chao, looking disheveled, raised half of his body, gritted his teeth, and pushed himself up with his long spear. His right arm hung limply as if he had lost control of it, droplets of blood falling. But in Ma Chao’s eyes, there was no fear of Zhang Xiu, only excitement.

This time, Ma Chao truly felt Zhang Xiu’s strength. With that last strike, Ma Chao clearly sensed an unmatched power. However, precisely because of that, Ma Chao completely wiped away the shadows in his heart. Although Zhang Xiu was strong, he still had a limit and was not unfathomably deep! The goal might be distant and the road might be winding, but after all, there was a road, there was a goal, no longer just a speck of darkness as before!

"Zhang Boyuan, for this gift you have given me today, I, Ma Chao, will surely repay you generously in the future!" Ma Chao, leaning on his long spear and limping, jumped onto his own Curly Hair Little Red Horse, then clenched his teeth and, leveling his spear toward Zhang Xiu, said.

"Hmph! Say that when the day comes!" Zhang Xiu sneered continuously and then turned away, no longer looking at Ma Chao, staring instead at Ma Teng, who was leading the army surrounded by Cloud Qi, and said, "General Ma, you handle your military so poorly. I, Zhang Boyuan, am here as an envoy of Xiliang and yet have suffered such an attack. Is this your Qiang People’s way of treating guests? No wonder you’re called barbarians by the Hu People!"

Ma Teng’s complexion fluctuated between green and white. Zhang Xiu’s words struck deep into his heart. What Ma Teng was most proud of was that his ancestor was Fubo General Ma Yuan. Precisely because his ancestors had Qiang and Hu blood, he could claim himself to be a true Han Chinese. Similarly, what he hated most was being told that he was a barbaric Qiang or Hu, uncivilized, and Zhang Xiu’s words truly hurt him, leaving him unable to retort.

"General Zhang, please wait a moment!" Ma Teng took a deep breath, turned his horse around, and his troops split into two lines, making a "please" gesture with his hand, then smilingly looked toward Zhang Xiu, "My son Mengqi is just a bit restless. Please, General, come inside. A feast has been prepared for you, and since you come as an envoy, let’s talk over it inside the camp."

"Good!" Zhang Xiu glanced at the somewhat sparse Cloud Qi that was revealed as the military formation opened up, showing no fear at all, patted his Qing horse, and directly walked inside, while Sima Lang followed with a wry smile on his face.

Soon after arriving at the main tent, while sitting beside Ma Teng and Hann Sui, who appeared as if they were facing a great enemy, and looking at the Eight Banner Generals, Zhang Xiu, with a smile, said, "Gentlemen, rest assured, as long as no one provokes me, I will not take any further action today. This is our army’s envoy, Sima Boda from the Sima Family of Henei. If you have anything to discuss, talk to him. I’m just here to protect him."

A wry smile crossed Sima Lang’s face as he heard this, but he still stepped forward and bowed in the direction of Ma Teng and Hann Sui, "Sima Lang of Henei greets General Who Conquers the East and General of the West."

"May I inquire as to the purpose of Boda’s visit?" Hann Sui calmly put down his wine cup and asked. These matters of strategizing and external negotiation were usually resolved by him, so at this time, he was the man for the job.

"I come for both Generals and for the people of Xiliang!" Sima Lang took a deep breath and said with a smiling face, proud to have his moment to shine. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to come to Qidian ) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)