Chapter 1091: Lü Bu's Troubles

This is why, despite having overwhelmingly completed the task of defeating the Xianbei, Lü Bu continued northward to level Mount Langjuxu—he had become bound by the ancient belief of millennia.

In terms of the three forces—essence, qi, and spirit—“essence” refers to the body, “qi” to the inner energy derived from the body, as well as the vital energy of the heavens and earth, and “spirit” to the mind, will, and belief. Spirit is ethereal and intangible, yet it exerts a real and undeniable influence on the human heart.

If Lü Bu had once relied on his own spirit to fully utilize every ounce of his strength, then after accepting the belief of millennia, he had entered an entirely new realm.

Previously, he controlled his inner qi with a powerful body and strengthened his will, causing the vital energy of the heavens and earth to move in response to his actions. But now, through sheer willpower, he naturally drew the heavens’ energy to reinforce himself, making every strike unstoppable.

This is why Lü Bu is now nearly invincible. However, the downside is that Lü Bu seems to have taken on too much. Although he holds the advantage in quality, the ancient belief he’s absorbed is far stronger in quantity.

Even if Lü Bu fulfills the desires of this ancient obsession, he cannot quickly return to his original self. He is still restricted by the belief of millennia, and his plan to retire quietly after the battle has completely fallen apart.

As it stands, Lü Bu now finds himself constantly drawing power from the land beneath his feet in the northern border. Under this belief of eternal vigilance, even if an invader had the strength of Xiang Yu, capable of moving mountains and filling seas, Lü Bu would fight them with all his might.

The sinking of Mount Langjuxu wasn’t due to Lü Bu relying on the cloud energy of the army, as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei believed. It was truly Lü Bu who brought down the mountain with a single strike, though in that moment, it was as if the collective will of centuries had joined forces with heaven and earth.

That was when Lü Bu was most heavily influenced by the ancient belief. At that moment, Lü Bu thought he was acting out of his own will, but after delivering that strike, his own mind and spirit overpowered those obsessive beliefs.

When Lü Bu landed by the lake, cold sweat drenched his back. If that state had continued, he would have been assimilated, much like the Army Soul, which eventually expresses a collective will, leaving individual will almost entirely subsumed.

Unlike the Army Soul, which can be controlled at will, the ancient belief that Lü Bu absorbed is far more dangerous—it seeks to completely assimilate him.

At that moment, while Lü Bu was still Lü Bu, his thoughts were no longer about his wife and daughter but about guarding the border and protecting the frontier. This was something he absolutely couldn’t tolerate. Furious, Lü Bu began forcefully rejecting this foreign belief. Fortunately, he had already stepped into a higher realm, or else he would have been helpless, like a tiger unable to devour the heavens.

Unfortunately, even after reaching this new level, Lü Bu couldn’t find an easy solution to the problem. He could only barely separate himself from the belief, but as for expelling it entirely, that was beyond his capability. The fact that he had been able to absorb it in the first place meant that this belief resonated with him.

Lü Bu’s plan to retire with Diao Chan was now completely out of the question. Every time he thought about abandoning the defense of the border, the ancient belief he absorbed would violently react against him.

Frustrated, Lü Bu had no choice but to stay in the north of Bingzhou for the time being, hoping to find a way to resolve the issue. Over time, he realized that as long as he didn’t entertain thoughts of abandoning his duty to guard the border, the belief wouldn’t affect him as strongly.

However, what troubled him even more was that the land, where countless border defenders had been buried, continued to respond to his will. The belief he had absorbed was growing, as though it were gathering strength, always on the verge of assimilating him.

This gave Lü Bu an unbearable headache. Though he knew that this belief granted him enough power to crush even top-tier experts, every time he used it, it would erode his own will.

Unless absolutely necessary, Lü Bu resolved never to use this belief. His aspirations for life didn’t include this burden, especially after the loss of his loved ones like Yan Shi.

This situation also made Lü Bu conflicted about Gao Shun again. Although Lü Bu knew much of this was his own fault, he couldn’t help but blame Gao Shun for bringing this issue to light.

Gao Shun, on the other hand, was equally bewildered. Lü Bu hadn’t hidden his current state from him. In fact, after the incident of sinking Mount Langjuxu, Lü Bu hadn’t even considered keeping it a secret. Gao Shun, knowing it was partly his fault, accepted Lü Bu’s anger without complaint.

As for Zhang Liao, he once again found himself mediating, trying to keep peace between Lü Bu and Gao Shun as he had always done. But there was little Zhang Liao could do beyond advising caution in the future.

After that, Lü Bu didn’t say much. He focused on suppressing the growing external belief and returned to Jiuyuan with a dark expression. He needed to find a solution to this problem and hoped that Chen Gong might have a way to help.

As for his great achievements in defeating the Xianbei, wiping out their royal court, and sinking Mount Langjuxu, Lü Bu had no interest in boasting. If he couldn’t solve this issue with the ancient belief, it would only spell trouble for him in the end.

On the way back, Lü Bu, troubled by his mood, no longer felt the urge to rush. His army, sensing his displeasure, marched back at a leisurely pace.

Initially, Lü Bu’s soldiers were excited by their victory, but after noticing their general’s dark expression, they quieted down, not wanting to attract his attention.

Because of this, Lü Bu didn’t encounter Ma Chao on his return. Otherwise, had they crossed paths, Ma Chao might have met his end. The belief guarding the Great Wall was simple and brutal—it killed any nomads it encountered.

Lü Bu didn’t suppress this urge to kill nomads because such acts didn’t greatly impact his willpower, though it did consume the strength of the belief.

Additionally, Lü Bu didn’t think killing nomads was wrong. When he encountered them, he simply killed them. Though this attitude was more extreme than before, he wasn’t the first to hold such views—after all, Gongsun Zan once said, “The only good nomad is a dead nomad,” and Lü Bu had no qualms about following suit.

At most, only Hu Zhao, who advocated for educating the nomads, would scowl, but Lü Bu didn’t consider Hu Zhao to be important. To Lü Bu, there was nothing more pressing than resolving his own issue. As for killing nomads, he thought little of it.

If slaughtering nomads could help him escape this predicament, Lü Bu would have no hesitation in doing so. After all, in his eyes, nomads were enemies—whether Xiongnu, Xianbei, Wuhuan, or Qiang—no matter the tribe, they were all the same. Killing them didn’t bother him in the least.

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