Chapter 374: The Revelation Bow

Chapter 374: The Revelation Bow

Ji Xinghuo examined the Spiritstring Song in his hand.

The longbow had a unique design, with an elongated body and wing-shaped tips. The multicolored feathers overlapped, giving the entire bow the appearance of a pair of colorful wings—simple yet elegant.

What surprised him the most was that the bow had no string.

However, anyone who laid eyes on the Spiritstring Song would instantly know it was no ordinary weapon.

"What a lightweight bow."

Ji Xinghuo caressed the bow, unable to discern its material. It felt like metal but was even lighter.

The Spiritstring Song weighed less than ten kilograms in total, a stark contrast to the sixty-kilogram Black Crystal War Bow. It was comparable to many superpower one-star and two-star bows.

But that was to be expected.

The power of a Revelation-level weapon had little to do with its weight. Heavier weapons did not necessarily equate to stronger destructive capabilities.

Especially in the case of a spiritual energy weapon!

Ji Xinghuo wore the accessory ring of the Spiritstring Song on his right thumb. The silver ring was simple in design and lightweight; at first glance, it didn't seem unusual, and it fit his thumb perfectly.

As he infused spiritual energy into the ring after putting it on, Ji Xinghuo felt a sudden surge of vigor, and a stream of information poured into his mind from the ring.

"So that's how it's used..."

Ji Xinghuo immediately understood.

He held the bow in his left hand and brought his right hand close to the bow's body. When he placed the ring where the string should be, a transparent virtual line instantly extended from the ring, connecting to the two ends of the bow. He felt the tension in his hand.

At the same time, an instructional message appeared in Ji Xinghuo's field of vision, resembling a game interface with options.

The text was in an unfamiliar language that Ji Xinghuo couldn't read.

However, he could comprehend the content directly, and by simply thinking about it, he could choose the attack method of the Spiritstring Song and switch between them instantly.

He could also switch the ring's mode through spiritual energy input frequency.

There were two ways: one fully automatic and the other manual, leaving the decision to the archer.

"Spiritual energy as the string, starlight as the arrow."

Ji Xinghuo quickly understood the Spiritstring Song's attack method and the meaning of the options.

In addition to the basic starlight arrow, there were split arrows, chain arrows, tracking arrows, and explosive arrows.

Each type of arrow had different consumption and range.

He pulled the string with force, and the first thing he noticed was the weight. The draw weight was far greater than that of the Black Crystal War Bow, starting at over ten tons. Even if a typical archer could draw it, it would be challenging to use it in actual combat.

As he drew the string further, the tension increased.

At the same time, spiritual energy was extracted.

Ji Xinghuo felt his starlight power flowing from his left hand into the bow, forming a phantom arrow on the string. It started as a transparent shadow, gradually becoming clearer and more solid as more starlight power was injected until it resembled a real arrow.

"This arrow..."

Ji Xinghuo silently felt the power of the Spiritstring Song, and when the bow was fully drawn, the draw weight had reached thirty tons! About two hundred points of starlight power had been drawn, and his spiritual energy had also been consumed.

Shooting an arrow would require at least three hundred points of starlight power.

And this was just the basic consumption. If he wanted to increase the lethality, he could invest more spiritual energy and starlight power while drawing the string.

Further testing would be needed to determine the exact upper limit.

Zzzt...

The starlight arrow buzzed, and electricity flickered within it, with lightning bursting from the arrowhead, piercing the air.

The starlight arrow of the Spiritstring Song was determined by the nature of the archer's starlight power.

Ji Xinghuo's electromagnetic starlight power made it even more deadly.

An electrostatic aura spread out, filling the Snow Ape tribe's hall. The nearby Chieftain Hanqiu's white fur stood on end, and his hair stood on end as well, causing his expression to change slightly. He exclaimed, "What a bow!"

Even as a sixth-stage powerhouse, he would be wary of facing such an arrow.

Ji Xinghuo was also delighted.

As expected of a Revelation-level spiritual energy weapon! If he had possessed the Spiritstring Song during his previous encounter with the three kings of the United States, he might have been able to take out one of them.

Now was not the time for practice, so he slowly released the bowstring, and the starlight arrow dissipated.

As he relaxed his draw, he noticed something.

If he didn't infuse starlight power into the bowstring and only used spiritual energy as the string, he could substitute other arrows for the starlight arrow. Although the lethality would undoubtedly decrease, and the full functionality of the Spiritstring Song wouldn't be utilized, it would conserve a lot of starlight power.

After all, not every battle required shooting starlight arrows, and being able to use other special arrows made his combat style more versatile.

Those four thousand ether crystals were well worth it!

"Thank you, Senior.

Wealth meant nothing if it couldn't be converted into combat power.

"It's just a matter of giving each what they need." Xu Lingke said indifferently, "Is there anything else you wish to purchase?"

With just over two hundred ether crystals left, Ji Xinghuo knew that even if there were any other desirable items, they would be out of his budget.

"Not for now." he replied, "But I have a small request."

"Go ahead."

Xu Lingke was in a pleasant mood.

"I plan to travel to the True Dragon Dynasty soon, and the journey is quite far. I was wondering if you could give me a ride, and I'm willing to pay for it." Ji Xinghuo said.

Whether it was from the Thousand Peak Forest or the Bloody Highlands, the distance to the True Dragon Dynasty was over 100,000 kilometers, and his destination was deep within the dynasty's territory, estimated to be over 500,000 kilometers away. Such a distance would take a long time even with the ability to fly.

Moreover, the True Dragon Dynasty was teeming with powerful experts. If he flew recklessly, he would attract too much attention.

Aside from human dangers, there were also natural hazards.

The True Dragon Dynasty's domain was vast, and while it was ruled by the True Dragon people, they had not cleared all the monsters within their borders. Their actual settlements and cities were scattered like stars, covering a very small percentage of the dynasty's enormous area.

Monsters, natural hazards, alien races, and countless other dangers made the interior of the dynasty even more terrifying than its periphery.

Even for True Dragon people, those below the legendary realm rarely ventured far within the dynasty.

If Xu Lingke could give him a ride, it would be incredibly convenient.

However, Xu Lingke fell silent.

Ji Xinghuo's heart skipped a beat as he immediately realized he might have asked the wrong person. With Xu Lingke's teleportation ability and strength, entering the dynasty wouldn't be an issue, but his hesitation suggested there was another reason for his reluctance.

"If it were anywhere else, even a more distant realm, I could easily take you there." Xu Lingke finally replied, "But the True Dragon Dynasty is out of the question."

Why? Ji Xinghuo wondered, but he did not voice his question.

From Xu Lingke's words, he could guess that the other party seemed to be wary or hesitant about the True Dragon Dynasty.

"Then I won't trouble you further, Senior." Ji Xinghuo naturally wouldn't dare to force a Star Shepherd to do something against their will.

Xu Lingke seemed to feel a little embarrassed and laughed, "I can't take you there personally, but I can point you in the right direction."

"Please enlighten me, Senior." Ji Xinghuo's spirits lifted.

"You should have been to the City of Eternal Day." Xu Lingke said, "The Crysteel Clan may not be very strong, but they possess advanced ether technology. They have built a 'Teleportation Array' in the City of Eternal Day. If you can convince them, they might let you use the array to quickly reach the True Dragon Dynasty."

Teleportation Array!

Ji Xinghuo's eyes lit up. Just from the name, he could guess that it was a facility for ultra-long-distance travel.

Fortunately, he had a good relationship with the Crysteel Clan and even held the title of "Eternal Day General."

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior."

Xu Lingke did not respond further, and Ji Xinghuo sensed that the other party had already left. He didn't linger either and bid farewell to Chieftain Hanqiu.

After leaving the Snow Ape Tribe, Ji Xinghuo wandered around the Skyfall Cliff for a while.

Passing by the small courtyard where Xia Qingyu used to stay, he found that it was now occupied by a group of Highlanders.

"I wonder where Xia Qingyu has gone."

Ji Xinghuo muttered to himself.

Ever since their last meeting, he hadn't seen Xia Qingyu during his visits to Skyfall Cliff, and the messages he left at the corner bar remained unanswered.

"I hope he's not dead." Ji Xinghuo suddenly felt a bit worried. Xia Qingyu hadn't reached the legendary realm yet, and even though he was an old hand at surviving in the Star Realm for decades, accidents could still happen.

He circled around Skyfall Cliff but found no clues about Xia Qingyu's whereabouts.

The Highlanders occupying the courtyard weren't very strong, so they couldn't possibly pose a threat to Xia Qingyu. They had probably noticed that the courtyard had been vacant for a long time and quietly moved in.

Ji Xinghuo didn't bother them.

"Oh well, we'll meet again if we're fated to."

He had no intention of searching for Xia Qingyu. Firstly, he couldn't find him, and secondly, it wasn't necessary. Even if Xia Qingyu was his biological father, they had their separate lives to lead.

Ji Xinghuo flew out from Skyfall Cliff.

It was already the month of Sprouting, and the weather had warmed up. The Bloody Highlands were brimming with vibrant life, with the vast land covered in lush green. The towering peaks still had melting snow on their peaks, creating a picturesque landscape of distant snow-capped mountains against the verdant backdrop.

Ji Xinghuo flew westward for a few hundred kilometers and landed at the foot of an uninhabited mountain. He took out the Spiritstring Song.

"Time to test its power."

Ji Xinghuo infused the arrow with minimal energy, causing electricity to dance across its surface.

He aimed at a distant target and casually released the arrow.

A faint yet melodious hissing sound accompanied the arrow as it shot out like lightning. Its form resembled a bolt of lightning, and its speed matched it, with an initial velocity far surpassing the speed of sound in the Star Realm, 1024 meters per second, yet it produced no sonic boom.

About four seconds later, the sound of thunder crackled back to his ears.

Ji Xinghuo flew over to observe his shot. The starlight arrow had struck the cliff below the mountain peak, leaving behind a pit with a diameter of around three meters. It wasn't a huge crater, but the rock was charred and molten, with a small, bottomless hole at its center.

Using electromagnetic induction, he probed the hole and found that it penetrated nearly five meters into the cliff, with a diameter roughly the size of an arm, and at its deepest point, it had melted into a hollow cavity!

"Its penetrative power is stronger than that of a tungsten-core heavy arrow!" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed in surprise.

With just a casual shot, the Spiritstring Song had demonstrated greater lethality than the Black Crystal War Bow at full strength.

"This is the formidable killing power brought about by my electromagnetic starlight power, along with high temperatures, penetration, and electric shock effects," Ji Xinghuo mused as he touched the scorching cliff. If he had used ordinary starlight power, the might of the arrow would undoubtedly have been weaker.

He turned back to look at the spot from which he had fired the arrow.

Using his Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupils, he precisely calculated the distance.

4,800 meters!

The maximum range of the Spiritstring Song was 12,000 meters, indicating that there was still significant room for improvement.

Ji Xinghuo proceeded to test the bow with a few more shots.

He discovered that the greater the distance, the more starlight power was required.

However, with his current starlight power cultivation, he could inject a maximum of only about 1,500 points of starlight power per arrow, achieving a range of around 7,000 meters. This was still quite a distance from the bow's maximum range, and it seemed that only upon reaching the Star King realm would he be able to fully utilize its potential.

Even with the aid of the Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupils, his archery skills alone would allow him to hit a target with accuracy only within a 5,000-meter range.

Aside from its incredibly long range, what excited Ji Xinghuo the most was the arrow's speed.

With a casual shot, the initial velocity reached 2,400 meters per second.

Moreover, the starlight arrow had almost no weight, unaffected by gravity or wind resistance. Shooting it out was like releasing an arc of electricity, its trajectory perfectly straight.

That was why it could reach such great distances!

Ji Xinghuo then experimented with several other types of arrows.

The split arrow, as the name suggested, fired multiple arrows simultaneously, all condensed from starlight power. It consumed more energy and could shoot up to 24 arrows at once, but this required extremely high archery skills and quick thinking, and the range would also be affected.

The chain arrow, on the other hand, fired multiple arrows consecutively at the same target, causing greater damage in a short period.

The tracking arrow utilized spiritual energy to control the arrow's trajectory, allowing it to lock onto a target and change direction mid-flight to dodge obstacles.

Lastly, the explosive arrow could accumulate a large amount of starlight power and burst instantly, causing widespread destruction.

"This is amazing!" Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but exclaim after trying out all the different arrows.

He didn't know which civilization or country had created the Spiritstring Song, but judging from its design style, it probably didn't originate from the surrounding areas of the True Dragon Dynasty. It must have come from a very distant country, at least a Level Six civilization, or even higher!

To acquire the Spiritstring Song for just four thousand ether crystals was an incredible bargain.

In terms of practicality and versatility, it far surpassed the Purple Lightning Sword, which was also a one-star Revelation weapon.

Suddenly, Ji Xinghuo felt that the Spiritstring Song had been sold to him at a very low price.

Even if it had cost ten thousand ether crystals or more, he would have still considered it a fair deal. With the Ethereal Spirit's experience, it was almost impossible for him to misjudge the true value of the Spiritstring Song.

"Could it be..." Ji Xinghuo's suspicion grew. "...that this is the Ethereal Spirit's early investment in me, as he mentioned before?"

"Not only this bow, but the items he sold me in the past were probably also sold at discounted prices."

"If that's the case, why didn't the Ethereal Spirit just tell me directly?" Ji Xinghuo wondered, perplexed.

He continued his flight, but instead of heading toward the City of Eternal Day, he decided to make a detour to Peach Blossom Valley first. It had been over half a year since he had last seen Ren Jie, and he wondered how she was doing and if she had reached the Legendary realm yet. Thoughts of Ren Mian warmed his heart, and he unconsciously increased his flying speed.

As he sped through the air, Ji Xinghuo suddenly paused.

His electromagnetic induction had detected a monster hiding in the mountain gorge below—a creature that resembled a cheetah with six legs, smooth skin, and a pair of invisible wind wings pressed against its back as it stealthily stalked its prey.

"Wind Cheetah!" Ji Xinghuo recognized the beast and was delighted beyond measure.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end