Chapter 970: The Punch That Breaks Friendship

With a loud roar, Sun Ce transformed into a streak of golden light. Ma Chao and Li Feisha also turned into two streaks of brilliance, chasing after him. Surprisingly, both were faster than Sun Ce, with Li Feisha living up to its reputation as a legendary flying steed. Even more impressive was that Ma Chao’s speed was slightly faster than Sun Ce’s.

As Ma Chao caught up, a smile crept onto Sun Ce’s face. Only by fighting against a top-tier expert like Ma Chao could he vent the anger festering inside him. His battle with Yu Ji had yielded nothing, and he had lost his most valiant general, Zhou Tai. Truly, it was disaster falling from the heavens!

"Here!" Sun Ce pointed to the center of the Yangtze River, then descended. Ma Chao followed closely behind, with the now-bald Li Feisha landing as well.

"Last time, you didn’t take advantage of my injuries, and this time, I won’t take advantage of the fact you don’t have a good horse. Let’s fight with no reservations!" Ma Chao gestured toward the opposite bank, and Li Feisha shook its head before flying off.

"I’ve been waiting for this!" Sun Ce shouted, his internal energy surging wildly as he immediately pushed it to the limit. He transformed into a golden streak and charged at Ma Chao.

As soon as Sun Ce attacked, Ma Chao let out a low growl like a wolf on the hunt. He, too, transformed into a golden light mixed with blue and white sparks, crashing into Sun Ce. Both unleashed their full strength with the first blow. As kings among their peers, neither would hold back.

Boom! The clash of their full-force strike caused the surrounding water to drop by several meters.

"Ha!" Both of their spears bent under the immense pressure. But in the next moment, Ma Chao’s muscles bulged as if triggered by some force, and he threw Sun Ce back with a surge of strength.

Ma Chao’s sudden burst sent Sun Ce flying. In an instant, Ma Chao stepped on the air, breaking the sound barrier as he soared after Sun Ce. With a thunderous roar, he brought his foot crashing down.

Boom! The air beneath Ma Chao’s foot formed a funnel, with Sun Ce at the center of it. As Ma Chao’s leg muscles swelled with power, he viciously stomped toward Sun Ce.

Crash! Sun Ce had no chance to react as he was sent hurtling into the river. The impact sent waves towering over a hundred meters high.

Huff! Ma Chao exhaled, his body returning to normal. By stimulating his body with lightning, he could temporarily exceed his physical limits. This was the result of his recent training—against masters, victory could come down to a single moment, and Ma Chao was prepared for that.

Splash! Sun Ce, drenched and battered, flew out of the river. Before he could say anything, he spat out a mouthful of blood, but his aura only grew stronger.

"Can you still fight?" Ma Chao asked, his eyes fixed on Sun Ce.

"Fight!" Sun Ce’s eyes shone with bright golden light as he spun his spear. His ruler’s innate ability activated, a power he could only use after reaching the peak of Internal Energy Manifestation. Sun Ce wasn’t just a general—his strength lay in the merging of his internal energy and ruler’s aura. Until now, he hadn’t wanted to take advantage of Ma Chao’s condition.

Ma Chao unleashed all his strength and charged at Sun Ce, who also used his full power to meet the attack.

When the two clashed again, the result was different. This time, they were evenly matched. Sun Ce’s ruler’s aura suppressed Ma Chao’s strength, bringing them to an equal footing.

They exchanged a flurry of blows in mid-air, but Ma Chao, unable to release large amounts of internal energy, soon began to falter. Under the weight of Sun Ce’s ruler’s aura, Ma Chao found himself struggling to keep up.

"Break it!" Ma Chao roared, unleashing the other power within his body and seizing the initiative. He launched a fierce assault, finally losing his patience and resorting to his peak power. Each of his strikes now carried the same force he had felt when fighting Lü Bu.

Ma Chao’s techniques were rooted in raw power, and Sun Ce’s style was similarly ferocious. Their battle was like two tigers tearing into each other.

As Ma Chao intensified his attacks, Sun Ce felt immense pressure. Not only had Ma Chao’s strength increased significantly, but his speed had also surged, and the crackling lightning in his blows was beginning to slow Sun Ce’s reactions.

"I’ll give it everything I’ve got!" Sun Ce gritted his teeth, feeling the numbness creeping through his body. If this continued, he was certain to lose.

Ding! With a sharp ring, Sun Ce retreated a hundred meters, staring at Ma Chao from afar. "Your attacks are as ferocious as Marquis Wen’s, but you haven’t reached his level yet. I don’t believe you can keep this up. Let’s settle this in one strike!"

Ma Chao silently regarded Sun Ce. The lightning energy within him was nearly depleted. While his internal energy could transform into lightning energy, the conversion consumed far too much. If the fight dragged on, he would soon find himself without any energy.

"Fine!" Ma Chao replied in a low voice, gathering all his internal energy into his spear. Sparks of electricity crackled and wrapped around it.

Sun Ce’s eyes narrowed as he watched Ma Chao’s spear. He, too, gathered all his internal energy. The resulting energy surge created a spiral of force around them, causing the river’s waters to recede.

Their powerful auras clashed, causing the river to swirl backward. Then, as if in perfect synchronization, both executed the same technique—a simple spear thrust, but fast as lightning!

Neither spoke, but the world around them seemed to resonate with the sound of battle as their spears collided.

In that instant, the clash of their energies warped the air, pushing everything away in silent destruction.

Boom! Just as the two energy masses were about to merge completely, a faint sound echoed in both their minds. The next moment, they felt their spears lighten, and both instinctively swung punches at each other.

Thud! Sun Ce’s fist connected with Ma Chao’s face, and Ma Chao’s fist struck Sun Ce’s handsome face. Both of their faces swelled up instantly, and as their heads snapped to the side, they each spat out a tooth!

"You hit my face!" they roared simultaneously. In unison, their other fists flew toward each other’s eyes, landing another blow, followed by another cry of pain.

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