Chapter 294: Unity of Inner and Outer, Peak of Gang Force

Du Hong held nothing back with this saber strike.

He poured his Inner Strength into the blade, and its edge let out a low roar as it cut through the air.

This was Zhang Su’s first time fighting a Postnatal Realm Martial Artist.

He could clearly sense the power contained within the strike.

Du Hong powered his Saber Technique with the Inner Strength unique to the Postnatal Realm, its speed and might soaring to a new level, far surpassing any technique powered by the lesser Inner Strength of those below him.

If it had been any other Gang Force Martial Artist, they probably wouldn’t even have had time to react before being cut down.

But Zhang Su was different. He had keen perception.

Although his perception hadn’t quite reached the realm of Martial Sense, it was infinitely close, and more than enough to sense Du Hong’s attack.

Zhang Su’s perception clearly captured the trajectory of the strike.

Therefore, in Zhang Su’s eyes, the strike was very slow.

However, while the blade’s speed seemed slow, the terrifying power it contained could not be underestimated.

Zhang Su also wanted to test the power of a Postnatal Realm Martial Artist.

He wanted to know for himself just how great the gap was between his own Inner Strength and the Inner Strength of the Postnatal Realm.

SHIING.

Zhang Su drew his sword.

However, he didn’t use the Guiyi Swordsmanship’s Fast Sword Form.

The Fast Sword Form excelled in speed, not in head-on clashes of strength.

Facing Du Hong’s fierce and domineering strike, he executed the Guiyi Swordsmanship’s Heavy Sword Form.

The Heavy Sword Form specialized in explosive power.

This was a sword form Zhang Su had created back at the Guiyuan Sect by fusing twenty-one different styles of swordsmanship, all of which specialized in explosive power.

Every single one was an explosive swordsmanship style.

Fused together, the twenty-one styles could unleash terrifying power.

Zhang Su had never used the Heavy Sword Form in actual combat before.

After all, when dealing with other Gang Force Martial Artists, the Fast Sword Form could end things in a single strike. Why waste the effort?

But things were different now.

Du Hong was a Postnatal Realm Martial Artist. Zhang Su’s Fast Sword Form might not be able to break through his opponent’s Inner Strength.

So with this sword strike, Zhang Su met his opponent’s saber head-on.

When Du Hong saw that Zhang Su wasn’t dodging or evading, but was instead drawing his sword to clash directly, a cold sneer appeared on his face.

‘A mere Gang Force cultivator wants to clash with me head-on? He has a death wish!’

Du Hong snorted inwardly.

In a Five Elements Valley challenge, killing was forbidden, but injuries were unavoidable.

If Zhang Su was seriously injured by his strike, he would have brought it on himself. No one else would be to blame.

Saber and sword met, colliding violently.

BOOM.

A muffled boom echoed through the valley.

A shockwave from the impact radiated outwards.

An immense and terrifying force suddenly surged from Zhang Su’s sword.

‘How can this be…’

Du Hong’s expression changed in an instant.

He wanted to retreat, but it was too late.

The next moment, everyone was stunned.

Because they witnessed an unbelievable sight.

The saber in Du Hong’s hand, at the moment of collision, was as fragile as tofu, instantly severed by Zhang Su’s Shadow-Stealing Sword.

SNAP.

The broken tip of the saber flew off, spun a few times in the air, and embedded itself in a distant stone wall with a TING.

As for Zhang Su’s sword, after severing the saber, its momentum didn’t lessen in the slightest as it swept directly across Du Hong’s neck.

SHLICK.

It was a faint sound.

Du Hong felt a chill on his throat.

He subconsciously reached up to touch it.

His hand came away covered in blood.

Du Hong’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

His throat… had been cut.

Although it was just a shallow cut, only breaking the skin, the feeling of being on the verge of death was incredibly real.

In that instant, if his opponent’s sword had moved just a fraction of an inch further, his throat would have been slit wide open.

“Thank you, Junior Brother Zhang, for showing mercy…”

Du Hong’s voice trembled slightly.

He wasn’t a fool who couldn’t recognize a favor.

Although killing was forbidden in Five Elements Valley, blades have no eyes, and accidents could happen.

It wasn’t unheard of for people to die accidentally during the Five Elements Valley challenges.

And while the killer would be severely punished, the dead couldn’t be brought back to life.

With that last strike, Zhang Su had clearly held back.

Otherwise, with the power behind that sword, he would already be dead.

Du Hong took a deep look at Zhang Su.

‘To think that with only Gang Force Cultivation, he could shatter my Saber Technique head-on. Even the Inner Strength I’ve cultivated was like paper before his sword, completely unable to protect me.’

Du Hong knew that the man before him was likely one of those rare geniuses who could defeat Postnatal Realm experts while still in the Gang Force realm.

There were very few such people in the entire Haojin Upper Sect.

‘I can’t believe I was so unlucky as to actually run into one.’

Du Hong felt a bitter taste in his mouth, but he held no resentment.

He had been outmatched; he could only admit defeat.

And so, he turned and left, quickly departing from Five Elements Valley.

The moment Du Hong left, the vast Five Elements Valley erupted into an uproar.