Chapter 217 - 168 Electric Flying Sword

Chapter 217: Chapter 168 Electric Flying Sword"Lure the snake out of its hole..." Ji Xinghuo pondered for a moment. The plan was simple and had a high success rate, but there was one problem: he would have to face tremendous danger. This time, the Qianyuan Association had sent a Legendary Mutant and failed to kill him; next time, it was very likely that an even more terrifying enemy would come. Stronger than a Legendary Second Dan could only be a Heavenly King. Ji Xinghuo said with a wry smile, "Director Zhou, what if this move to lure the snake out of its hole brings a Heavenly King into the fray?" Facing a Legendary, he could rely on his strong defense power to withstand a few hits, but facing a Heavenly King, he figured he would be instantly killed. There were only 49 Heavenly Kings worldwide. If the Qianyuan Association could send a Legendary Assassin, they might also be able to get a Heavenly King to take action. "I know it’s dangerous, but this is the bureau’s decision," Zhou Yishang explained. "Currently, the Sword Bureau knows nothing about the Qianyuan Association, however, we estimate that the probability of a Heavenly King taking action is very low. After all, Heavenly Kings are scarce, and taking action would expose their identities." This was just speculation... Ji Xinghuo inwardly criticized that the so-called decision of the bureau was just the Director and the three Deputy Directors setting things at a meeting. If the life of a Chi Xiao Knight could be exchanged for the identity information of the enemy, the Sword Bureau would probably not hesitate much. Zhou Yishang noticed Ji Xinghuo’s thoughts and said seriously, "Don’t worry, the bureau wouldn’t knowingly send you to your death. We value the safety of every Swordsman." "How do you value it?" Ji Xinghuo looked at Yao Xian, who had remained silent beside him, "By dispatching more Xuanyuan Swordsmen to covertly protect me?" "No, the bureau will gradually withdraw all protection," Zhou Yishang replied unexpectedly. "What?" "Don’t panic just yet, hear me out," Zhou Yishang smiled. "If Xuanyuan Swordsmen are always by your side, the enemy might not dare to make a move. Therefore, the bureau is considering another way to ensure your safety: that is by enhancing your strength, allowing you to protect yourself." Ji Xinghuo’s eyes lit up, "How exactly are you planning to do that?" Zhou Yishang smiled mysteriously, "Do you know why the Sword Bureau was originally called the Sword Bureau?" "I don’t," Ji Xinghuo shook his head. "Because we actually have a sword—the sharpest sword on Earth," Zhou Yishang replied. Yao Xian’s expression changed slightly. Ji Xinghuo noticed her reaction and guessed some of the intentions: was the bureau planning to give him a powerful sword for self-defense? "We analyzed your fight video with Ghost Wolf. Your defense power is strong, comparable to that of a Legendary. Your speed, reactions, and explosive power are not weak in all aspects, but you have two weaknesses: one is the lack of Star Power to sustain prolonged battles, the second is insufficient lethal force," said Zhou Yishang with a smile. Zhou Yishang continued smiling, "There’s no fast way to increase Star Power, but we can provide you with the lethal force to threaten, or even kill, a Legendary Mutant." "By giving you the Purple Lightning Sword!" Purple Lightning Sword? Ji Xinghuo had never heard of it before and curiously asked, "Is this sword very powerful?" Zhou Yishang nodded. Yao Xian apparently also knew about the sword and said softly, "The Purple Lightning Sword is an Apocalypse One Star weapons." "What?" Ji Xinghuo was astonished. The Star Realm Defense Council (ADC), at the end of the 21st century, established a weapons equipment grading standard. Actually, this system came from the Star Realm, with only minor changes in names so it would be easier for people on Earth to understand, but the essence was pretty much the same. Ordinary, Fine, Superpower, Apocalypse, Myth! This grading system, from low to high, divided the Fine and Superpower categories into three Star Levels, with One Star being the lowest and Three Stars being the highest. Superpower Equipment comes with added Ability effects, expensive materials, and refined craftsmanship, valued anywhere from several million to several billion Ya Yuan. Generally speaking, the more effects attached and the stronger the power, the higher the value. For instance, the Demon Sound Longsword that Ji Xinghuo possessed, a top weapon within the Superpower Three Stars, came with six sound wave Abilities. If auctioned on the market, its price would definitely exceed one hundred million Ya Yuan, and if buyers were keen, it wouldn’t be surprising for it to fetch two to three billion. Superpower Three Stars is the strongest weapon equipment that the vast majority of Mutants can obtain. Beyond that lies Apocalypse. The most significant trait of Apocalypse Level weapon equipment is that they cannot be mass-produced; almost all of them are unique, with only one of its kind in the world. Of course, there are a few exceptions. The term "Apocalypse" carries the connotation of world destruction. Apocalypse Level weapon equipment is further divided into five Star Levels. However, even the lowest, Apocalypse One Star, far surpasses Superpower Three Stars in might, and its value cannot be measured in money. On Earth, the widely known Apocalypse Level weapon equipment totals less than ten pieces. And most of them are Apocalypse One Star. These pieces of Apocalypse Equipment are all famously powerful, either belonging to Heavenly Kings or in the hands of various national organizations. Many enthusiasts have ranked them, but it’s very subjective, and there has always been endless debate on the rankings without any consensus. Ji Xinghuo was quite familiar with that Apocalypse Equipment but had never heard of the Purple Lightning Sword. But since it was Apocalypse One Star, it certainly couldn’t be bad. "Don’t get ahead of yourself," Zhou Yishang reminded him, "The Purple Lightning Sword will only be lent to you temporarily, it won’t be yours. And when you have the Purple Lightning Sword, you must stay in constant contact with the bureau, with restricted movement, and you can’t leave Chang’an." "So strict..." Ji Xinghuo clicked his tongue in disbelief. "If you run away with the Purple Lightning Sword, both the director and I would have to resign to assume responsibility," Zhou Yishang said with a serious face, "and then, the first task of all the swordsmen in the Sword Bureau would be to find you." "How could that happen, I’ve always followed orders," Ji Xinghuo shrugged his shoulders. "Hehe..." Zhou Yishang laughed with a profound meaning, "You do have a history." Ji Xinghuo had nothing to say in response. "Does your current physical condition not affect your activities?" Zhou Yishang asked. After receiving Ji Xinghuo’s affirmative reply, he nodded and said, "Now, follow me to the Sword Bureau headquarters to get the Purple Lightning Sword, and then return to the hospital to recuperate." Ji Xinghuo got dressed and followed him out of the ward. A private car was waiting in the garage; after the two got in, the car sped out of the hospital and entered Chang’an’s most central Capital Administrative District. This is the smallest yet most prestigious of Chang’an’s 36 districts. The main institutions of the Asia-Pacific Community government are all headquartered in the Administrative District; this is the center of power, one of the most tightly defended and safest places on Earth, familiar yet alien to everyone through news and videos every day. The private car drove under an unremarkable building with just over thirty floors, featuring a very conventional rectangular design, with nothing noteworthy about it. But its location said it all. This building is less than a kilometer from the Headquarters, and you could see the iconic governing hall of the Headquarters just by looking up. The car drove into the garage, passed through three checkpoints, and stopped in a sealed large elevator cube before beginning to sink deep underground, a hundred meters down. "Let’s go down." Zhou Yishang led Ji Xinghuo out of the car. In front of them was a spacious underground space; Ji Xinghuo saw someone standing there waiting and felt a chill in his heart as soon as the magnetic field sensor scanned him. This person was a legendary warrior. He was an old man, with black hair and wrinkle-free skin, his figure upright and full of vigor, but the vicissitudes in his eyes were unmistakable, revealing his age was much greater than his appearance, at least over a hundred years old, perhaps older. It was the first time Ji Xinghuo had met this old man, but he knew who he was, having seen his information many times before. He was Li Hui, the director of the Sword Bureau. Sёarch* The Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Director." Zhou Yishang quickened his pace to approach the elder and greet him. Ji Xinghuo also respectfully called out to the director; the old man before him was a true legendary figure, who had followed the leader in his youth, made significant achievements, and participated in the creation of the Asia-Pacific Community. He was born in the 1960s of the 21st century, more than a decade older than the leader himself, now over 160 years old. With each life evolution, mutants’ lifespans extended accordingly. Based on slight differences in the degree of evolution, mutants’ lifespans also varied; legendary mutants could live to be around 200 years old. Li Hui had been a legendary warrior for nearly a hundred years but remained legendary. His bodily functions had long since started to decline, and it was almost impossible for him to evolve again and ascend to Heavenly King. Therefore, he had at most another 30 years to live. "Yishang, you’re here," Li Hui greeted them warmly, his gaze landing on Ji Xinghuo. After a careful look, he spoke earnestly, "Xinghuo, I entrust this important task to you. I have a premonition that this Qianyuan Association is highly likely to be a powerful enemy who has been lurking for a long time, with ties to many forces within the country. We must root them out and eliminate them." "Yes, Director," Ji Xinghuo responded loudly. Li Hui nodded with approval and then led the way. Ji Xinghuo and Zhou Yishang followed closely behind him, entering a secret passage, passing through multiple layers of identity verification and checkpoints, and finally arriving in front of a tall alloy blast-proof door. Li Hui verified his iris, voice, and genetic information in turn, then entered a long password and inserted a constantly changing electronic key. The metal door finally opened slowly, revealing a small chamber. The chamber, less than fifty square meters, was completely visible at a glance. In the middle was a platform over a meter tall, like a table, on which lay a sword. Ji Xinghuo observed carefully. This sword was peculiar, lacking a scabbard, and at first glance, it seemed to have no blade. However, when he moved closer and changed his angle, he saw a faint purple blade, too thin to be described by the simile "as thin as a cicada’s wing," nearly transparent and about four centimeters wide, invisible from the side because it was so incredibly thin. The hilt was the conventional cylindrical shape, about fifteen centimeters long, metal-forged, and the same light purple color as the blade, designed in an extremely simple style, with dozens of tiny holes scattered on its surface. Most peculiarly, there was no guard. The hilt and the blade were connected together, which looked somewhat abrupt, and clearly not of earthly origins. "Is this the Purple Lightning?" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed in surprise. Li Hui smiled, stepped forward, picked up the sword, removed a small metal disc from the bottom of the hilt, and handed it to Ji Xinghuo, saying, "Stick it to your temple." Ji Xinghuo inspected the metal disc in his hand, about a centimeter in diameter, flat on one side and engraved with what appeared to be human facial features on the other. Although it was his first encounter with it, he could sense a certain technological beauty, as if the symbol had a profoundly deep significance behind it. He did as instructed and affixed the metal disc to his left temple. Instantly, a piercing pain surged, and Ji Xinghuo felt the metal disc embed into his skin, hiding beneath his flesh, leaving only a shallow hollow ring visible from the outside. Beep! Ji Xinghuo heard a voice in his mind, followed by an immediate influx of information into his neural network, all about the sword. His eyes widened in shock, "This is actually an electric flying sword!"