"Ugh!"
On the canyon battlefield, Gu Chenfeng swept three black-clad men flying with a single thrust of his spear.
All three grunted, a coppery sweetness rising in their throats as their blood qi surged like a tide.
Before they could steady their breathing-
"Roar...!"
Gu Chenfeng's second spear strike swept toward them.
Once again, it was Tiger Roars Through the Forest!
The three men groaned inwardly, but with their lives at stake, they had no time to think.
They mustered all their strength and joined forces again to withstand the spear.
"Boom!"
Another explosive crash rang out, its force even more terrifying than the last.
The three were sent flying again.
Blood spurted from their mouths and noses, their faces deathly pale!
After swinging his spear, however, Gu Chenfeng did not pursue them.
The shaft in his hands, made from some resilient wood, had splintered apart and become utterly useless.
Gu Chenfeng felt rather helpless.
His Iron Elephant Art had now broken through to its third level, the Silver Armor Realm, and he had mastered two ultimate moves of the Tiger-Subduing Spear Technique.
His cultivation had also just reached source qi realm two-star.
The explosive power of his combined internal and external cultivation was too fierce. This spear could neither withstand it nor let him unleash his full strength.
Otherwise, those three should never have been able to block his first strike.
"His weapon broke! This is our chance!"
The three black-clad men noticed it too.
Despite their serious injuries, they forced themselves to suppress them and called to the other black-clad men nearby.
They swarmed forward, hoping to subdue Gu Chenfeng.
Yet with Gu Chenfeng's sudden intervention-
Their plans had long since been thrown into disarray.
The guards of the Prime Minister's Residence were no pushovers either. Some had already broken through the encirclement and rushed over to help.
Seeing Gu Chenfeng's weapon destroyed and his predicament-
A burly source qi realm guard wielding a refined-iron battle-axe hurled it straight toward him.
"Third Young Master, catch the axe!"
With a quick thought, Gu Chenfeng leaped up and caught it.
The axe was four feet long and weighed fifty or sixty jin.
Even that guard of the Prime Minister's Residence, who had source qi realm cultivation and naturally greater strength than most-
Found it far from easy to swing it in battle.
Gu Chenfeng took the battle-axe and hefted it in one hand, satisfaction crossing his face.
"This should do."
The next instant, Gu Chenfeng swung the battle-axe and charged straight at the three middle source qi realm warriors closing in on him.
"Whoosh...!"
The battle-axe, more than half a man's height, whirled like the wind in Gu Chenfeng's hands.
"Tiger Roars Through the Forest!"
The heavy axe swept sideways with a deep hum.
It truly resembled a fierce tiger roaring in the mountains, gathering itself for a killing pounce.
The three middle source qi realm experts felt a fierce gust strike their faces, sending chills through their bodies.
They crossed their weapons and joined forces once more to block the massive axe.
"Clang!"
Amid a deep, thunderous crash-
Their weapons were knocked clean from their hands, and the man closest to the axe blade-
"Squelch!"
Was cleaved in two at the waist, blood gushing like a spring.
The other two screamed as well, coughing blood as they were hurled away.
"Hahaha... now that feels good!"
Having felled all three with one swing, Gu Chenfeng laughed in exhilaration.
The battle-axe spun like lightning in his hands as he charged straight at the other black-clad men, who had been cowed by the One-Axe Strike and dared not advance.
"Squelch! Squelch...!"
Beneath the moonlight, axe shadows danced.
Wherever they passed, severed limbs, shattered weapons, and broken armor flew through the air.
Even the air seemed stained red with bloody mist.
Battle-axe in hand, Gu Chenfeng was like a demonic god walking the mortal world, unstoppable.
He cut straight through the enemy formation and joined the guards of the Prime Minister's Residence, helping them turn the tables and slaughter their attackers.
That imposing figure with his massive axe, like one man holding a pass against ten thousand-
Left the guards of the Prime Minister's Residence utterly bewildered.
Were they protecting their young master, or was their young master protecting them?
Gu Chenfeng's slaughter did not continue for long.
With his keen perception, he suddenly sensed danger closing in from behind.
"Whoosh!"
Before even turning his head, Gu Chenfeng swung the battle-axe backward.
"Clang...!"
The clash of refined iron rang out.
The massive axe, carrying crushing force bolstered by Gu Chenfeng's tremendous strength, was actually knocked back.
Gu Chenfeng exerted himself to steady the axe and turned with its momentum.
He saw a black-clad swordsman retreating swiftly, sword in hand.
"Hiss... such incredible strength!"
Azure light flickered in the black-clad swordsman's hand, and a tremor of his blade dispersed the force.
Gu Chenfeng's gaze narrowed. From that fleeting exchange, he had already gauged the man's strength.
"Source qi realm seven-star!"
At this level, one had entered the late source qi realm, undergoing another qualitative transformation from the middle source qi realm.
Neither wasted a word.
The instant their gazes met, sword and battle-axe moved together.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Sword light and axe shadows collided, throwing off dazzling sparks at a speed too swift for the eye to follow.
At last, with a tremendous crash-
Gu Chenfeng swayed, but his feet did not move.
The black-clad man, meanwhile, slid several yards backward, his toes skimming the ground.
His movement looked graceful.
Yet his gleaming sword trembled uncontrollably, as did his sword hand, its veins bulging.
Looking at the young man opposite him, massive axe in hand, skin shining silver, and ferocious as a demonic god-
Horror showed in his eyes.
"External cultivation mastery!"
In the cultivation world, internal and external practitioners were as sharply divided as two distinct rivers.
Gu Chenfeng's terrifying strength and blood qi, along with his formidable physical defenses-
Were unmistakable hallmarks of an external practitioner.
And it was common knowledge in the cultivation world that external practitioners could never exceed source qi realm peak in strength.
Thus, many called external practitioners whose combat strength rivaled the late source qi realm masters of "external cultivation mastery."
One step further was external cultivation perfection, capable of fighting internal practitioners at source qi realm peak.
Warriors who could cultivate external arts to such a level-
Were far rarer than late source qi realm warriors, and reaching that level was far more difficult.
That was why the black-clad man was so shocked.
"Enough of your nonsense!"
Gu Chenfeng's Iron Elephant Art had only just entered its third level, so naturally, he had not attained mastery.
But beneath his powerful blood qi lurked a strange and potent current of source qi.
"Vroom...!"
The battle-axe whirled again as Gu Chenfeng charged straight at his opponent.
The black-clad swordsman's pupils contracted, and he mustered all his source qi to meet him.
He had ample combat experience. Though outmatched in strength, he did everything he could to deflect the force and defend with his sword techniques.
As they fought, he carefully searched for Gu Chenfeng's vulnerable point.
At the same time, he waited for the moment when his opponent would need to regulate his breathing after a burst of strength, seeking an opening to counterattack.
Yet after they had exchanged blows for a short while-
The black-clad man realized something was wrong.
This fellow's blood qi circulated in seamless harmony, his aura solid and unified.
He could not see the slightest opening. There was simply no vulnerable point.
Even more horrifying-
His opponent's attacks continued without end, showing no sign of pausing for breath.
Instead, his strength and speed kept surging higher, wave after wave!
"How is this possible?"
The black-clad man could not believe it.
How could he have known that Gu Chenfeng practiced both internal and external cultivation, driven by two cores?
The two powers within him, blood qi and source qi, could work in tandem.
By alternating between them, he could regulate his breathing without the slightest weakening of his momentum.
Gu Chenfeng's control over these two powers-
Especially his use of source qi, had initially been somewhat unpracticed.
But through today's fierce battle, and his fight with this source qi realm seven-star opponent-
He was rapidly gaining proficiency, and the power he unleashed kept increasing.
After dozens of successive axe blows, Gu Chenfeng's momentum soared.
The black-clad swordsman, by contrast, was forced back again and again, his breathing gradually falling into disarray.
Even his gaze grew panicked.
"This man is too strong! Come help me!"
The black-clad man could not help calling for reinforcements.
Yet at that moment-
Gu Chenfeng's momentum had already built to its peak.
He sprang forward and upward, gripping the axe with both hands, his body drawn taut as a bow.
The blood qi and source qi within him circulated along a particular path.
Finally, they converged on the battle-axe.
"Tiger-Subduing Spear Technique, second form-Tiger Claw Rends the Sky!"
At that instant, Gu Chenfeng used his axe as a spear, poised to cleave Mount Hua in two.
The One-Axe Strike came down!
The black-clad swordsman's vision blurred.
All he saw was what seemed to be an enormous tiger's claw tearing through the sky.
In that instant, every hair on his body stood on end as the shadow of death engulfed him.
He had only enough time to pour every last bit of his source qi into his blade.
He held his sword horizontally above his head, trying to block the One-Axe Strike.
But the moment the tiger's claw descended-
An immense force crashed down, enough to topple mountains and overturn seas.
"Crack...!"
The source qi the black-clad swordsman had gathered with all his strength was shattered on the spot, and the bones of both his hands snapped under the tremendous force.
Even the sword that had accompanied him for years and slain countless enemies-
It broke on the spot beneath the One-Axe Strike.
An illusory axe shadow flashed before his eyes.
"Slash...!"
The battle-axe split the black-clad swordsman vertically in two, spilling blood and entrails across the ground.
And at the very instant Gu Chenfeng's One-Axe Strike came down—
His heart suddenly clenched.
A cold gleam struck at him from behind.
It was the Black-Clad Man, wielding a short blade, his aura even stronger than the Black-Clad Swordsman's.
He had seized the moment when Gu Chenfeng committed all his strength to killing his enemy, launching a sneak attack.
But before Gu Chenfeng could figure out how to turn and defend himself-
"Whoosh...!"
Suddenly, a dazzling streak of crimson light flashed through the air like a meteor.
"Pfft...!"
Before the Black-Clad Man could reach Gu Chenfeng, the crimson light blasted through his head.
It pinned him to a massive boulder, killing him outright.
At the same time, an icy female voice rang out from the canyon ahead.
"Tiger Guard, heed my command! Surround the area! Kill anyone who attempts to break out without mercy!"
Before you continue