The thunderclouds above the imperial preserve had yet to fully disperse. When Lü Bu and the other three returned to the Martial Arts Training Ground with Chen Yu, the oppressive force between heaven and earth had still not subsided. Above the shattered obsidian arena, lingering serpents of lightning roamed through gaps in the leaden clouds, each flash illuminating the strange radiance coursing over the four men. The dark purple sigil on Lü Bu's forehead flickered, and every step he took sent waterlike ripples through the space beneath his feet; Dian Wei's golden armor flowed with a liquid sheen, his twin halberds trailing heavy streaks of light; black arcs of electricity crackled faintly at the tip of Ma Chao's spear; a fiery feather spun gently in Zhou Yu's palm, its warm halo dispelling the murderous chill in the grounds.
Tens of thousands of spectators held their breath, their eyes fixed on the four men. The earth-shaking phenomena from the direction of the imperial preserve were still fresh before their eyes. Now, facing these four newly risen powerhouses endowed with divine might, they felt an invisible pressure that seemed to thicken the air.
Lü Bu's gaze crossed the ruined arena and pinned itself to the green-robed figure on the viewing platform like a hardened steel nail. The Sky Piercer hummed and trembled. Before its tip even rose, a cold, domineering netherworld aura had silently fixed upon its target like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.
"Guan Yu!" Lü Bu's voice was not loud, but it scraped like metal against metal, cutting through the silence of the grounds. "Do you dare fight me?"
Before his words had faded, the Sky Piercer in his hand suddenly swept upward! It did not point at Guan Yu, but thrust straight toward the black command banner at