Chapter 892: The Final Battle at the Border of Ji and Yan

Now was the time to retreat; there was no better moment. Guan Yu never expected to find himself in possession of Yuan Shao’s body so unexpectedly. It didn’t matter who had killed Yuan Shao—as long as Yuan Shao was dead, everything would be resolved.

Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and Hua Xiong immediately turned and fled like the wind. They had only a few men, and if it hadn’t been for the current situation, no one would have wanted to engage in a full confrontation with the reorganized enemy army. Now that their objectives had all been met—having even secured Yuan Shao's body beyond expectation—there was no longer any reason to continue fighting.

After Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and Hua Xiong retreated, the Yuan army finally regained their senses. Their lord, Yuan Shao, had just died—right after they had successfully intercepted him and were about to retreat to Ji Province, he had died right in front of them.

At this moment, Jiang Yiqu's face was filled with disbelief. His army had deployed a cloud formation from the moment they arrived, yet somehow an arrow had still made its way through and killed Yuan Shao right under his protection.

What left Jiang Yiqu even more disheartened was that he hadn’t even seen the trajectory of the arrow. Yuan Shao had just been flung forward, killed despite being under his guard.

In truth, Wen Chou and the others had let their guard down after seeing their reinforcements. Had Wen Chou been paying attention, he might have been able to block the arrow even at the cost of injury. But as it was, they hadn’t reacted in time.

"Chase them! We must retrieve my father’s body!" Yuan Tan shouted, finally realizing what had happened, and immediately rushed forward.

In an instant, Yuan Shao's entire army went mad, charging furiously in the direction of Guan Yu. Yuan Shao was dead—he had died just like that, without even a chance to leave any last words.

Wen Chou took the lead, commanding his troops to pursue Guan Yu, while Jiang Yiqu, Gao Gan, Chunyu Qiong, and others also led their forces in a crazed charge. Even if it meant their deaths, they had to reclaim Yuan Shao’s body.

Jiang Yiqu and Gao Gan led their cavalry from both flanks, forming a wide arc like a flock of geese, attempting to surround Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and Hua Xiong.

"You take the left, and I’ll take the right. We’ll cut through and block them," Hua Xiong gestured to Zhao Yun. If they got surrounded, it would be troublesome. Before, they had the resolve to fight to the death because Yuan Shao was still alive, but now that Yuan Shao was dead, fighting over his body was meaningless.

"General Guan, take Yuan Shao’s body and go. The Curly Red Hare is incredibly fast; no one will be able to catch you if you ride alone. Hurry and inform our lord that Yuan Shao is dead!" Zhao Yun cupped his fists and immediately charged toward the curved formation of Yuan Shao’s army on the left. At the same time, Hua Xiong charged toward the Yuan cavalry on the right.

Carrying Yuan Shao’s body, Guan Yu broke through the center. Without the burden of other cavalry, the Curly Red Hare's speed soared, and in an instant, Guan Yu became nothing but a distant blur.

Wen Chou's eyes turned blood-red. No longer caring about the guards behind him, he urged his horse—Yuan Shao’s prized steed, the stallion Hualiu—and chased after Guan Yu with all his might.

Though the Curly Red Hare was fast, Guan Yu’s weight, along with his heavy blade and Yuan Shao's body, slowed him down. Hualiu, though not as fast as the Curly Red Hare, was still a formidable steed, making it difficult for Guan Yu to shake off Wen Chou.

After galloping for dozens of miles, Guan Yu saw that Wen Chou was still in pursuit. Estimating the distance, he turned his horse around and tossed Yuan Shao’s body aside, preparing to face Wen Chou in battle.

When Wen Chou saw Guan Yu toss Yuan Shao’s body from his horse, his eyes nearly bulged out of his head. Even though Yuan Shao was dead, Wen Chou couldn’t allow anyone to desecrate his lord’s body!

With a loud clash, Wen Chou, like a black shadow, collided fiercely with Guan Yu. This time, Wen Chou did not retreat even a single step, while Guan Yu staggered back three steps.

Seeing this, Wen Chou showed no sign of joy. Instead, he gripped his spear tightly and launched a relentless assault. He no longer cared for honor or fair play; all he wanted was to reclaim Yuan Shao’s body and kill Guan Yu!

Wen Chou furiously unleashed his internal energy, his attacks so intense that within just a few moves, Guan Yu found himself suppressed. Wen Chou, weighed down by vengeance, the deaths of his brothers, and the loss of his lord, vented his rage through his overpowering strikes.

At that moment, Wen Chou was like a dam bursting, an unstoppable torrent of internal energy pouring out of him. Even more astonishing was that, with every attack, his internal energy seemed to regenerate at the same rate it was being expended.

Under normal circumstances, Wen Chou might have been excited by this discovery. Having reached the pinnacle of internal energy, he had unknowingly taken a new step forward. But now, all that mattered to him was taking back Yuan Shao’s body and killing the green-robed, red-faced man in front of him!

Though Wen Chou’s ferocity caused problems for Guan Yu, it couldn’t truly harm him. After all, Guan Yu had also begun to tread his own unique path beyond the peak of internal energy, a path distinct from those of Xiang Yu, Lü Bu, or Zhao Yun—one that belonged solely to him.

Wen Chou’s relentless outpouring of energy didn’t last long. Though his anger and desire for revenge had pushed him to take this uncertain step forward, his body simply couldn’t withstand the strain of such wild expenditure.

With a final clash of spear against blade, the wills of both warriors collided visibly through their weapons. Though Guan Yu's will was more refined, Wen Chou’s burning desire for revenge still made an impact.

After forcing Wen Chou back with a strike, Guan Yu noticed that Wen Chou's body was reaching its limit—he was on the verge of collapse.

Seeing the bloodshot eyes of Wen Chou, Guan Yu slowly switched his Green Dragon Crescent Blade to his other hand, gripping it firmly with both hands. He knew he had been moved.

"Wen Chou, you’ve pierced me with countless thrusts, and I have yet to retaliate. Now, take one blow from me. If you survive this, I won’t stop you," Guan Yu suddenly said.

Without waiting to see if Wen Chou understood, Guan Yu's internal energy vanished from his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, leaving it as simple and unadorned as bronze, yet radiating an unseen might.

Wen Chou’s spear was enveloped in a deep black aura, its original golden hue completely overtaken by the transformation his body had undergone.

Both warriors gripped their weapons tightly. In the next instant, a red and green light collided with a black and red glow, passing each other in a silent flash. Both men froze in place.

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