Chapter 1142: Lü Bu, Lü Bu, Lü Bu!

Wu Pu's words shocked Pang De, and the casual way in which he discussed medical matters made it clear that his skills far surpassed those of the imperial physicians. Pang De immediately realized that the situation was dire.

"May I ask, sir, is there anyone who can wake up my general?" Pang De hurriedly stopped Wu Pu, thinking that they couldn't just let Ma Chao remain unconscious indefinitely.

"My master should be able to help, but he's likely still in Taishan or may have already arrived in Ye City. He rarely travels far from there," Wu Pu replied after some thought. He was confident that he was close to achieving the status of a national-level physician, but still acknowledged that his master surpassed him. If he couldn’t solve it, his master should be able to.

In reality, Wu Pu had no idea that his master was dealing with a similar case: Zhou Tai. However, Zhou Tai's main consciousness had been completely destroyed, leaving only basic instincts within his body. Ma Chao's case was even worse, as his primary consciousness had been sealed within his mind by Lü Bu.

In short, Ma Chao's situation—where his primary consciousness was sealed—was worse than Zhou Tai's. At least Zhou Tai could be saved within a year through the combined efforts of Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing. In Ma Chao's case, even with their help, no amount of stimulation would help.

The reason was simple: Ma Chao’s body had no issues at all. The problem was that Lü Bu, in his final moments, used his eternal will to seal Ma Chao’s consciousness within his own mind, preventing it from escaping.

"This... what’s happening here?" Guan Yu, who was also in the room, sensed something was wrong. As someone proficient in spirit cultivation, he immediately sensed that Ma Chao's spiritual presence was entirely concentrated in his brain, and there was another foreign presence there.

"Let me try," Guan Yu said as he walked over to Ma Chao. He suddenly recalled whose energy this was—it was Lü Bu’s! But wasn’t Lü Bu supposed to have ascended? How could his power still remain?

"If this happened after Mengqi fought Lü Bu, I think I might be able to help," Guan Yu said as he approached Ma Chao’s bed. The shadow of his Green Dragon Crescent Blade flickered in his eyes as he forcefully opened Ma Chao’s eyelids.

Unlike the time when he fought the immortal beings or Yan Liang, this time Guan Yu’s spiritual perception pierced through a muddled layer. In an instant, he found himself standing alone in a vast snowy plain. The moment he saw the chaotic northern winds, he immediately understood that he was somewhere north of Bingzhou.

Before Guan Yu could react further, a golden light streaked across the sky, followed closely by another streak of blue and white light. He heard a voice angrily shouting, "Lü Bu, stop!"

The first golden light came to a sudden halt, revealing Lü Bu with an arrogant expression. He turned back and struck the figure chasing him, sending that person flying. Guan Yu, watching from a distance, was surprised to see that the person who had been struck was Ma Chao.

"Guanyu, I didn’t expect you to reach such a level," Lü Bu said with a hint of astonishment on his face. He then descended slightly but did not act aggressively as he might have in the past.

"You... are Wenhou?" Guan Yu was taken aback. Lü Bu had already ascended—how could he be here? And where exactly was this place? "Aren’t you supposed to have ascended?" Guan Yu questioned in disbelief.

"I’ve ascended?" Lü Bu was equally surprised. He stroked his chin before a smile of realization spread across his face. "Well, that’s good news."

"You didn’t know you had already ascended?" Guan Yu frowned, completely confused by the situation.

"I had no idea. This is just a lesson I left for Mengqi back when we fought in Yunzhong," Lü Bu replied with a smile that carried a hint of wicked amusement, like a boss finding a new toy. The expression was so unsettling that it made even Guan Yu a bit wary.

【It seems my final words won’t be needed after all. I thought this life had reached its limit, but I ended up ascending after all. So, the eternal will must have been resolved,】 Lü Bu thought to himself.

When Lü Bu knocked Ma Chao unconscious, he had already understood that he had been entirely consumed by his eternal will. Therefore, he used that same will to create a spiritual imprint, locking Ma Chao’s consciousness within his mind. Lü Bu’s goal wasn’t survival at that point—it was to pass on his incredible strength and skills.

Even though Ma Chao had angered Lü Bu numerous times, Lü Bu felt that Ma Chao was very similar to himself. With no other option available, he left a spiritual imprint that locked Ma Chao’s mind and created this entire illusory world where Ma Chao could experience his full power.

The purpose of this was simple—so that in the centuries to come, there would be someone left to honor his legacy. If Ma Chao could defeat him within this spiritual world and break through the seal of the eternal will, Ma Chao would emerge virtually invincible.

Lü Bu didn’t believe that after battling him countless times, Ma Chao wouldn’t eventually understand his intentions. Once Ma Chao broke through the seal of the eternal will, Lü Bu’s final message would be delivered, and Ma Chao would understand everything.

"General Guan?" Ma Chao, who had just emerged from the ground, looked at Guan Yu in shock. He had been stuck in this place for a long time, unable to find any other living soul. Seeing Guan Yu was a surprise.

When Ma Chao first woke up here, he had been furious and had immediately tried to fight Lü Bu. But after being knocked unconscious dozens of times, he began to realize something was off—he never felt hunger or thirst.

After running some experiments, Ma Chao discovered that no matter how far he flew, he always ended up back at the same spot. Understanding that he couldn’t leave without defeating Lü Bu, Ma Chao resigned himself to fate, engaging in countless battles with him.

However, after thousands of fights, Ma Chao came to realize the enormous gap between him and Lü Bu. No matter how hard he fought, he always lost.

"Mengqi," Guan Yu glanced at Ma Chao and immediately noticed that Ma Chao had grown significantly stronger. His aura was far more intense, and his spirit was considerably sharper.

"Where is this place?" Guan Yu asked quietly.

Lü Bu, standing in the sky with his halberd, spoke coldly, "This is his mindscape. I created this space within his consciousness."

Both Ma Chao and Guan Yu were utterly shocked by this revelation.

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