Chapter 170: Purple Lightning

Chapter 170: Purple Lightning

An electric flying sword!

This was the first time Ji Xinghuo had come across such a weapon, and he quickly processed the information that appeared in his mind.

That was when he learned that the metal ring on his temple was called the "Sword Control Ring," which functioned as a controller, remotely operating all the functions of the sword.

The information transmitted by the ring also included the sword's origins.

Its manufacturer was a top weapons maker in the "Pan-Human Interstellar Alliance," a company with a long history, having been established for over ten thousand stellar years, and enjoyed an extremely high reputation in the Milky Way, especially for its production of electric flying swords.

This sword was one of their finest products.

Its blade was made of a single-molecule polymer material, with an edge thickness of only 5 nanometers; excluding the hilt, the entire blade weighed only 35 grams. When activated, the blade could vibrate at a frequency exceeding 100,000 hertz, forming an invincible high-frequency cutting edge.

The hilt housed a heavy lithium battery and a micro electric propulsion engine, and was loaded with a flight control assistance system to help the user easily manipulate the flying sword in battle.

At full power output, the flying sword could operate for seven stellar days, approximately 300 Earth days.

A window popped up in front of Ji Xinghuo's eyes.

He was startled, as it resembled the interface of the Myriad Images Star Pupil, but upon closer inspection, he noticed the differences.

This was the operating interface of the electric flying sword.

It was far more complex than the Myriad Images Star Pupil's interface, appearing on the left side of his vision and using an unfamiliar script.

At that moment, dozens of options popped up on the interface, each with different text.

"Language selection?"

Ji Xinghuo immediately understood.

As he moved his gaze, the language options scrolled quickly, and soon he spotted a familiar script.

The dragon language of the True Dragon Dynasty!

Ji Xinghuo locked his gaze on that option, and the entire interface immediately switched to the dragon language.

Now he could understand everything.

The various modules displayed on the interface included operation settings, power level, power gear, speed, attack mode, and more. Selecting one of them would open a sub-interface with more detailed settings and data.

It was simple and straightforward, a truly foolproof operation.

"Truly high-tech!"

Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. Anyone who picked up this Purple Lightning Sword would possess fearsome destructive power within just a few minutes.

It was purely the crystallization of technological wisdom, without any exotic abilities, yet it could still rank as a one-star Apocalypse weapon.

Moreover, this sword was clearly mass-producible.

Ji Xinghuo looked at Li Hui and asked, "Commissioner, what is the origin of this Pan-Human Interstellar Alliance?"

What he really wanted to ask was, how did the Sword Bureau obtain the Purple Lightning Sword?

"We're not quite sure," Li Hui replied with a slight shake of his head. "It is said that the 'Star Alliance' is a massive alliance that spans the second, third, fourth, and fifth stellar zones, one of the most powerful dominant civilizations in the Milky Way. The main race is comprised of numerous pan-human branches, and its political system is open and inclusive, renowned throughout the stellar world."

Ji Xinghuo listened, his eyes wide in astonishment. Spanning four stellar zones...

From the North Galactic Pole of the Milky Way Galaxy, the entire galaxy is divided into eight pie-shaped stellar zones. Starting from the 12 o'clock position on the left, the zones are numbered clockwise from the First Stellar Zone to the Eighth Stellar Zone.

It's like cutting a pizza into eight slices, with the Galactic Core also divided into eight parts.

Each stellar zone is allocated one-eighth of the Galactic Core.

Beyond the Galactic Core lie the spiral arms, which are likewise divided into different stellar zones, and just like the core, they are further segmented into different stellar domains.

For example, the First Stellar Zone's first stellar domain is the Galactic Core, the second stellar domain is the beginning of the Sagittarius Arm, and the third stellar domain outward is the Perseus Arm.

There are a total of five stellar domains in the First Stellar Zone.

Then, moving on to the Second Stellar Zone, the core is the sixth stellar domain, with the domains numbered inward to outward.

The entire Milky Way Galaxy boasts 45 stellar domains!

In different galactic civilizations, the names of the stellar domains vary, but this numbering system is almost universally recognized.

Each stellar domain has a cross-sectional area of over 100,000 square light-years and contains hundreds of billions of stars. In the stellar world, the corresponding domains are vast and boundless, far beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

The Orion Arm, where Earth is located, belongs to the 26th stellar domain of the Fifth Stellar Zone.

This stellar domain is also known as the True Dragon Stellar Domain because most of the corresponding domain in the stellar world is ruled by the True Dragon Dynasty, although it is only nominal, and the area they truly control may not even amount to a third of the entire stellar domain.

Even so, Earth is but a tiny spark compared to the True Dragon Dynasty's moon, an insignificant ant compared to a towering tree.

And the "Star Alliance" spans four stellar zones!

Even though it spans them, rather than ruling over them, it must still possess multiple stellar domains, making it more powerful than the True Dragon Dynasty.

With part of the Star Alliance's territory extending into the Fifth Stellar Zone, their relative distance in the Milky Way is considered close. So, it makes sense that a Star Alliance-produced electric flying sword would end up in the True Dragon Stellar Domain and eventually find its way to Earth.

Ji Xinghuo nodded slightly.

He had heard of this Cao Qianfei, a martyr mentioned in history books. He was the first director of the Sword Bureau, possessing extraordinary talent. He had reached the Legendary realm in his forties but sacrificed his life a few years before the establishment of the APEC.

Afterwards, Li Hui took over as director and had held the position for over eighty years.

"I'm getting old," Li Hui sighed self-deprecatingly. "Indulging in reminiscence only proves that not only has my body aged, but my mentality as well."

"Director, you're still vigorous and full of potential to advance to the Heavenly King realm," Zhou Yishang said sincerely.

"I know my own limits," Li Hui sighed. "Becoming a Heavenly King is no easy feat. If it were, I would have broken through decades ago."

Silence filled the secret room.

Ji Xinghuo could tell that the director had lost his drive to pursue the Heavenly King realm.

As far as he knew, Li Hui had just entered the Legendary realm when he took over as director of the Sword Bureau. Now, over eighty years later, he was still at the second stage of the Legendary realm. Although he held immense influence in the global intelligence community and had a high position, it was almost impossible for him to advance to the Heavenly King realm.

In fact, the majority of powerful individuals on the Global Legendary Rankings had no hope of reaching the Heavenly King realm, especially those over a hundred years old.

Just within the APEC, there were over 500 Legendary cultivators.

However, there were only thirteen Heavenly Kings!

This stark contrast highlighted the immense difficulty of advancing to the Heavenly King realm, a hurdle that stopped most Legendary cultivators.

"Let's not talk about me," Li Hui said as he turned to Ji Xinghuo. "Why don't you test out the power of the Purple Lightning Sword and familiarize yourself with its functions so that you won't panic when facing enemies."

"Yes, Director," Ji Xinghuo replied.

With a thought, he activated the Purple Lightning Sword.

The dozens of tiny holes on the hilt were actually vector nozzles that expelled gentle air currents, propelling the entire sword to hover beside him.

He selected the non-combat follow mode.

No matter where Ji Xinghuo moved, the Purple Lightning Sword seemed to have a mind of its own as it automatically kept pace with him, nimbly maneuvering around people and obstacles in its path.

It was quiet, agile, and stable.

Ji Xinghuo entered a spacious training ground in the underground area of the Sword Bureau headquarters. Li Hui had asked everyone else to leave, and he stood outside with Zhou Yishang, watching.

A buzzing sound filled the air.

The tail end of the Purple Lightning Sword's hilt expelled a flame-like azure tail flame, and the blade began vibrating at a frequency invisible to the naked eye, causing it to blur. Violet light flowed along the blade, creating a dazzling display.

As Ji Xinghuo focused his gaze, the power output surged, and the entire sword transformed into a violet lightning bolt, leaving a trail in the air as it slashed towards a metal cylinder in the center of the training ground.

A shrill clang reverberated through the room.

Sparks flew, and the metal cylinder was cleaved in two, the upper half falling to the ground.

The cut surface was smooth as a mirror, and the blade had seemingly encountered no resistance, maintaining its speed throughout the cut.

Ji Xinghuo was stunned.

The metal cylinder was as thick as a thigh and made of iron alloy, with exceptional hardness comparable to his Golden Scale Iron Spine.

If the sword had struck him, he would have been sliced in two as well.

This was only the low-power output, and the flying sword's speed hadn't even reached its limit yet.

After cleaving the cylinder, the Purple Lightning Sword instantly returned to Ji Xinghuo's side, having consumed less than one-ten-thousandth of its battery. He increased the power output, causing the sword's speed and vibration frequency to soar, and in an instant, it vanished from sight.

Swish!

A violet flash of light streaked by, and another section of the metal cylinder was shaved off.

Ji Xinghuo activated the high-frequency thought function of his acceleration ring, focusing his mind. With his enhanced thought speed, he controlled the Purple Lightning Sword, making it strike the target again and again.

A violet shadow, too fast for the naked eye to follow, flickered back and forth in the training ground.

The metal cylinder resembled a block of tofu, shrinking by the second as circular metal slices fell to the ground.

Sometimes, the metal slices hadn't even landed before they were cut into smaller fragments.

In just over ten seconds, the cylinder had been reduced to scrap metal.

The phrase "slicing iron like mud" was usually just an exaggeration, but for the Purple Lightning Sword, it was an understatement.

Ji Xinghuo tried out all the attack modes.

The Purple Lightning Sword's flight path changed constantly. It could fly in a straight line at high speed, piercing through objects; it could move horizontally to expand its cutting range; or it could rotate horizontally with the hilt as the center, resembling an electric fan, causing widespread damage.

The most complex movement was the spiral curve flight path, where the sword moved like a lightning-fast snake, striking at its target with deadly precision.

Accelerating, decelerating, changing directions;

Slicing, piercing, cleaving;

Combining various attack methods with flight paths made the Purple Lightning Sword unpredictable and elusive, making it incredibly difficult for enemies to defend against.

The Purple Lightning Sword could even attack fully automatically. As long as a target was locked on, it would calculate the optimal attack method, freeing its wielder from worry.

Automatic transmissions are convenient and straightforward, but they can sometimes be rigid and make mistakes. Manual transmissions, on the other hand, require more skill and are more troublesome, but they allow one to achieve stronger effects.

A whistling sound filled the air as the Purple Lightning Sword flew in front of Ji Xinghuo, abruptly slowing down and coming to a halt.

He reached out and gripped the hilt, which automatically shut down the electric propulsion engine. The sword felt slightly warm to the touch, and the blade continued to vibrate at a high frequency.

The main body of the sword was the hilt, but even so, it weighed less than a kilogram and was extremely light.

Ji Xinghuo brandished it lightly.

The air was sliced by the high-frequency blade, emitting a soft hissing sound. Surprisingly, he couldn't feel much vibration in his hand, and even when he held the blade right before his eyes, he couldn't make out its frequency; he only saw a blurry purple streak of light.

"Truly worthy of being a one-star Apocalypse weapon, it's too powerful!"

Ji Xinghuo couldn't fathom how advanced the technology of the Star Alliance was to be able to create such a sharp electric flying sword.

On Earth, there were probably very few things that the Purple Lightning Sword couldn't cut through.

If he had had this sword during his battle with the Ghost Wolf yesterday, the Ghost Wolf would likely be a dead wolf now!

Li Hui walked in and asked with a smile, "How does it feel?"

"Amazing!" Ji Xinghuo replied honestly. This might be a weapon he wouldn't be able to obtain for many years to come, and it was a pity that he could only borrow it temporarily.

"Handle it with care," Li Hui said solemnly. "The Purple Lightning Sword is the treasure of our Sword Bureau and a national asset. It's one of the only four one-star Apocalypse weapons in our country. If it's lost, I won't be able to account for it to the President."

Hearing the mention of the President, Ji Xinghuo felt a sense of solemnity, and he replied earnestly, "Yes, as long as I live, the sword will be safe."

Suddenly, he thought of a problem.

The Purple Lightning Sword was so important, far surpassing himself in value. In Director Li's "luring the snake out of its hole" plan, the real bait wasn't him, but the Purple Lightning Sword, wasn't it?

If the Qian Yuan Society knew that he had a one-star Apocalypse weapon, even if they knew it was a trap, they would still have to make a move!

Killing him and taking the Purple Lightning Sword would be killing two birds with one stone.

As this thought occurred to Ji Xinghuo, his heart skipped a beat. It seemed that he would undoubtedly be facing a formidable enemy.

"Take this scabbard with you."

Li Hui handed him an ordinary-looking scabbard made of a very tough alloy, evidently customized for the Purple Lightning Sword, and it fit the sword perfectly.

Ji Xinghuo detected tiny electronic components inside the scabbard through magnetic field sensing, which were used for tracking.

He sheathed the Purple Lightning Sword and slung it on his back.

Before leaving the Sword Bureau headquarters, Li Hui suddenly said, "Be careful. Although the Purple Lightning Sword is important, it's still an inanimate object. In my eyes, your life is more valuable than the sword. You staying alive means that you can play a role far greater than that of a sword in the future."

He paused for a moment and then added, "If necessary, you can abandon the sword to escape."

Ji Xinghuo looked deeply into Li Hui's eyes.

"I understand, Director," he said.

"Go now," Li Hui waved his hand, seeing Ji Xinghuo and Zhou Yishang off as they left the Sword Bureau headquarters.

In the car, after they had driven out of the administrative district, Zhou Yishang suddenly said, "Director Li thinks highly of you. He originally didn't want to go through with this plan because he felt it was too dangerous for you. But Deputy Director Meng thought that with your strength and the Purple Lightning Sword, you would be able to handle any enemy below the Heavenly King realm, and Deputy Director Ye agreed. In the end, they managed to convince the Director."

Ji Xinghuo nodded.

The Deputy Director Meng that Zhou Yishang mentioned was Meng Zangrong, one of the three deputy directors of the Sword Bureau and also a legendary figure.

There were rumors that Director Li Hui had been considering early retirement in recent years.

As for his successor as the director of the Sword Bureau, it would be one of the three deputy directors. Zhou Yishang had the greatest advantage, followed by Meng Zangrong.

The last deputy director, Ye Tongjun, was also a legendary figure, but he had the least seniority, having been promoted to deputy director only five or six years ago, so his competitiveness was far inferior to that of the other two.

Ji Xinghuo was part of Zhou Yishang's faction, and he wasn't familiar with the other two deputy directors.

Naturally, he hoped that Zhou Yishang would smoothly succeed Director Li.

However, this wasn't a decision he could make.

Upon returning to the hospital safely, Zhou Yishang left without going up to the ward. Ji Xinghuo went back to his room, where Yao Xian was still present, and her gaze immediately fell on the Purple Lightning Sword on his back, revealing a hint of curiosity, but she soon acted as if nothing had happened.

Everything seemed normal.

In the afternoon, Zhao Manying came to accompany him again, and she glanced at the Purple Lightning Sword leaning against the bedside, but she didn't ask about the sword.

"Big Brother, we've come to visit you!" Just as Ji Xinghuo was talking to Zhao Manying, Liang Qiufei's voice suddenly came from outside the ward.

All his brothers and sisters had arrived.

Ji Xinghuo was taken aback and turned to look at Zhao Manying, who smiled and said, "Should I leave you two alone?"

Just then, his phone rang, and it was from Tiankeng...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end