ATPnovel Chapter 22 The Test by the Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals
Chapter 22 The Test by the Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals
At two in the morning, the Beijing ring road was utterly silent, save for the dim yellow glow of the streetlights that stretched the empty road into an elongated expanse. A black Rolls-Royce Phantom sped across the deserted road like an arrow released from a bow, the roar of its engine breaking the stillness of the night. The wheels rolled over puddles, splashing up tiny droplets and leaving a fleeting afterimage.
In the driver's seat, Lu Yuan held the steering wheel with one hand, his fingertips lightly resting on the leather grip. His gaze was calm as he looked at the deep night ahead, his expression undisturbed, as if he were simply taking a leisurely drive rather than heading towards an impending battle.
The information obtained from the soul search clearly surfaced in his mind: the demonic cultivator's true form was hidden in an abandoned air-raid shelter deep in the Western Mountains. He not only held the Spirit Gathering Jade that his mother had lost, but also set up a blood sacrifice array far larger than the Ye family's, attempting to use the spiritual energy sealed in the Spirit Gathering Jade to forcibly break through to the Foundation Establishment stage and unleash a bloodbath on this spiritually depleted Earth.
"Foundation Establishment stage..." Lu Yuan's thin lips parted slightly, a hint of extreme disdain tugging at the corner of his mouth. The contempt in his tone was almost overflowing. "In the cultivation world, this level isn't even worthy of carrying my shoes. At best, they're just cannon fodder to make up the numbers."
But he also knew that in a place like Earth where spiritual energy was extremely scarce, a Foundation Establishment stage demonic cultivator was enough to run rampant. Those Divine Realm warriors who were regarded as the pinnacle by the world were nothing more than pigs and sheep waiting to be slaughtered in the eyes of the other party, with no power to resist.
As the car was about to leave the city and get closer to Xishan, a blinding white light suddenly appeared at the intersection ahead. More than a dozen searchlights turned on at the same time, their beams piercing the night like swords and locking onto the Rolls-Royce Phantom.
Lu Yuan's eyes darkened slightly as he looked up—he saw a dozen heavy armored vehicles painted in camouflage lined up on the wide road ahead. The vehicles were heavy and their cannons pointed straight ahead, blocking the entire road so tightly that not even a fly could get through.
At the same time, a deafening roar of propellers echoed in the sky. Three armed helicopters, each carrying a small air-to-ground missile, hovered in mid-air in a triangular formation. Their fuselages were black, their missile bays were open, and they exuded a menacing aura. The beams of searchlights were firmly locked onto the Rolls-Royce, illuminating the vehicle as if it were daytime.
What's even more chilling is that on the rooftops of tall buildings and the tops of streetlights on both sides of the road, at least a dozen snipers are lying prone, their dark gun muzzles aimed at the car body, and the infrared sights are densely packed on the windshield, flickering erratically, as if they will pull the trigger at any moment and riddle the car body with bullets.
Such a display of force was enough to raze a small armed stronghold and intimidate a local tyrant. Clearly, they had made thorough preparations and were determined to keep him here.
Lu Yuan remained expressionless as he slowly applied the brakes. The Rolls-Royce came to a smooth stop, exactly fifty meters from the armored vehicle line—neither too close nor too far. He neither showed weakness nor made any rash provocation. He remained seated in the car, quietly watching ahead with an indifferent expression, as if the terrifying scene before him was nothing more than an insignificant farce.
Behind the armored vehicle column, a figure slowly emerged—a man in a wheelchair, dressed in a crisp dark green military uniform, two gold stars on his epaulets gleaming, signifying supreme power. Though confined to his wheelchair, his back was ramrod straight, his spine like a pine tree, radiating an aura of seasoned experience and iron will, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, his sweeping gaze carrying an undeniable authority.
Long Yuan, Director of the Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals.
Long Yuan held a black megaphone in his hand, pressed the switch, and his steady and powerful voice echoed through the megaphone on the empty street, carrying a deliberately created sense of pressure: "Lu Yuan, I am Long Yuan, the director of the National Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals. Your actions in the capital tonight—annihilating the entire Ye family and killing the demonic cultivator's divided soul—have seriously crossed the national bottom line and violated worldly rules."
He paused, his gaze fixed on the driver's seat of the Rolls-Royce, his tone tinged with apprehension yet feigning composure: "I know you are strong, strong enough to disregard Divine Realm warriors, strong enough to casually cut off our military satellites, and even capable of crushing all the strongmen of my Extraordinary Immortal Bureau."
Long Yuan gestured to his men to push the wheelchair forward, slowly moving a few steps closer to Lu Yuan's car. His voice grew more confident: "But you're a smart man too. You should know that no matter how strong an individual is, they can't defeat an entire national machine. You're currently being targeted by three armed helicopters and fifteen top snipers. With just one order from me, your Rolls-Royce, worth hundreds of millions, will instantly become a pile of scrap metal, and you will be reduced to dust and obliterated."
These words were firm and resounding, carrying the absolute confidence bestowed upon them by modern firearms—in his view, no matter how strong a martial artist is, they are ultimately just a mortal being. They can withstand bullets and artillery shells, but they absolutely cannot withstand the bombardment of air-to-ground missiles or the all-out encirclement and suppression by the state apparatus.
Inside the car, Lu Yuan couldn't help but shake his head slightly after hearing these words, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes. This old man, it's a real shame he's not an actor. He deserves an Oscar. He's clearly panicking inside, his palms are sweating, yet he still puts on airs here, staging this flawed empty city stratagem.
Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Yuan pushed open the car door and slowly stepped out. He stood tall and straight, his blue robe fluttering slightly in the night breeze, his expression remaining calm, as if the hail of bullets before him had nothing to do with him.
Seeing Lu Yuan get out of the car, all the snipers tensed instantly, their fingers landing on the triggers in unison. Their breathing became cautious, the air thick with tension, as if a fire could break out at any moment; even the sound of the wind could be clearly heard. At Long Yuan's command, countless bullets would rain down, riddling Lu Yuan with holes.
Lu Yuan leaned against the car door, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, and flicked it with his fingertips, igniting it effortlessly. He took a drag, slowly exhaled a smoke ring, and through the swirling smoke, looked at Long Yuan in the wheelchair. His tone was casual, tinged with a hint of mockery: "Director Long, all this fuss and all this just to give me a lecture on the law and teach me to abide by worldly rules?"
Looking at Lu Yuan's relaxed and nonchalant demeanor, Long Yuan felt a sudden unease, a sense of foreboding washing over him. This kid was too calm, abnormally calm, unsettlingly calm—he was clearly being targeted by countless weapons, yet he showed no fear whatsoever, acting as if he were watching a joke. This was not the reaction of a normal person!
He suppressed his unease, slowly lowered the megaphone, and gestured to his adjutant to switch the communication channel to a frequency only the two of them could hear. His tone softened, but with a hint of probing: "I'm not here to be your enemy; I want to make a deal with you."
"The Ye family has been swindling and colluding with the demonic path for years, committing all sorts of evil deeds, causing widespread resentment. Although your methods in destroying the Ye family were ruthless, it can be considered as acting on behalf of Heaven." Long Yuan offered his first bargaining chip, his tone resolute. "I can suppress this matter, classify it as a martial arts feud, and not hold you accountable in any way. I can even help you erase all traces, so that you are not subject to worldly censure."
Seeing that Lu Yuan remained silent, simply smoking quietly, Long Yuan offered a second bargaining chip: "Not only that, the Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals can provide you with the exact location of that demonic cultivator's true form, mobilize all available resources to assist you in eliminating him, and help you reclaim what belongs to you."
"What are the conditions?" Lu Yuan finally spoke, exhaling a smoke ring. His tone remained calm and unwavering, as if the offer Long Yuan had made was simply not enough to sway him.
A glint of light flashed in Long Yuan's eyes as he stared intently into Lu Yuan's eyes. His tone was serious and left no room for negotiation: "The condition is that you must join the Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals and accept the supervision and control of the state. You are an extremely unstable factor, too powerful and uncontrollable. The state will never allow someone like you, like an unrestrained nuclear weapon, to roam the mortal world and threaten the safety of the country and its people."
He paused, knowing these conditions might not be enough to sway Lu Yuan, so he played his last card, his tone confident and certain: "To show my sincerity, we've already sent people to Jiangnan City to secretly protect your sister, Lu Qingxue, 24/7. As long as you agree, the state will guarantee your sister's wealth and honor for the rest of her life, and no one will dare to lay a finger on her."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan, who had been nonchalant and indifferent, froze instantly. His fingers, holding the cigarette, paused slightly, and the burning ash fell to the ground, landing softly on the puddles.
The next second, the surrounding air suddenly turned icy cold—not an illusion, but a real physical cooling. A bone-chilling cold rose wildly from the ground, instantly engulfing the entire road. The water on the road surface condensed at a visible speed, quickly forming a thin layer of white frost. The cold was so biting that even the air seemed to be frozen brittle.
The agents, snipers, and soldiers behind Long Yuan, as well as those beside the armored vehicle, all shivered involuntarily. Their bodies stiffened, they could barely hold their guns, their teeth chattered uncontrollably, and their eyes were filled with unbelievable fear. This chill did not come from the weather, but from the oppressive aura emanating from Lu Yuan, a deadly fear that originated from the depths of their souls.
Lu Yuan slowly raised his head and looked at Long Yuan in the wheelchair. His eyes, which were originally calm and still, were now devoid of any emotion. They were cold and empty, like a god looking down on a group of ignorant ants who had offended him.
Long Yuan's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat. His military uniform clung to his body, icy cold. He gripped the wheelchair armrests tightly, the edges of his fingernails drained of blood, his knuckles bluish-white against the thin layer of skin. His whole body trembled slightly. He finally realized that he had made a fatal mistake—he shouldn't have used Lu Yuan's family to test him, he shouldn't have stepped on this monster's sore spot!
"Mr. Lu, please don't misunderstand. We were just... just worried about Miss Qingxue's safety, afraid that the demonic cultivator might harm her, so we sent people to protect her. We didn't mean anything else!" Long Yuan hurriedly explained, his tone filled with barely concealed panic, all traces of his previous iron-fisted authority gone. "We'll withdraw our men immediately and absolutely will not disturb Miss Qingxue's life!"
"I don't like people using my family to test me, and I especially don't like people crossing my bottom line." Lu Yuan interrupted him, his tone icy and chilling, each word like an ice pick striking Long Yuan's heart.
He tossed the half-smoked cigarette butt to the ground, crushing it instantly with his foot, along with the white frost on the ground. Then, he slowly raised his right hand, his index finger extended, pointing at the three armed helicopters hovering in the sky, his tone full of disdain and mockery: "You think these pieces of junk, these so-called firearms, are your bargaining chips for negotiating with me? Your leverage to threaten me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Yuan's finger gently swept downwards, uttering a single word, his words carrying an undeniable authority: "Fall."
In an instant, dark clouds gathered without warning in the once clear night sky, and a bolt of purple lightning as thick as a bucket, like a giant axe of the gods, tore through the night sky and crashed down with a deafening roar!
"boom--!!"
The lightning struck the rotor of the attack helicopter with pinpoint accuracy. There was no earth-shattering explosion, no raging flames, only a muffled thud. The multi-million dollar, supposedly indestructible heavy attack helicopter was instantly flattened as if by an invisible giant hand. Its fuselage twisted and deformed, and the pilot inside the cockpit was vaporized by the force of the lightning in less than half a second, turning into a charred lump of iron that crashed heavily onto the road, creating a huge crater, sending debris flying and dust billowing everywhere.
The pilots of the other two armed helicopters were terrified, their bodies stiff. They frantically pulled up altitude, gripping the control sticks tightly, screaming hysterically into the communication channel, barely able to control the direction—they simply couldn't believe that someone could summon lightning so easily. This wasn't human; it was a god! A demon!
The snipers, agents, and soldiers on the ground were all dumbfounded, standing there in a daze, their guns clattering to the ground. Their eyes were vacant, their faces filled with disbelief, and they muttered to themselves, "Heavens...heavenly lightning...summoning heavenly lightning with a flick of the wrist...is this real?"
Their prized firearms were utterly vulnerable in the eyes of the enemy, offering no chance of resistance whatsoever! At this moment, they realized that Long Yuan's so-called state apparatus and his so-called advantage in firearms were nothing but a joke in front of Lu Yuan!
Long Yuan sat in his wheelchair, limp and pale, his face ashen, devoid of any color. His lips twitched uncontrollably, and his eyes were filled with utter terror and despair—he finally understood what Chen Tieshou meant by "indescribable terror" in his report. This wasn't some martial arts master, nor was it a cultivator; this was a dimensional attack that transcended the laws of Earth, an existence they simply couldn't contend with!
Lu Yuan slowly lowered his hand, his gaze still icy as he looked at Long Yuan, whose face was pale and who was trembling all over. His tone was calm but carried an unyielding command: "The people I sent to Jiangnan City, now, get as far away as possible."
"Remember," his gaze slowly swept over everyone present, and wherever his eyes fell, everyone couldn't help but lower their heads and tremble. "If my sister loses even a single hair, I guarantee that not only the Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals, but every single powerful and influential family in the capital will be executed for her."
After speaking, Lu Yuan didn't look at them again, turned around, calmly opened the car door, and got into the driver's seat. The Rolls-Royce restarted, the engine roared again, steady and powerful, and sped away.
This time, no one dared to stop them, no one dared to move an inch. The dozen or so heavy armored vehicles, under the soldiers' frantic maneuvering, were forced to move aside, creating an extremely wide passage. They didn't even dare to turn on their headlights, for fear of disturbing this living devil.
Long Yuan watched the Rolls-Royce disappear into the night, feeling utterly exhausted. He collapsed into his wheelchair, his body drenched in cold sweat, his breathing becoming rapid and shallow.
"Chief... what do we do now?" The adjutant beside him swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he asked, his eyes filled with panic. He had followed Long Yuan for many years and had never seen Long Yuan so disheveled and terrified.
Long Yuan slowly closed his eyes, exhaling a long breath. His tone was filled with helplessness and despair, and even his voice trembled: "Notify the people in Jiangnan City to withdraw immediately. No one is allowed to approach within a one-kilometer radius of Lu Qingxue, not even for a glimpse!"
He paused, opened his eyes, and said with deep apprehension, "Also, send him a detailed topographical map of the Xishan air-raid shelter, including all the layout inside and the specific hiding places of the demonic cultivators. Not a single detail can be missed."
"We are not qualified to play this game, nor can we afford to." Long Yuan's voice was filled with helplessness and sorrow. "From now on, Lu Yuan is someone we in the Immortal Bureau can only look up to. We must never provoke him again, not even in the slightest way."