Chapter 58: Ma Chao

  When Ma Chao's divine soul pearl materialized and condensed into a human form, Li Sheng, who had obtained Ma Chao's legacy in Chang'an City, suddenly woke up and began to rapidly age. He cried out loudly for help, and his younger brother Li Feng rushed in upon hearing the cry for help, only to find that Li Sheng had already aged into an old man with white hair, skin wrapped around his bones, and more gas going out than coming in.

  "Big Brother!" Li Feng knew at a glance that this old man was his own big brother, the guard here was strict and the armor on the old man's body was also his big brother's.

  "It's too late! Someone who has obtained Ma Chao's divine soul seal has already made contact with Han Sui! Ma Chao wants to avenge himself, he wants to revive, so he took back the legacy he gave me!" Li Sheng said in his brother's arms, his voice hoarse and full of regret.

  "Why? Big brother you..." Li Feng saw his big brother's face rapidly decaying, just like the military soul they had killed, starting to rot!

  "Revenge!" With his last two words spoken, Li Sheng's head slumped to one side, and he died.

  After a long time, Li Feng collected the pile of dry ash on the ground, put it in a jar, and sealed it tightly. Looking northwest, he had a determined face. He wanted to take revenge, not only for his elder brother but also for the shattered hope of his clan!

  Ma Chao revived, his whole body enveloped in the light pillar cast by Kaiyang Star. He stretched out his arms and laughed loudly towards the sky: "Haha, ahahaha! Heaven treats me, Ma Chao, kindly! Han Sui, you old thief, see how long you can still jump around!"

  Ma Chao's face was stern, and he laughed wildly before turning to look at Gongsun Zan. With great difficulty, he squeezed out a smile, clasped his fists together and said: "As long as we kill that old scoundrel Han Sui, Ma Chao will be at your service!"

  Before Gong Sun Ce could speak, Ma Chao flew up to the second-to-last star of the Big Dipper, Kai Yang Star, along with the column of light from the Kai Yang Star. Gong Sun Ce naturally knew that Ma Chao corresponded to the Kai Yang Star and should now be gathering his war souls under his command like Gao Shun did earlier.

  Gao Shun corresponds to Yaoguang Star, titled Pojun; Ma Chao corresponds to Kaiyang Star, titled Wugu!

  After Ma Chao left, the silver light group at the original place dispersed, and a young man appeared, as tall as Gongsun Zan. His face was slightly similar to that of Ma Chao. He raised his head and looked up at the North Dipper Seven Stars on top of his head, and his eyes were fixed on Kaiyang Star where Ma Chao was located.

  "In the lower Ma Dai, I and my brother Ma Chao advance and retreat together. I still hope that you will kill the old thief Han Sui as soon as possible to resolve my brother's hatred. Farewell" After finishing speaking, Ma Dai turned into a ray of light and rushed straight to the opening of the Yang star.

  Gongsun Ce and Dai Ji looked up to see the Big Dipper's seven stars had become eight. Next to Kaiyang star, there was a slightly smaller star orbiting around Kaiyang star, just like it was Kaiyang star's satellite!

  "The nine stars of the Big Dipper, apart from the seven stars, also include the two stars Zuofu and Youbi. Zuofu is following Wuqu Xingyang star, which corresponds to Ma Chao and Ma Dai brothers! What a coincidence!" Gong Sun Ce was really surprised at this moment.

  Daiji listened and pondered for a moment, then smiled lightly and said: "It's not just a coincidence, in my opinion, this is fate!"

  "Heaven's will? My sister is a divine spirit, what she says is all heaven's will!" Gong Sun Ce had just obtained two divine generals and was feeling delighted. Upon hearing Dai Ji's words, he became even more thrilled.

  Before he finished speaking, Dai Ji's face turned white as a sheet, completely bloodless, and was indistinguishable from her white robes.

  "Rumble!" A bolt of lightning came from an unknown place and struck directly at Gongsun Zhan!

  Gongsun Ce raised his head and looked up, but before he could react in any way, a bolt of lightning flashed down at incredible speed, about to strike him right on the top of his head!

  Dai Qi's reaction was slightly faster, and she grabbed hold of Gong Sun Ce. Just as she was about to retreat, a flash of lightning struck with incredible speed - how could one possibly dodge it in time?

  At the critical moment, Fang Tian's spear suddenly flew out of the water pool and blocked Gong Sun Ce in front of him, colliding with the lightning bolt. For a time, electric sparks splashed everywhere, and Gong Sun Ce saw only purple and white colors before his eyes.

  "You are invincible here! What's to fear from a single bolt of lightning? Take the halberd and shatter that bolt! The benefits are immense, as long as you shatter the lightning, you'll gain; if not, you'll die on the spot!" Lu Bu's voice echoed in all directions.

  Gongsun Zhan saw that the lightning in front of him was endless, like a giant snake as thick as a water bucket hanging down from the ninth heaven, its length unknown.

  He couldn't think much, grabbed the Fang Tian Hua Halberd in front of him, and stabbed at the snake head condensed by lightning. Suddenly, electric flowers splashed everywhere. A few electric flowers fell on Dai Ji's body, and Dai Ji hummed, her body suddenly became three-tenths transparent, a bit scattered.

  "Quickly, run!" Gong Sun Ce's spear flashed out again, striking the snake head flying once more. He turned his head and roared at Dai Ji. Like a gust of wind, Dai Ji lightly floated away from here, hiding far, far away.

  Dai Qi gazed intently at Gong Sun Ce, ignoring the intense pain that pierced her soul as the remaining lightning bolts stimulated her entire body, only to anxiously watch Gong Sun Ce and the giant electric snake engage in a fierce battle.

  "This is my world of consciousness, and I am the master of this world! Here, the strongest person is only one! That person is not the so-called destiny, but me, Gongsun Zhi!" Gongsun Zhi thrust out his spear, and the giant snake condensed from lightning opened its mouth to swallow the spear, rushing straight at Gongsun Zhi.

  In the blink of an eye, Gong Sun Ce became a lightning person, with lightning surrounding his whole body, releasing a large amount of light and heat. The grass and shrubs around his feet instantly lost their moisture, dried up and were ignited.

  "Haha, this feeling is so comfortable!" The numbness all over his body made Gong Sun Ce close his eyes and enjoy it, no longer having any fear of the so-called lightning.

  After a long time, the power of lightning was exhausted. Gong Sun Ce's body also disappeared, leaving only the Fang Tian Hua Halberd in his hand still flickering with electric sparks, looking extremely magnificent.

  "Haha, it turns out that as long as one's heart is fearless, they can be invincible!" Gong Sun Ce opened his eyes, and the pupils deep within shone with a silver light. The Heaven Painting Halberd in his hand disappeared, and he stood upright again in the center of the water pool.

  "Brother, your divine soul is condensed, and your spirit and will can reach the heavens. You are disrespectful to the Heavenly Way, and the Heavenly Way will naturally punish you. This is just the first offense, next time even if Wen Hou comes in person, it will be difficult to escape the punishment of the Heavenly Way!" Dai Ji's body was on the verge of dispersing, as if she would collapse at any moment, making Gong Sun Ce feel anxious.

  "Alright, sister, don't worry. But where are you now..." Gong Sun Ce was worried, he once again entered the conscious starry sky, Dai Ji was not there, and even a wisp of her soul was hard to remain.

  Daiji saw Gong Sun Ce's concerned eyes and felt warmth in her heart. She suggested going to thank Lv Bu for leaving the Fang Tian painting halberd, and Gong Sun Ce naturally agreed.

  The two came to the pool again, facing Fang Tian's painting halberd, bowing their hands and starting to talk about Ma Chao. Wanting to conquer Ma Chao, wanting to gain the strength of Ma Chao's brothers, they couldn't get around Han Sui.

  Daiji was a goddess, but when she was alive, she was just a mountain medicine woman who only understood medical skills. She became famous for saving people and after her death, a temple was built to worship her. The heavenly way, due to her kindness and the fact that someone worshipped her, then appointed her as the local earth god of Daidi. So, he had only heard of Ma Chao's name and wasn't very familiar with him.

  As for the Three Kingdoms, Gong Sun Ce was naturally very familiar with it. In his second year of high school, he read through the vernacular Chinese version of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" with a Xinhua dictionary, and by his third year, he could understand the classical Chinese version. He even heard that some literary big shots could recite the entire "Three Kingdoms" from memory when they were young, so he tried it too.

  Gongsun Ce's half-day effort only managed to memorize the first chapter, but his parents were too busy to listen to him recite. Some of his classmates didn't even know what "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was. Unable to find anyone to show off to, and being fond of playing, he eventually abandoned the idea of memorizing the entire book.

  Later, when he went to school, he only read extracurricular biology, geography and history books, so he was very familiar with the hatred between Ma Chao and Han Sui, and then began to explain to Dai Ji in a long-winded manner.

  Ma Chao's life was extremely turbulent and also very bumpy.

  Ma Chao, styled Mengqi, was a native of Maoling in Fufeng (present-day Xingping, Shaanxi). At the age of 17, he followed his father Ma Teng to start an uprising. Initially, they were on the side of the Han army, suppressing the rebellion led by Han Sui. Later, however, Ma Teng joined forces with Han Sui and together they rebelled against the Han dynasty.

  Ma Teng and Han Sui were sometimes friendly, sometimes at war, with a very complicated relationship. Ma Teng had once allied with Liu Yan, the Governor of Yi Province, to attack Li Jue, and for the sake of stability in the rear, he formed a sworn brotherhood with Han Sui, who was then the General Who Pacifies the West.

  If the attack on Li Jue failed, if it wasn't for Xiliang army general Fan Chou pleading for Ma Teng and others, Li Jue would have been able to completely annihilate Han Sui and Ma Teng at that time.

  After returning to Xiliang, Ma Teng and Han Sui became sworn enemies due to conflicts between their troops. During this time, Han Sui's troops invaded Ma Teng's home, killing Ma Teng's wife, who was also Ma Chao's biological mother, as well as his younger siblings.

  Later, Ma Teng and Han Sui were forced to reunite again due to external pressure. As Ma Chao was famous for his bravery, Han Sui's side was very wary of him. So, Han Sui's general Yan Xing sought an opportunity to assassinate Ma Chao, successfully ambushing him, but Yan Xing's long spear was grabbed by Ma Chao, and the two men were evenly matched, causing the spear to break. Yan Xing used the broken spear to stab Ma Chao in the neck, thinking he had killed him, but Ma Chao escaped with his life.

  Later, Cao Cao appointed Zhong Yao as the Central Protector of the Army and the Colonel-Director of the Retainers, holding a ceremonial axe to command the various armies in Guanzhong. When Zhong Yao arrived at Chang'an, he wrote letters to Ma Teng and Han Sui, explaining the advantages and disadvantages, and Ma Teng and Han Sui each sent their sons to serve as hostages.

  Years later, Yuan Shang sent Gao Gan, Guo Yi and the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu to invade Hedong. Zhong Yao summoned them to attack the Yuan clan. Ma Teng sent Ma Chao with over 10,000 troops to join the campaign. They fought at Pingyang. During the battle, Ma Chao was hit by an arrow in his calf. He wrapped up his wounded leg with a cloth and continued fighting. In the end, they defeated Yuan's army. His general, Pang De, personally beheaded Guo Yi. The Southern Xiongnu Chanyu surrendered. The imperial court appointed him as the Administrator of Xu Province, but he did not take office. He was later reappointed as an Imperial Counselor.

  Cao Cao repeatedly summoned Ma Chao to enter the imperial court as an official, but Ma Chao repeatedly failed to arrive. Later, Ma Teng grew tired of the intrigue and struggle in the northwest, and brought his family to follow Cao Cao's intentions, entering the imperial court as an official. The troops under him were all commanded by Ma Chao, so Cao Cao was also at ease with this arrangement, focusing on conquering the Yuan clan in Hebei.

  Cao Cao, who had pacified northern China, was planning to conquer Hanzhong and Zhang Lu. Ma Chao believed that this was a prelude to Cao Cao's move against his own base in Liangzhou, so he joined forces with Han Sui to rebel against Cao Cao. Ma Teng, who was an official at the imperial court, along with over 200 members of his family, were thrown into prison. Cao Cao formally launched a campaign to conquer Liangzhou.

  At first, Ma Chao's Xiliang army was so powerful that Cao Cao could not lift his head. The famous "cutting off the beard and abandoning the robe" originated from this. Later, Cao Cao had an old relationship with Han Sui, using a strategy to defeat the Xiliang army greatly. Ma Chao and others retreated into Liangzhou, Cao Cao was powerless to conquer, leaving Xiahou Yuan to conquer.

  Ma Chao led the defeated army back to Xiliang soon, Ma Dai also escaped from Ye city, which was Cao Cao's main base, and brought back the news that the Ma family clan had been beheaded. Ma Chao rose in revolt again, attacking the state capital Jicheng of Liangzhou at that time, Wei Kang surrendered, but Ma Chao still beheaded him and exterminated his clan.

  At that time, the world was in a state of loyalty and filial piety. Ma Chao's initial act of rebellion against Cao Cao, disregarding his father Ma Teng and his clan, was despised by the aristocratic families of Liangzhou. Moreover, Wei Kang was a good person, and the Wei family was also a large clan with extensive connections. Therefore, there were people everywhere who opposed Ma Chao. Zhao Ang's son, Zhao Yue, was in Ma Chao's army, and he joined forces with the guardian of Jicheng, Liang Kuan, to rebel against Ma Chao. Taking advantage of Ma Chao's absence while attacking Yang Fu and Jiang Xu, they occupied Jicheng.

  Ma Chao led his troops back to Ji City, where he personally witnessed his wife Yang and their children being beheaded by Yang Fu and others on the city wall, with their heads thrown at his feet. At that moment, Ma Chao's entire world may have turned pale.

  At this point, Gong Sun Ce had a kind of lingering fear in his heart. Because of Ma Chao's personality, he had an inexplicable resonance with him, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow, unsure whether it was for Ma Chao or for his own future.

  Dai Qi grasped Gong Sun Ce's hand, although her hand was icy cold, but Gong Sun Ce still felt a warmth. She continued to talk about Ma Chao's matter.

  Later, Ma Chao killed Zhao Ang's son Zhao Yue and attacked Jizhou but failed to take it. One notable event in this battle was Jiang Shu's cousin Jiang Wan, who was the governor of Jizhou, died in battle. His son was Jiang Wei!

  Ma Chao's attack on Ji City was unsuccessful, and he led his defeated troops to attack and break through the city of Licheng in Tianshui Commandery. At that time, Jiang Xu's mother was in Licheng, and she had played a very important role when Jiang Xu rebelled against Ma Chao earlier. Not long after Ma Chao killed all the family members of the generals who resisted him in the city, Yang Fu and others arrived with their pursuing troops.