July 17th, 192 AD.

  Khan finished setting up his defense lines.

  As he had once led an attack on Jiameng Gate before, he knew the weaknesses of this checkpoint.

  The Jiameng checkpoint was sandwiched by mountain valleys, which blockaded the main road to Zitong City. However, there were other passages around the mountain ranges.

  Khan and Ma Chao had led a force to bypass this checkpoint before, so they knew that these passages could not be overlooked.

  He decided to protect the main gate while Ma Chao, Ma Teng, and Han Sui covered the other passages. He splitted his force into three legions, 100,000 each, to protect all entries to Zitong City.

  Ma Chao covered the western mountain ranges, while Ma Teng and Han Sui covered the east.

  Now, Khan was ready, but he felt that something was off.

  ’I can’t launch an attack this way. Too bad that little bitch ran off, or I would have ordered her to protect the gate while I go on a rampage.’ .

  The same day

  Ju Shou and Xun You brainstormed and came up with strategies.

  Lu Bu’s regiments of 40,000 redhare knights would attack Jiameng Pass with all their cannons.

  Gao Shun’s regiment, Qiang Cavalry unit of 10,000 soldiers and 20,000 knights, along with Han Hao’s 10,000 light cavalries from Ghost Legion would scout the west mountain range for a secret passage. If they could bypass the mountain, they had to do so and strike Zitong from behind.

  Zhang He, Qu Yi, Gao Lan, and 50,000 men would be their second main force. They had to force their way through the east mountain range and break through the enemies.

  Since Zhang He possessed Tong’s system skill, the HUD radar map, he could detect enemies from far away, which was more suitable for guerrilla warfare.

  Although Zhang He protested that he was more compatible with scout missions, Lu Bu, Ju Shou, and Xun You disagreed. Since Lu Bu acknowledged Zhang He as a talented fighter, he should be put to good use on the fierce battlefields.

  With the arrangement, everyone moved to their new position, waiting for an attack signal from their strategists. ……

  Though the terrain was rocky and uneven, the redhare horses and the Qiang’s horses did not have trouble trekking through the tight mountain passages to the west.

  Gao Shun and Han Hao kept an eye on the high ground while their men observed the surroundings with caution. Since Gao Shun were experienced in fighting in the mountain terrain in the Bing Province, he adapted to the environment and led Hao Han’s forces further west.

  Han Hao’s men had troubles climbing the mountains, unlike the others, which should have had the most problems bringing the heavily armored horses on elevated ground. It embarrassed this vice commander because they were lightly equipped, yet they were the cause of their slow marching speed.

  "Sorry for dragging you down, Sir Gao," Han Hao was ashamed.

  "Don’t apologize. Everyone gets easily exhausted from climbing a mountain for the first time. We’re wearing heavy armors and carrying weapons at the same time. It’s natural to get tired."

  From 8 AM until noon, the west team managed to get everyone to a plateau, where they could make camps and fortify their defensive line against a counter-attack from Khan Army.

  The plateau was not wide enough to house all 40,000 soldiers, 40,000 horses, and their belongings. Still, many soldiers could rest inside the forest on the mountain without sleeping inside the camp.

  Gao Shun was not satisfied with the current location, but it was the widest space that they could fortify.

  "We’re going to use this as a temporary resting spot. After we fortified this place, we should move out."

  "What about the garrison?"

  \r \r \r

  "We won’t garrison this camp. Instead, we will bait the enemy into attacking it."

  "Huh?"

  "I’ve consulted with Ju Shou before our deployment. He has approved of this move. You can check with him in the clan chat."

  "Well, let’s report our movement to the clan chat anyway, so they might have other opinions."

  Han Hao and Gao Shun decided to report everything to the clan chat.

  As they had expected, Ju Shou agreed with Gao Shun’s decision.

  Ju Shou: "Mountain battlefields are actually not suitable for horsemen, but I believe in your mobility and Sir Li Feihong’s redhares."

  Han Hao: "My light cavalry unit is not doing well on this mountain. Are you sure?"

  Ju Shou: "From the testimonies of local villagers, there will be an open field after you get through this mountain range. It will be troublesome at first. But once you get through, all of you can shine."

  Lu Bu: "You should have sent me there and let Gao Shun and Han Hao attacking the gate instead."

  Xun You: "No. We’ll need you to stop Khan when he appears. He will likely show up at the gate. Among all generals, you are the only one who can fight a four-winged angel, Sir Lu Bu."

  Lu Bu: "Fine."

  Ju Shou: "Well, Sir Gao, Sir Han, you should rest on that spot for a day. If you don’t encounter any enemy, or Khan did not attack you, scout the perimeter first before you move forward.

  Gao Shun: "Okay."

  Lu Bu: "Pro’s tips. Use your goddamn souls to scout ahead. All of you should have awakened at least one soul, no? Stop thinking like a mortal and act like an immortal for once. Use your force!"

  Everyone: "……"

  Everyone was speechless that Lu Bu was getting smarter.

  With the confirmation from the strategists, Gao Shun and Han Hao rested in the unfavorable terrain for the day. .

  Unlike Han Hao and Gao Shun, Zhang He already dispatched his three souls to scout ahead. Combined with the radar map, Zhang He’s line of sight covered all east mountain range.

  Without much trouble, he was the first to spot Khan’s defense forces.

  "Let’s see …… 20km southwest from here, we have a massive army blockading the exit point of this passageway."

  Qu Yi and Gao Lan were surprised that Zhang He’s soul already pinpointed their enemy’s location so fast.

  "Already?"

  "You’ve found them, sir?"

  "Aye. Too bad, my radar map doesn’t count their troops for me, or it would have been easier to determine their number."

  "How many of them? Can you guess?"

  "Somewhat between 80,000 to 100,000. I’m not sure. For now, let’s report everything to everyone.

  After Han Hao and Gao Shun consulted with the others, Zhang He turned in his reports.

  Ju Shou: "Great job, general Zhang. Now, we wait for confirmation from the west team. If they find that Khan’s men are blocking the exit point in the west, we can use many strike plans."

  Zhang He: "Care to explain before we strike?"

  Ju Shou: "No. You are a day away from those guys. Variable is still possible. Let’s wait for the main battle to conclude for today, and we will decide what we will do."

  Xun You: "We have already drafted our counter-measures against the enemy’s movements. You don’t have to worry. For general Zhang, please move forward to the south, so you can be in a position to attack the defenders."

  Zhang He: "Roger that." .

  Meanwhile, Lu Bu patiently maintained his forces in front of Jiameng Gate. 50 Wheeled cannons, which transferred from the Ghost Legion and their logistic units, were being pushed to the front line.

  As Lu Bu’s men took down many commanderies, they acquired more experience from the siege battles. Just like before, they positioned their cannon crews on the front to confuse the defenders while we’re preparing to attack from a long-range.

  Should they come out and fight, Lu Bu and his redhare knights would butcher them. Should they hole themselves behind the walls like a coward, Lu Bu would crush them with cannons.

  A simple strategy for a simple man.

  Yet, it was so efficient to the point that Lu Bu had repeatedly used this strategy to take many commanderies within a short time. Furthermore, the local defenders either surrendered or ran away after a day of fighting.

  In the end, Lu Bu’s troops maintained their full number throughout the campaign while many surrendered forces were waiting to be drafted into his legion in the future.

  But that was a job for the civil officers and another story.

  "General, all of our cannon crews are ready."

  Lu Bu glanced at his cannons. When he saw that all of them got into their firing range, and Khan’s defense force had not come out to fight, he sighed.

  "Cannons, fire at will." ……

  Khan arrived at Jiameng Gate after his men got to their position. He walked to the top of the wall, watching the attack force.

  When he saw the banners of Redhare Legion, Khan had a broad smile on his face.

  "Ah, my stupid self. You’ve come!"

  Khan laughed like a madman. He ignored his subordinates and hired advisors, rushing down the stairs to get on his horse.

  He wanted to go out and challenge Lu Bu into a duel.

  For years, he had been cloning the soldiers and neglected his training. Since Lu Bu could rival him in military might, Khan wanted to go out and enjoy the duel.

  Unfortunately,

  *BOOM*

  *BOOM*

  *BOOM*

  The matured Lu Bu did not bother shouting or challenging the enemy generals into a duel before the fight. He simply attacked first, then he talked later, like a particular civilized country in the modern world.

  Cannonballs slammed onto the stone walls.

  As the new clone soldiers were created from a high-level skill, they had no feeling. The garrison soldiers stared at the incoming iron balls with an indifferent expression.

  None of them made a noise or panicked.

  Khan clicked his tongue as he glared to the direction of Lu Bu in disappointment.

  "I wasn’t aware that you’re growing into a coward, Lu Fengxian. I’ll beat you up, and I’ll teach you a lesson that the immature you can’t beat the enlightened me!"

  Khan got on his cloned Redhare King while the gate opened. He galloped out of the gate to challenge Lu Bu.

  Chapter 423 - Battle of Jiameng Pass - Lu Bu VS Chanyu Khan

  Lu Bu could see a lone rider charging at his army. Had it been the past before he had met Tong, he would have mocked this person as a fool.

  After he obtained the cultivation method, Lu Bu knew that he should not underestimate a person who seemed to act like a fool on a battlefield. After all, that person might be an immortal.

  And his guess was right. Lu Bu could sense a threatening aura from that man.

  As he got closer, Lu Bu spotted the giant redhare, which was the same as his horse.

  ’That guy.’

  Lu Bu recognized Khan, who had fought with him when he was participating in the coalition against the Xiongnu period.

  He turned to his assistants, "Tell everyone to fall back 100 paces. Do not help me, no matter what will happen from now on. If I die, retreat immediately!"

  "S-Sir?"

  "Just do it."

  "SIR, YOU FORGOT YOUR HELMET!!"

  It was too late. Lu Bu kicked his horse and galloped forward, charging at Khan.

  The duel began without a verbal challenge!

  The two riders got closer, reaching 50 meters in the distance.

  40 Meters ……

  30 Meters ……

  20 Meters ……

  Once they got to the range of 10 meters, Khan laughed, "LU FENGXIAN, YOU FOOL! [TIME STOP]!"

  It was Tong’s copied skill!

  The world turned into a black and white world as everything came to a pause, except Khan.

  Khan leaped from his horseback, jumping forward toward Lu Bu.

  "This is the difference between you and me! Die for me!!"

  Khan reinforced all of his power into one strike as Liu Yang had taught him years ago. He swung his halberd at Lu Bu, planning to chop him in half.

  50 Seconds of time-stopping was more than enough to kill this god of war!

  *BOOM*

  Khan slashed down.

  But his halberd was stopped by something. He could feel a feedback impact through the halberd shaft.

  When Khan looked at the tip of his halberd, he was shocked.

  Lu Bu was unharmed!

  Furthermore, he was glaring at Khan.

  Above his head, a faint thin layer of Lu Bu’s angelic aura protected him from Khan’s attack.

  Khan sensed a dreadful killing intent. He leaped backward in a panic.

  "Impossible! The [Time Stop] skill should have stopped everything! You shouldn’t have this skill, too! How can he move!?"

  He took his time staring at Lu Bu as Khan thought that his opponent could counter-attack against him.

  However, his theory proved him wrong. Lu Bu did not move from the spot.

  30 Seconds remaining until the [Time Stop] skill worn out.

  Khan was relieved that Lu Bu could not do anything against him in this greyscale world. He laughed.

  "Oh, Lu Fengxian. You’ve surprised the great me. I thought for once that you can still attack me in this world, but it seems that I had overestimated you. I don’t know how you blocked my attack, but you won’t be able to do it again!"

  Khan jumped at Lu Bu again, who was still on his horseback.

  He slashed his halberd sideway, planning to behead Lu Bu in one blow.

  *BOOM*

  The halberd hit, but it was still stopped by the thin layer of Lu Bu’s aura.

  \r \r \r

  Khan was infuriated that Lu Bu could still resist. He focused all of his forces and launched a barrage of attacks.

  *BOOM*

  *BOOM*

  *BOOM*

  Every second passed, twenty impacts caused 20 shockwaves in the air. Yet, Khan could not kill Lu Bu.

  5 Seconds remaining

  Khan was so mad that he was mentally exhausted. After over 200 serious blows, Khan’s weapon could not reach Lu Bu’s skin.

  However, he could see a bit of a result.

  Blood flowed down from Lu Bu’s nostrils!

  Lu Bu suffered some damages from the attacks!

  Khan burst into laughter, "HAHAHAHA!! I thought you were invincible. But in reality, you must have reached your limit! Very well, I will extend this time-stop-world indefinitely and torture you to death!"

  Khan could summon his souls and activated his [Time Stop] skill again by paying 10 times the activation price.

  Since the activation cost of the [Time Stop] was as meager as 100 years of lifespans, Khan stepped back and summoned his four souls.

  One of his souls cast the skill while the time remaining in this world was left with 2 seconds.

  Khan clicked his tongue, "Bah! Stupid system. Fine. I’ll just activate it after the effect worn out."

  Two seconds later, the black-and-white world reverted back to its original, and the time continued to flow.

  At that moment

  "Time Alter: Triple Accel!"

  Lu Bu leaped off his horse and flew to Khan at the speed of sound!

  He trusted his halberd forward, and it pierced through Khan’s chest!

  As the weapon punctured through Khan’s ribcages, lungs, and spine, Khan’s soul activated the time stopping skill.

  The time had paused once more!

  Within the colorless world, Khan’s body was still pierced by Lu Bu’s halberd, but only he could move.

  Slowly and painfully, Khan pulled himself out of Lu Bu’s weapon.

  As soon as he got out, Khan activated Tong’s regeneration skill, which healed his injuries instantly.

  "That was close, Lu Fengxian. I have to admit that I let my guard down for a split second there. To be honest, you would have killed me if I didn’t have Zhang Tong’s skills."

  Khan continued to mock Lu Bu. He walked to the floating figure in the mid-motion and slapped Lu Bu’s face.

  *PA*

  The slap hit directly onto Lu Bu’s skin without being protected by an aura.

  The eyes of Lu Bu still glared at Khan with hatred.

  "Oh? Don’t you have your shield aura on? Well, too bad. It’s my win."

  Thinking that he had Lu Bu’s life under his palm, Khan relaxed as he caught his breath. After taking 10 seconds of rest, Khan brought his weapon and raised it overhead.

  Khan unsummoned his souls as he reinforced his halberd with all of his power.

  He swung it down, aiming to behead Lu Bu’s neck again.

  *BOOM*

  Again, his halberd was blocked by Lu Bu’s thin layer of shield aura.

  "WHAAAATTT!!??"

  In shock and frustration, Khan gritted his teeth as he spammed his attacks with his polearm.

  "I DON’T BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN DEFEND YOURSELF FOREVER! NO MATTER HOW STRONG YOU’RE POWER WERE, IT’S USELESS!!"

  *BOOM*

  *BOOM*

  *BOOM*

  "USELESS!! USELESS!! USELESS!! USELESS!! USELESS!! WRYYYYYYY!!"

  For the remaining 40 seconds, Khan did not stop striking against Lu Bu.

  When there was one second remaining, Khan leaped backward as he summoned his soul again.

  The time resumed!

  LU BU SHOUTED, "SQUARE ACCEL!!"

  Khan bellowed, "TIME STOP!!"

  *SWUA!!*

  Lu Bu’s halberd cleaved Khan in half, cutting from his left shoulder to his right lower waist.

  *VHOOM*

  The time had stopped, and Khan’s severed body parts landed on the ground.

  "REGEN!"

  Khan used his life-saving skill from his soul, and his severed upper torso and lower torso reattached, healing itself in less than a second.

  The [Regeneration]’s cost of activation varied depending on the injuries. Just now, Khan paid 150,000 years of lifespan as Lu Bu had cut through his heart. Also, it cost 10 times the original as he activated this skill via his soul.

  Now, he was left with less than 100,000 lifespans. Had he suffered more injury like this again, he would not have been able to self-heal.

  It would have spelled his death!

  "LU FENGXIAN!!"

  Khan did not know what he had to do to kill Lu Bu. He was so mad, yet he was helpless.

  His survival instinct kicked in. Instead of continuing fighting, Khan ran back to the gate with his full speed, escaping from Lu Bu.

  When the 50 seconds of time stop world was over, Khan had reappeared on the top of Jiameng Gate.

  "Close the door, NOW!!"

  Khan’s emotionless subordinates did precisely as their boss said.

  Meanwhile, Lu Bu glared at the wall of Jiameng Pass, clicking his tongue.

  He also used the [Regen] skill to recover from the internal bleeding in the brain because of his sudden skill burst.

  For a couple minutes, Lu Bu was in despair for the first time in his life. He could sense everything when Khan’s time stop skill was in effect, but he could not move his body, only to stare helplessly at Khan.

  Fortunately, he had been cultivating his four angel souls and his wing power, so he could reinforce his defense when his physical body could not move.

  Still, Khan’s attacks were deadly. Had it been the power of three-winged angel or weaker, the shield aura would have been broken in one strike. Even with the same tier of power, Lu Bu could still feel the impact throughout the muscles of his body.

  The damage accumulated to the point that Lu Bu had several broken bones before the [Time Alter, Square Accel]’s activation. Had Khan continued his attacks, Lu Bu was not confident that he could outlast another set of a time-stop attack.

  The fire of motivation had been ignited once more after Lu Bu discovered another worthy opponent among the enemy’s ranks.

  ’I’ll focus getting to six wings. I can get the fifth one instantly, but it won’t matter much if I have to fight that cheating skill again. If I get the sixth wing power, my speed would have been faster, and I could have cut his head the moment the time stopping skill wears out.’

  Lu Bu did not pursue Khan. He turned back to his men, so they could maintain their army position. However, he stopped the attack for today, so he could recuperate and review the fight between Khan and himself. ……

  That night, Khan also reviewed his duel against Lu Bu.

  After he had calmed down and looked at the fight without a bias attitude, he found a problem in his system skills.

  In the past, Liu Yang used to warn him that system skills would not work against immortals as they were designed to spoil the sinners into thinking that they were invincible. Then, at the end of their life, they would reveal their true corrupted self to the immortal spectators in Heaven, displaying their hypocrisy.

  This was a trap for sinners and the main entertainment of the immortals. Unfortunately, the game had changed, and Liu Yang did not know what had happened to Heaven.

  Still, it did not change the fact that the system skills were useless against angels and demons.

  Now that Khan was aware of the problem, he learned about the weakness of many skills he had.

  ’My other self can react to my [Time Stop] because of this loophole. I can also react to Zhang Tong’s [Time Stop] because I’m a four-winged angel. Then, sooner or later, my other self should be able to move when the [Time Stop] was in effect when his power grows stronger!’

  Khan broke a sweat when he imagined the worst-case scenario where he was killed when the time stop was still active.

  ’No. I must sharpen my skills. But my soldiers and my slaves are fighting, and I don’t have enough time to train. What should I do!?’

  Without someone to talk or consult, Lu Bu did not know what he should do.

  Then, he recalled his past actions. Then, he looked at the country map.

  Khan had a new inspiration.

  ’What if I send all of my slaves to their death and disguise myself as a Han citizen. Will I be able to use Cao Cao or Liu Bei to fight the others?’

  Khan had a new plan.Author: For a reference, use Dio Brando’s voice and his "NANIIIIEEEE" when you’re reading this.MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA