Chapter 177: The Legend of the Sword

Chapter 177: The Legend of the Sword

Ji Xinghuo had already activated his rotating magnetic field, and with a flash step, his entire body became a lightning bolt that vanished from its original spot.

Almost simultaneously, countless metal pellets and laser beams shot towards him, but they all missed, hitting the shield behind him and splashing energy ripples.

The spectators in the front row turned pale with fright.

If it weren't for the shield, they would have been turned into sieves.

The androids moved swiftly, interconnected and acting as one. Their combat system coordinated their actions, with some remaining in place to continue the barrage, their gun lines sweeping across Ji Xinghuo. Another group of androids dispersed to gain a wider field of fire and flanked him from both sides, creating crossfire.

Just as Ji Xinghuo arrived with his flash step, he was hit by the electromagnetic rifles of several androids.

Pap pap pap...

The "Guardian Armguard" on his wrist was activated, creating a repulsive force field that deflected the bullets. However, the force field quickly dimmed under the onslaught.

Ji Xinghuo's eyes flashed as he released an electromagnetic pulse.

However, it had no effect.

These androids and their weapons were equipped with electromagnetic shielding, and his electromagnetic pulse wasn't strong enough to cause any interference.

Bang!

The repulsive force field was shattered.

Bullets struck Ji Xinghuo's body. His skin had already turned silver-gray, his eyes the same color, and his coat was instantly shredded, revealing his muscular build adorned with golden, cyan, and silver scales. Bullets ricocheted off him, sparking.

"Hiss..."

Countless spectators gasped at the sight.

The bullets from the electromagnetic rifles could blow gaping holes in ordinary people's bodies, yet they couldn't penetrate this strange man's skin.

"What powerful defense!"

"He doesn't even seem like a super-mutant..." came a surprised voice from the commentary seat.

Ji Xinghuo had no time to listen to others. As he was being hit, the kinetic energy of the bullets forced him to stumble backward, but he still fired his gun.

The Iron Hammer fired rapidly, bang bang bang bang...

The high-explosive rounds in the cylinder were spent in an instant, each bullet finding its mark on an android, blowing up their heads. Three of the shots penetrated more than one android, causing collateral damage, and six bullets took out ten enemies! In the blink of an eye, a third of the android team was scrapped.

Outside the shield, the competing mutants' eyes shone with admiration, feeling that he was even more skilled than their teammates who specialized in long-range shooting.

"Amazing marksmanship!"

"He's actually engaging in a firefight with the androids..."

The androids' firepower lessened for a moment, but Ji Xinghuo didn't have time to reload. He tossed aside the Iron Hammer and took a flash step backward.

Boom!

A huge flaming fist smashed into the spot where he had just been.

The Eccentric Genius punched empty air, and using the reaction force from his punch, the over five-meter-tall Lava Giant rushed towards Ji Xinghuo like a crushing wall.

Ji Xinghuo performed consecutive flash steps.

The Eccentric Genius locked onto him and pursued relentlessly, his fists alternating as they pounded the ground, bang bang bang. With each strike, the entire stadium trembled.

To the spectators outside the shield, the contrast in size between the two was stark, like that of an adult and a child.

However, Ji Xinghuo always managed to dodge by a hair's breadth.

After five consecutive flash steps, his physical energy and stellar energy were greatly depleted, causing his footwork to falter. He failed to execute another flash step and was finally slapped by the Lava Giant.

Ji Xinghuo was sent flying.

Even before he landed, the remaining two dozen androids concentrated their gunfire on him, unleashing a frenzied barrage.

Bang!

Ji Xinghuo slammed heavily into the shield, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Countless bullets and lasers covered his entire body, almost submerging him, and blood splattered everywhere.

"It's over!"

"He's a goner."

Many spectators couldn't bear to watch and closed their eyes.

The Lava Giant that the Eccentric Genius had transformed into showed no expression. Fierce flames obscured his head, and his entire body was wreathed in blazing fire as he accelerated towards Ji Xinghuo. With each footfall, the ground shook as if a high-speed train were charging wildly.

Suddenly, a figure sprinted into view and stood in the way.

"Wuwang!" the spectators shouted.

Shi Renzhong held a long spear in his hand. It was the weapon he had brought with him when he entered the Spirit Realm World. Although he was only a Superpower One-Star, he showed no fear as he charged towards the Lava Giant.

Even before Shi Renzhong made contact with the Lava Giant, he became the target of the androids' gunfire.

Bullets and lasers struck him, shredding his battle attire to reveal his robust, metal-like body, protected by a thick layer of iron shirt energy that deflected the bullets.

"Get out of the way!"

The Lava Giant roared, ignoring Shi Renzhong's spear. He swatted casually, as if shooing away a fly, sending both Shi Renzhong and his spear flying. Blood spilled from the Eccentric Genius's mouth.

The hearts of countless spectators were in their throats.

Shi Renzhong was a "Horizontal Martial Master," renowned for his formidable defense. But could he withstand the blow of a legendary mutant?

The Eccentric Genius continued his charge, and a massive ice spear shot towards him.

The ice spear was over four meters long and as thick as a thigh. Its crystal-like spearhead glinted with a cold light as it aimed straight for the Lava Giant's head.

The Lava Giant reacted swiftly, abruptly slowing down, and the ice spear grazed past his face.

If he had taken one more step forward, the ice spear would have exploded his head.

The Eccentric Genius looked towards the source of the attack. Yu Meiling stood on the platform, a ring of flames encircling her body. She hovered in mid-air, and with a wave of her hand, one ice spear after another formed and connected, shooting towards the Lava Giant on the ground.

"The Ice and Fire Queen makes her move!"

Before the spectators could rejoice, they saw the Lava Giant's body suddenly dissipate into a sandstorm that swept towards Yu Meiling.

Yu Meiling unleashed a vast sea of flames, and the fire mixed with the icy storm to collide with the sandstorm.

Boom!

The flames died out, and the ice turned to shards.

Yu Meiling's figure fell, landing on the roof of the Registration Hall, her spirit wilted and her face twisted in pain.

Even though she was ranked 15th on the Celestial Ladder, the gap between a super-mutant and a legendary powerhouse was just too vast. A direct clash had nearly drained her spiritual energy, and her spirit had suffered a heavy blow.

A look of surprise flashed across Yu Meiling's face, followed by a hint of relief.

The sandstorm coalesced into a giant made of sand and dust, towering over a dozen meters high. It had no lower body, only a massive upper body and a gigantic fist made of yellow sand. This fist descended upon Ji Xinghuo, casting an enormous shadow as if a mountain were about to crush him.

Under the giant fist, Ji Xinghuo looked like a minuscule insect about to be crushed into smithereens.

At that moment, he had already stood up.

He was drenched in blood.

However, sharp-eyed spectators could tell that Ji Xinghuo's injuries weren't severe, despite his gruesome appearance. The wounds were healing at a visible rate as he withstood the androids' relentless assault.

Ji Xinghuo lifted his head to gaze at the colossal sandy fist, and a tiny glow appeared on his left temple.

An interface appeared in his vision.

The hilt of the sword on his back spewed a trail of bluish flame, and the control system of the Purple Lightning Sword activated!

The giant fist slammed down.

Boom...

Amidst the billowing sand and dust, a bolt of purple lightning soared into the sky, piercing the fist. Like a hot knife through butter, the sword's blade spiraled forward, instantly disintegrating the giant hand, and then rapidly propelled forward, detonating the sand giant's entire arm from the middle. The vague-faced head was also impaled by the sword.

"Ahhh..."

The sand giant let out a painful howl before vanishing into a cloud of black smoke.

Ji Xinghuo's eyes were focused.

After the Purple Lightning Sword sliced through the sand giant, it changed trajectory and plummeted, slicing through the group of androids. The sword's blade spun horizontally, expanding its killing range.

The androids tried to dodge while simultaneously turning their guns towards the Purple Lightning Sword to shoot at it.

But all their efforts were in vain.

The Purple Lightning Sword was like a true lightning bolt, flashing through the group of androids in the blink of an eye. Wherever it passed, the androids were cut open with clean incisions, falling to the ground as piles of scrap metal. Then, the Purple Lightning Sword accelerated again, tracing an imperceptible trajectory and circling the arena.

The androids that had dispersed were mowed down one after another, each bisected vertically.

The entire process took less than five seconds.

Most of the spectators couldn't comprehend what had just happened. To them, the sand giant had suddenly collapsed, and the androids were inexplicably sliced apart.

It was only when the Purple Lightning Sword returned to Ji Xinghuo's side that they could clearly see what had transpired.

"Electric Flying Sword!"

Finally, a spectator shouted in excitement.

The Electric Flying Sword wasn't a novel concept; companies on Earth also produced such weapons. However, due to technological limitations, the Earth-made Electric Flying Swords were lacking in power, battery life, and endurance, and they were ineffective in the Star Realm, so they didn't have much of a market.

"What kind of Electric Flying Sword is that? Its power is terrifying!" came a question from the commentary seat.

"I've never seen anything like it either."

"It's probably not a product of an Earth company. It likely originates from another galactic civilization."

The audience buzzed with speculation.

Outside the superconductor shield, Zhou Yishang breathed a sigh of relief. Ji Xinghuo had utilized the Purple Lightning Sword and averted the crisis.

Shi Hongyi, observing the arena, exclaimed in surprise, "The Sword Bureau actually let him use the Purple Lightning Sword? They're not afraid of it being snatched away."

"That was the Bureau's decision," Zhou Yishang replied with a nod.

Scattered among the audience were legendary powerhouses and competition mutants, and they couldn't help but reveal their astonishment as they gazed at the Purple Lightning Sword hovering beside Ji Xinghuo, their eyes filled with envy.

Some of them were aware of the existence of the Purple Lightning Sword.

Even those who didn't know could tell that this Electric Flying Sword was a Star-Initiate weapon!

In mid-air, the black smoke was rapidly dissipating.

Ji Xinghuo's eyes narrowed, and the Purple Lightning Sword shot out, its electric glow slicing the black smoke in half. It penetrated and then turned back, repeatedly cutting through the smoke, leaving circular trails of purple lightning. Within ten seconds, the black smoke was divided into over a dozen portions.

The true form of the Eccentric Genius fell to the ground, his body bearing several deep wounds that penetrated to the bone, as if they had been cut by a laser.

Only now did people finally see his true appearance.

He was a middle-aged man in his forties, with an ordinary appearance. He wore a unique battle attire that could change along with him.

"Surrender, and I'll spare your life," Ji Xinghuo said indifferently.

The Sword Bureau had gone to great lengths to lure out this serpent, and it was now trapped within the shield array. Ji Xinghuo could ensure his own safety by using the Purple Lightning Sword, and there was no need to kill him.

Once the shield was deactivated, the King of Heaven and numerous legendary powerhouses outside would be able to capture him.

"And you think you can do that?"

The Eccentric Genius let out a cold laugh.

As he spoke, his wounds had already healed, and before his words faded, he rushed towards Ji Xinghuo, unleashing all his stellar power. His speed was ten times faster than when he was flying as black mist, so fast that even the eyes struggled to capture his movement. In almost an instant, he was right in front of Ji Xinghuo.

The Eccentric Genius extended his right hand, which transformed into a tentacle-like spike, oozing slippery viscous fluid like asphalt, with several eyes opening on it.

His body also morphed into a pitch-black monster.

On its abdomen, a fanged maw split open, emitting a terrifying roar, and a daunting aura enveloped Ji Xinghuo.

However, Ji Xinghuo remained unaffected.

His right eye also lit up, and the world seemed to freeze in his eyes. With a calm gaze, he manipulated the Purple Lightning Sword to achieve its maximum output power.

A bolt of purple lightning shot sideways, circled back, and accelerated towards its target.

A flash of sword light!

The black monster that the Eccentric Genius had transformed into suddenly froze, and his head tumbled down. His body fell in front of Ji Xinghuo, the tentacle-like spike just half a meter away from him.

But that half-meter distance might as well have been an uncrossable chasm.

The Eccentric Genius's true form was revealed—a headless corpse.

The entire Tianqin Stadium fell silent, and after a few seconds of quiet, the tens of thousands of spectators erupted into thunderous cheers.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end