Chapter 190: Youha: Yes, I Am Ichigo

"Old man, could it be that you are also our enemy?!"

The moment Yuan Liuzhai finished speaking, Kurosaki Ichigo immediately put distance between himself and Yuan Liuzhai, and looked at Yuan Liuzhai, asking coldly.

"Enemy?"

Yuan Liuzhai, after hearing Kurosaki Ichigo, couldn't help but laugh.

"Boy, have you got something wrong?"

"It is not that I wish to become your enemy, but that you intend to become my enemy; from the moment you, as Arrancar, trespassed into the Soul Society, you have already stood on the opposite side of me~"

Yuan Liuzhai looked at Kurosaki Ichigo, a kindly smile appearing on his face.

"Old man, we have a reason to invade the Jingling Court! We bear no ill will toward the Soul Society or the Jingling Court; we came here only to rescue our comrades! Is it wrong to try to save our companions?"

Kurosaki Ichigo questioned Yuan Liuzhai.

"Ha ha! Reasons? Every Arrancar who ever invaded the Soul Society told me the same; each had all sorts of reasons—after all, without a reason no one would find it boring to invade the Soul Society, right? Moreover, each told me they harbored no ill will toward the Soul Society or the Jingling Court!"

"In the end, those Arrancar who invaded the Soul Society either wanted us to promote them irregularly to become a Gotei 13 Shinigami, or harbored the delusion of replacing the current Gotei 13, becoming its captain, even the commander‑in‑chief, and some even plotted to kill the God and become the Soul King!"

"Arrancar boy, how do you think those people's reasons compare to yours?! After hearing them, should I grant them all? If I did, the Jingling Court would have been in chaos long ago; because I didn't, you can see the existence called 'Order' here!"

Yuan Liuzhai spoke to Kurosaki Ichigo, his expression calmly light.

"Different! Our reasons are different…"

Kurosaki Ichigo furrowed his brows, attempting to rebut.

"You and they are no different; if you insist on a distinction, it's the difference between 'great evil' and 'small evil'! Their crimes would destroy the world, while yours merely break rules, but both are still 'evil'! Both require me to trample the Soul Society's regulations; since both need me to violate those rules, there is no essential difference!"

"You must remember, with rules, stepping on them a little or stepping on them completely makes no essential difference; once you act in defiance, it's like opening Pandora's box—you can't stop yourself! Then the entire Three Realms will be destroyed by your reckless hubris. Can you little guys bear that responsibility? And what will you rely on to bear it?"

Perhaps Yuan Liuzhai has taught for so long that he subconsciously slipped into the teacher role, beginning to instruct Kurosaki Ichigo, Shi Tian Yulong and other young souls about what the Soul Society's rules truly are!

"This…"

For a moment, Kurosaki Ichigo and the others all fell silent.

As Yuan Liuzhai said, his words indeed held some logic, leaving Kurosaki Ichigo and the others unable to find any rebuttal…

Even the born contrarian Shi Tian Yulong nodded vigorously; if it weren't for Xiumu Luqia, who had intervened in his duel with Kurosaki Ichigo, effectively covering his mistake and indirectly giving him a great help, he wanted to say to Yuan Liuzhai: "Listening to your words surpasses ten years of study! I think everything you said, old man, is correct! As you said, without rules there is no order; rules cannot be broken lightly! In that case, I will not save that person; I will return to the living world now, and before I meet a natural death I will never again trespass into the Soul Society."

Unfortunately, Shi Tian Yulong could not say that…

"Kurosaki Ichigo, you must not listen to him! He's only buying time, waiting for Shinigami reinforcements to arrive and surround us! Right now we have little time to waste; defeat this old man quickly and keep moving! Remember, Xiumu Luqia is still waiting for us to rescue her~"

Shi Tian Yulong gently adjusted the glasses on his nose, first giving Yuan Liuzhai opposite him a deep look, then speaking to Kurosaki Ichigo beside him.

"There's no way…"

"Old man, I hadn't intended to strike you, but my comrades are still waiting for me; I don't have much time to linger here, so I apologize!"

Kurosaki Ichigo said, pointing his Zanpakuto at the Yuan Liuzhai before him.

"Oh? You want to clash with me?"

Yuan Liuzhai, upon seeing this, was startled; he gently stroked his long white beard on his chin and said to Kurosaki Ichigo in amazement.

"Interesting! In that case, make your move first, kid!"

Yuan Liuzhai said, waving lightly at Kurosaki Ichigo; the gesture, no matter how you look at it, carried a hint of provocation, yet to the eyes of the Four Maple Courtyard at night it seemed like an adult teasing a newborn under a full moon.

After Yuan Liuzhai signaled Kurosaki Ichigo to attack first, he, with an air of ancient composure, sat back on the small horse saddle placed on the ground, quietly awaiting Ichigo's strike.

"Ichigo, don't be careless; this old man is incredibly powerful!"

Shi Tian Yulong, holding the roasted sweet potato that the old man had placed in his hand at some unknown time, spoke seriously to Kurosaki Ichigo.

"Hmm! No need for you to tell me, I already know! Even that guy earlier, dressed in a feathered robe claiming to be the captain of Gotei 13, his movements didn't surpass my visual nerves, but the old man's actions just now, I didn't even see them…"

Kurosaki Ichigo gripped his sword with both hands, his eyes fixed on Yuan Liuzhai, daring not the slightest carelessness, fearing that in the next instant the old man might, like when he thrust the sweet potato into everyone's hands, knock everyone present to the ground.

"Not acting?"

Yuan Liuzhai, seeing Kurosaki Ichigo still hesitant to advance, squinted and asked.

"Huh! Be careful…"

Kurosaki Ichigo, after kindly reminding Yuan Liuzhai, unleashed a surging spiritual pressure, forming a jet‑black shadow that rushed toward Yuan Liuzhai.

"Hehe."

Yuan Liuzhai saw this and kept smiling.

Until Kurosaki Ichigo's blade landed atop Yuan Liuzhai's head, Yuan Liuzhai remained motionless, causing Ichigo, who had intended to strike, to hesitate.

However, in the instant Ichigo hesitated, Yuan Liuzhai, who had been sitting on the saddle warming himself, vanished from Ichigo's sight.

"What?!"

Cold sweat broke out on Kurosaki Ichigo's forehead; he was stunned by Yuan Liuzhai's speed, his movements like magic, disappearing in the blink of an eye from Ichigo's view.

In fact, with Kurosaki Ichigo's current reflexes, even the untransformed Wu Erqi Aola's speed is unattainable; yet even the second‑stage transformed Wu Erqi Aola appears childlike before Yuan Liuzhai—it's not that Ichigo and little Wu are weak, the old mountain man is simply extraordinary.

"What are you doing, Ichigo!"

"The enemy is behind you!"

At the moment Ichigo was at a loss, a roar from Shi Tian Yulong sounded behind him; from Yulong's anxious voice one could hear his worry for Ichigo.

"Behind?"

Ichigo's expression froze; he sensed trouble. Countless warning cries rose like tides in his mind; this helplessness was the first he felt after regaining his Shinigami power with Pu Yuan Xishu's help.

"Kid, what are you hesitating about?!"

As Shi Tian reminded, a faint, hoarse, weathered voice suddenly sounded from behind Ichigo.

"Bad!"

The instant Ichigo turned, a plain, unadorned fist met him.

"One bone!"

Indeed, Yuan Liuzhai had no intention of drawing his sword against Kurosaki Ichigo; for someone like Ichigo, newly entering the third‑grade spiritual rank and not yet having learned a Bankai, his spiritual pressure has only just risen to captain level—let alone allowing Yuan Liuzhai to unleash his Zanpakuto, he doesn't even qualify to have Yuan Liuzhai draw his Zanpakuto.

"I'll die! I will definitely die!"

At the moment Yuan Liu Zhai threw a punch, his aura seemed to have reached its peak!

At this moment, Yuan Liu Zhai's bowl-sized fist, in Kurosaki Ichigo's eyes, kept enlarging; in the blink of an eye it was as large as a mountain, with the momentum of moving mountains and overturning seas!

Ichigo saw that fist slowly approaching him, leaving him nowhere to hide; at this moment, every nerve cell in his body was sending out distress signals, and Ichigo clearly knew in his heart that if this punch hit his head, he would surely die.

Just at the moment when Ichigo was under an ill-fated star, his body suddenly moved, surpassing Kurosaki Ichigo's own speed, and he placed his Soul-Cutting Sword horizontally across the trajectory of Yuan Liu Zhai's swing.

Boom!!

Accompanied by the roar, Ichigo's Moon-Cutter instantly shattered into countless fragments; as for Ichigo, who was hit by Yuan Liu Zhai's punch, he flew sideways, smashing through more than thirty walls, carving a trench over a hundred meters long on the ground before collapsing sideways in a pool of blood, completely unconscious. Perhaps Ichigo never imagined that, even with his all-out effort to withstand Yuan Liu Zhai's strike, he would still carve out a street in the Pure Spirit Court!

At this moment, Ichigo was utterly miserable, like a broken toy nobody wanted, thrown in a trash can, and also like an old rug flung onto the floor for people to trample. If it weren't for Ichigo's spiritual pressure still being somewhat stable, everyone would surely think that Ichigo at this moment was completely dead.

Ichigo...

Everything happened too quickly; everyone present was caught off guard. Uryuu's lips were a bit dry, and he instinctively uttered Kurosaki Ichigo's name.

I'll go save Ichigo!

At the moment Uryuu was at a loss, Inoue Orihime had already risked her life, rushing toward Kurosaki Ichigo like the wind. Ichigo's injuries were already too severe; if she didn't administer first aid to him, he would surely die.

Where are you going?

However, before Inoue Orihime could get close to Ichigo, a hoarse voice sounded right in front of her. Orihime instinctively looked toward the source of the voice and met a kind old man, and a pair of eyes so cold they seemed like a death god harvesting souls, gazing at his prey.

Boom!!

In an instant, the violent spiritual pressure, as if free of cost, fell upon Orihime's fragile spiritual form. Under Yuan Liu Zhai's spiritual pressure, Orihime was like a lone boat on a vast ocean; she felt as if something in her mind had exploded, as if someone were swinging a hundred‑ton hammer and striking her head with full force, smashing her whole body into a puddle of flesh~

Plop~

As the sound rang out, Orihime had already collapsed to the ground. Although Yuan Liu Zhai had done nothing, merely locking eyes with Orihime, her spiritual form seemed on the verge of dissipating.

Like a newborn, utterly feeble~

In response, Yuan Liu Zhai, looking at the fallen Orihime, commented.

In fact, Orihime's current spiritual pressure, after training under Dao Yugen Aura, is not weak; it has reached the fifth tier of spiritual might. According to the former standards of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, she could even serve as vice‑captain of a weaker division!

Even in the current Thirteen Court Guard Squads, she could fill a high‑ranking seat, but unfortunately she encountered the Demon King Yuan Liu Zhai. In Yuan Liu Zhai's eyes, anyone below the third tier of spiritual might is an infant; the third tier is a child; the second tier is a teenager; only the first tier counts as an adult. Yuan Liu Zhai couldn't be bothered to give anyone below the first tier a proper look—they're just too weak.

Orihime!

After seeing Orihime fall, Ishida Uryuu finally reacted, pulling open his spirit bow. At that moment, a powerful holy annihilating arrow coalesced on the bowstring of Ishida Uryuu.

A bow made of spirit particles? I see, you're a Quincy, aren't you?

Ever since a thousand years ago, when Yhwach led the Quincy in an invasion of the Soul Society and launched a full‑scale war against the Soul Reapers, I haven't seen a Quincy in ages~

Now that I see you, I suddenly feel a bit nostalgic for those days~

At the moment Ishida Uryuu drew his bow, Yamamoto Genryuusai, who had originally been fifty steps away from Uryuu, was already standing before him without anyone noticing, and he asked Uryuu.

I...

Uryuu had no time to pay attention; the old man before him, who was lost in memories of the past, had his nerves already taut from Ichigo and Orihime falling one after another, and was directly frightened by Yuan Liu Zhai, who moved like a ghost from a horror film, appearing instantaneously.

All I saw was Uryuu shudder, then he released his grip on the bowstring and the holy annihilating arrow. In an instant, a plain-looking arrow, powerful enough to blast a hole through Kilian's body, shot straight at Yuan Liu Zhai's bald head.

Ding~

Unfortunately, just as the holy annihilating arrow was about to strike Yuan Liu Zhai's forehead, two strong pine‑like fingers lightly pinched the arrowhead, the very tip that was about to touch his skin.

Impossible!

Uryuu stared at the old man who had pinched the holy annihilating arrow with his fingers, and he was dumbfounded; the old man's power had already surpassed Uryuu's understanding of Soul Reapers.

Pop~

Before Uryuu could think further, the old man had already crushed the holy annihilating arrow between his fingers.

Compared to Yhwach from a thousand years ago, this holy annihilating arrow is far inferior.

Yuan Liu Zhai took Uryuu's holy annihilating arrow in his palm; with just a slight squeeze he kneaded it back into the most primitive spirit particles. Yuan Liu Zhai seemed a bit disappointed, and, facing Uryuu, he scattered the spirit particles that composed Uryuu's holy annihilating arrow before him like throwing sand, then he spoke somewhat wistfully.

Monster!

Uryuu no longer knew how to evaluate Yuan Liu Zhai before him; the words 'strong' seemed no longer fitting for him. After thinking it over, he could only use the two words 'monster' to describe the man before him, who surpassed his understanding of Soul Reapers—Yamamoto Genryuusai.

Sado! Run! This person isn't someone we can……

Uryuu had already given up fighting; he had decided to stake his life here, using the Quincy's ultimate form to face the monster before him!

Although Uryuu knew that even if he used the Quincy's ultimate form to face the old man before him, there was no hope of victory, he would not retreat in the slightest; he only wished that his companion, Sado Yasutora, could seize the chance to escape.

Unfortunately, before Uryuu could finish his sentence, he saw Sado Yasutora, who should have been standing behind him, already lying on the ground, unconscious like Ichigo and Orihime.

Damn! When did he strike?!

Uryuu lifted his head and looked at the old man standing not far away, calm and composed, his heart filled with bewilderment; he couldn't even tell when Yuan Liu Zhai Chongguo had made his move.

When did he make his move?

You young Quincy, you seem to have gotten it wrong!

The boy behind you is the first among you all who intended to make a move against me, and also the first I have dealt with……

Yuan Liu Zhai spoke to Uryuu with a calm expression.

The first? Even before Ichigo?

Uryuu broke out in a cold sweat; it turned out that Ichigo was the second one knocked down by the old man before him, while Sado Yasutora was actually the first defeated by the old man—only the old man's speed was too fast, so fast that nobody noticed Sado had already fallen.

The gap in strength is too huge, as if we're not even in the same dimension!

Even so! I'll still give it my all!

Uryuu took a deep breath, and in front of Yuan Liu Zhai he removed his spirit‑dispersing glove. He had decided to use the Quincy's ultimate form as his swan song; even if he lost, he wanted to lose with dignity.

Boom!!

For a moment, the already violent spirit particles in the Pure Spirit Court, aided by Uryuu's spirit‑dispersing glove, turned into one vortex after another, converging toward Uryuu at the center and rushing into his blood vessels……

As for Ishida Uryuu, he stood firm‑eyed at the center of the spirit vortex, enduring the pain of growing stronger; he felt as if his whole body were about to be torn apart by the violent spirit particles, as if something uncontrolled were wandering through all his blood vessels.

If any other Quincy were present now, they would surely see that Uryuu's blood vessels all over his body were emitting a faint blue glow, filled with powerful spiritual energy! These spiritual energies kept gathering until they reached the limit Uryuu could bear, and a pair of angel‑like wings slowly unfurled behind him; at this moment Uryuu seemed to have become an angel.

All right! Now it's my turn!

Yu Long reached out and gently wiped the fresh red at the corner of his mouth, the blood that spilled from his body after it had taken in too many spirit particles and back‑fired. But Yu Long didn't care at all now; he was more powerful than ever, even beyond his own imagination. With his current strength, even if he didn't defeat the old man before him, he could still run away with his companions.

"Is this the Extinction Master's final form?"

Yuan Liuzhai stood still, quietly waiting for Yu Long to complete the transformation, then asked.

"Exactly!"

Yu Long heard this and replied confidently.

"Is there no stronger stance?"

Yuan Liuzhai continued to ask Yu Long.

"This stance is enough!"

Yu Long heard it and answered truthfully.

"What a pity…"

After confirming repeatedly, Yuan Liuzhai sighed helplessly.

"Hm?"

Yu Long looked at Yuan Liuzhai's disappointed expression, and an alarm rang in his mind!

"Clang!"

Just as Yu Long wondered when Yuan Liuzhai would strike, a booming sound rang out, and the wings behind him and the half‑disk forming above his head shattered instantly into countless dust.

"What?"

Yu Long was stunned. The Extinction Master's final form he was using was a brand‑new version co‑developed by his grandfather, his father, and Aunt Masaki, capable of boosting power by several times the original final form. It was his trump card, but the trump card shattered before it could be unleashed…

"So disappointing!"

Without waiting, Yu Long felt his vision go black—a side effect of the Extinction Master's final form. Just before he fell, he only heard the old man's voice, the one who had destroyed his Extinction Master's final form, expressing utter disappointment in his power.

Shidian Yu Long naturally heard the old man's disappointment. He furrowed his brows and sighed sadly, "I'm sorry, Yi Hu, I've given my all! Yet I still couldn't rescue us from the enemy's grasp. I'm truly weak, while the enemy is overwhelmingly strong. The gap between us is enormous; even if I sacrifice my life, I doubt he'll be satisfied! What a regret…"

"It's over."

Yuan Liuzhai looked at the four fallen people before him, sighed helplessly, and muttered something about the disaster being exaggerated, that they were just four brats…

After sighing, Yuan Liuzhai turned to the shadow beside him and said softly, "The four kids you brought have already been defeated by me. How long do you intend to hide? Ye Yi of Four Maple Courtyard…"

"Wow! As expected of the founding patriarch of our Yuan Flow, nothing can deceive you, Grand Patriarch~ By the way, the one you just eliminated was that orange‑haired brat who was taught by Pu Yuan Xi Zhu; I guess he's half my disciple~ If pressed, he should even call you Grand Master!"

Having switched from cat form to human form, Ye Yi of Four Maple Courtyard, now dressed in orange‑yellow sportswear and yoga pants, stepped out of the corner. The moment Ye Yi met Yuan Liuzhai, she immediately changed her shape in the corner…

Although Ye Yi didn't mind, appearing completely naked before Yuan Liuzhai was too rude, so after reverting to human form she went home to change clothes. Yet, as swift as a flash, while Yuan Liuzhai was sparring with Yi Hu and others, she had already gone to the Four Maple Courtyard residence, changed, and returned here.

"Our Yuan Flow doesn't recruit just any riff‑raff!"

Yuan Liuzhai, gripping his cane, coldly addressed Ye Yi of Four Maple Courtyard.

"Excuse me, Founding Patriarch Yuan Liuzhai!"

"In fact, Yi Hu Kurosaki isn't some riff‑raff. How to put it? Yi Hu's birth seems to bear Araki's handiwork…"

Ye Yi of Four Maple Courtyard stepped up to Yuan Liuzhai and whispered.

Since Yuan Liuzhai is both Araki's teacher and the founding patriarch of Yuan Flow, he can be called Master or Patriarch…

To show respect, Ye Yi chose to call Yuan Liuzhai Patriarch.

"Huh? Araki?"

Yuan Liuzhai's eye twitched; mentioning his wayward disciple never bodes well.

"Yi Hu Kurosaki's father was the former captain of the Ten Division, Zhi Bo Yi Xin. On the day Zhi Bo Yi Xin perished in the Present World, Lord Araki went to the Present World and met Yi Hu's father, Yi Hu's mother—also a pure‑blood Extinction Master—Masaki Kurosaki, and that fellow Pu Yuan Xi Zhu. I don't know the details; that day some troublemakers from another area bullied my juniors, so I took my juniors to another city for a match. When I returned, Araki had already left, so I only heard it from Pu Yuan Xi Zhu…"

At this point, Ye Yi of Four Maple Courtyard weakly scratched her noble, mysterious violet hair inherited from her ancestors…

At the same time, a hint of helplessness showed on Ye Yi's face.

"Junior? Shinigami?"

Yuan Liuzhai ignored Araki and Pu Yuan Xi Zhu's plans, but was intrigued by the 'little brother' Ye Yi mentioned, because in the Soul Society there is a clear rule that one cannot arbitrarily cultivate Shinigami in other worlds—

"A calico cat~"

Ye Yi heard this and laughed, "..."

"Ha?"

This time, the old mountain man was at a loss.

"You know, when I was in the Present World, I always appeared as a black cat! Naturally I picked up cat habits and gathered many little brothers…"

Ye Yi said this while mimicking a cat, licking her delicate palm.

"I don't understand…"

"Never mind, you child, you've always been different…"

"Put your matters aside, is Yi Hu Kurosaki's mother an Extinction Master?"

After hearing Ye Yi, Yuan Liuzhai stopped focusing on Ye Yi's little brothers and turned his attention to Yi Hu Kurosaki.

"Yes, Yi Hu Kurosaki's father is a Shinigami, and his mother is an Extinction Master whose body harbors Great Void power! That means from the moment Yi Hu was born, he innately possessed Shinigami, Extinction Master, and Void powers—a truly remarkable child~"

Ye Yi replied.

"By the way, Yi Hu Kurosaki has only been awakening his Shinigami power for ten days! In just ten days he raised his spiritual pressure to the level of a Gotei 13 captain. His talent and potential are beyond our prediction…"

Ye Yi seemed to recall something and added.

"..."

At this moment, Yuan Liuzhai fell silent.

If Ye Yi's words are true, Yi Hu Kurosaki's potential would be a rarity even in the Soul Society over centuries…

Currently, within the entire Gotei 13, only Araki and one other can match Yi Hu's potential; they are the only children who showed, from birth, the enormous potential to surpass Shinigami.

"It seems, Patriarch, you have understood everything?!"

Ye Yi looked at the silent Yuan Liuzhai and smiled.

"Interesting—let me see just how far this kid can go."

Yuan Liuzhai suddenly felt a spark of interest; he seemed genuinely eager to see, under a twist of fate, how this boy—Kurosaki Ichigo, who has merged the three forces of Void, the Eradicator, and Shinigami that balance the world, and who possesses immense potential—could achieve in the shortest time.

"Huh? Patriarch Yuan Liuzhai, what do you mean?"

Ye Yi heard that and his complexion changed abruptly.

"I plan to mess around with you youngsters, consider it a bit of youthful fun~"

Yuan Liuzhai rubbed his bald head, looked up at the blue sky and white clouds of the Soul Society, and suddenly realized that since birth he had been bound by countless rules, never having a moment of indulgence.

There is no doubt that Yuan Liuzhai is synonymous with heroism and celestial pride; long before he grasped a Zanpakuto, he founded the Yuan Flow, and countless Yuan Flow disciples respectfully called him the Founding Ancestor. Shortly after establishing Yuan Flow, he took charge of the Jingling Court and was likewise reverently titled Captain or the Guardian Corps Founding Ancestor.

He seemed to have lived under everyone's expectant gaze, never relaxing a moment. Now that he's retired, he thinks it's better to seize the chance of this Travel Calamity invasion to have some fun—especially to give Araki, the troublesome disciple who constantly caused him trouble while he was Captain, a taste of his own medicine.

"Patriarch! You're the Captain; how can you do such a thing?"

Ye Yi was stunned; she hadn't expected it to end like this.

So Patriarch Yuan Liuzhai plans to join these youngsters in a wild romp?

Isn't this just reckless mischief?! It's like a modern, naive yet foolish college student taking his hundred‑plus‑year‑old great‑grandfather to a disco, claiming it's a trendy way to have some fun before the great‑grandfather passes away…

"Captain? Retired!"

Yuan Liuzhai heard that and immediately smiled.

"Don't call me Patriarch or Master; just call me Yuan Liuzhai~"

"During my mischief with you, I'm neither Yamamoto Yuan Liuzhai nor Yuan Liuzhai Chongguo—just a plain Yuan Liuzhai with no surname or title…"

"Hey Ye Yi, you understand what this old man is saying, right?!"

Yuan Liuzhai's words carried a hint of threat.

"Got it, I get it!"

Ye Yi nodded vigorously up and down repeatedly.

"What do you plan to do next?"

Yuan Liuzhai asked Ye Yi directly, probing her upcoming plan.

"Take Kurosaki Ichigo to learn Bankai."

Ye Yi didn't dare conceal it and answered truthfully.

"Is that so? Then let's go~"

As Yuan Liuzhai spoke, he hoisted the unconscious Kurosaki Ichigo, Ishida Uryu, Chado Taiho, and Inoue Orihime from the ground and urged Ye Yi.

"Alas, my secret base can't be protected any longer~"

Ye Yi heard that and sighed, on the verge of tears.

"Going or not?"

Yuan Liuzhai pressed impatiently.

"Go, go, go! Of course go…"

Ye Yi said no more, instantly used Flash Step to clear a path for Yuan Liuzhai.

"Hmm!"

Yuan Liuzhai watched Ye Yi's movement and finally nodded in satisfaction.

In an instant, the two became like daytime phantoms, slipping unnoticed toward Twin Execution Hill! Although the Gotei 13 had mobilized to capture the Travel Calamity, not a single member sensed Ye Yi and Yuan Liuzhai's whereabouts…

Except for Aizen and his companions.

"Lord Aizen, Kurosaki Ichigo has been whisked away by Lord Yuan Liuzhai."

When Aizen returned to the laboratory he built in Yuhun Street, he heard Dong Xian, who had been staring at his computer, call out anxiously.

"Ah?!"

Aizen was stunned by the words.

"What should we do next?"

Dong Xian looked at Aizen and asked softly.

"Relax, everything is under our control."

Aizen urged Dong Xian verbally, but in truth he himself didn't know what to do.

He knew the whereabouts of every captain of the Gotei 13 like the back of his hand, but the problem was that Yuan Liuzhai wasn't a captain of the Gotei 13!

At the same time, Yuan Liuzhai was one of the few in the Jingling Court who had never been hypnotized by Aizen's Mirror‑Flower Illusion; after all, Aizen had no suitable reason and dared not release his Zanpakuto in front of Yuan Liuzhai. He couldn't be idle and stroll to the Spiritual Arts Academy to pat Yuan Liuzhai's shoulder and say, "Hey, Old Deng, you're still in class? Skip it—what's the point of lessons at your age? You should rest, and during the break I'll put on a show, see a Zanpakuto release!" Such words would get him burned! In other words, Yuan Liuzhai was an uncontrollable factor,

"Alas, Ichigo, may you find your own luck~"

Aizen, acting as a 'godfather', at this moment also didn't know what to do; he hadn't yet obtained the Hogyoku and dared not confront Yuan Liuzhai.

Now Aizen could only place his hopes on Kurosaki Ichigo himself, hoping Ichigo could protect himself and not have his twenty‑plus years of experiments disrupted by Yuan Liuzhai.

Meanwhile, Aizen had no time to deal with Ichigo's affairs; he had more pressing matters, and it was time to start reclaiming the Hogyoku.

On the other side, Ye Yi and Yuan Liuzhai soon arrived at the training base beneath Twin Execution Hill that Ye Yi and Urahara Kisuke had built years ago in the Four Maple Courtyard.

"Oh! This is the place where you and Urahara Kisuke, with Hirako Mako and others, hid from pursuers in the Soul Society before defecting from the Gotei 13? It's spacious and exquisite—everything that should be here is here!"

Yuan Liuzhai tossed Kurosaki Ichigo and the others into the hot spring at the cave's center, then chuckled, praising Urahara and Ye Yi for the spacious, exquisite setup.

"Thank you for the compliment."

Ye Yi dared not speak, only bobbed her head like a chick pecking at grain.

"This hot spring is remarkably similar to the healing spring water the kid from Kirin Temple made using Matsunohara Retsu's Zanpakuto, though its restorative power is somewhat diminished…"

Yuan Liuzhai stood at the spring's edge, glanced briefly, and identified its prototype.

"Hehe, indeed this was fashioned by Urahara Kisuke imitating Kirin Temple's spring."

Ye Yi gave a slight nod, offering no rebuttal.

"What is that thing?!"

Yuan Liuzhai remarked, as if something else had caught his eye, he looked toward the hot spring's edge at a device resembling a human rubber model and asked.

"That's the God-transforming Body! It's a device developed by Urahara Kisuke specifically for training the Complete Release; that brat Urahara used this thing called the God-transforming Body and mastered the Complete Release in just three days—quite an impressive result~"

Yoruichi, upon hearing this, immediately introduced it to Yuan Liuzhai.

"Oh? Interesting……"

"If the effect is truly that good, it could be promoted!"

Yuan Liuzhai never expected that this seemingly ordinary rubber model would have such astonishing efficacy; after a slight pause in his expression, he immediately spoke to Yoruichi.

"Actually, this device called the God-transforming Body also has certain limitations: those with insufficient spiritual pressure cannot successfully train the Complete Release……"

Yoruichi, after hearing Yuan Liuzhai's words, spoke embarrassedly.

"Yes, the God-transforming Body merely lets those who are already capable of training the Complete Release do so more quickly, but it cannot enable those with seventh- or eighth-rank spiritual pressure, who haven't even made a single stroke of the character for Complete Release, to achieve the Complete Release~"

"……" Yuan Liuzhai heard this, after a brief silence he managed to add: "That's not bad either! At least from now on, anyone who reaches captain-level spiritual pressure can successfully train the Complete Release—this counts as progress."

Saying this, Yuan Liuzhai himself didn't even know what he was saying—what does it mean that those whose spiritual pressure reaches captain level can successfully train the Complete Release? As far as I know, there seems to be no example of someone with captain-level spiritual pressure who cannot complete the Complete Release! (Here, Gengmu has already mastered the Complete Release.)

"……"

For a moment, Yuan Liuzhai fell silent, and Yoruichi also fell silent.

Their ages differed too greatly, and they had little common ground.

Thus, time slipped away incessantly in silence……

After about four or five hours, Kurosaki Ichigo, Ishida Uryu, Chada Taihu, and Inoue Orihime, who had been soaking in the hot spring, finally slowly opened their eyes.

"My head hurts—what on earth happened?"

"I only remember being knocked down by an old man……"

"Not just you—me, Orihime, and Taihu were all taken out!"

"Taihu should have been the first taken out, Kurosaki Ichigo you were second, Orihime third, and I was last! After I was defeated, I don't know what happened, but it looks like we were rescued by someone. Frankly, that old man's strength is on a completely different level from ours—losing to him is only natural……"

As Kurosaki Ichigo and the others opened their eyes, they saw an unfamiliar ceiling; warm pool water surrounded them, the four of them immersed in the warm pool, continually recalling what had happened before they fainted……

It seemed they hadn't noticed that Yuan Liuzhai was sitting not far away, silently brewing tea, and Ishida Uryu's words stopped the moment he saw Yuan Liuzhai.

"Carry on, don't mind this old man me~"

Upon noticing that Kurosaki Ichigo and the others had suddenly fallen silent, Yuan Liuzhai realized they must have noticed him; he calmly poured himself a cup of tea, turned, and smiled at the people in the pool.

"What is your purpose?"

That was spoken by Uryu.

"What do you mean by that?"

That line was spoken by Ichigo.

"Sir, could it be that you rescued us?"

Orihime's first thought was not whether Yuan Liuzhai had attacked them, but whether he had rescued them afterward.

"……"

Chada Taihu merely stared at Yuan Liuzhai silently, on guard and without a word.

"Let me take them on one by one……"

"First of all, I have no ulterior motive!"

"Secondly, I indeed rescued you, and I rescued you only because I wanted to save you!"

Yuan Liuzhai looked at Ichigo and the others and replied softly.

"……"

However, Yuan Liuzhai's answer obviously failed to convince Ichigo and the others; they still regarded him warily, looking at Yuan Liuzhai heavy country.

"Let me explain the detailed account of this matter~"

At that moment, Shihoin Yoruichi, wearing an orange tracksuit, walked up to the group and soothed Kurosaki Ichigo and the others.

"Who are you?"

Who would have thought, after Ichigo glanced at Yoruichi, he had no impression whatsoever and asked her.

"Bang! Bang! Bang……"

Upon hearing this, Yoruichi's eyes twitched slightly from anger at Ichigo's words, then she delivered a hard punch to each of their heads.

Then she said, "Really rude! Don't you even remember your own teacher, me? It's me, Shihoin Yoruichi……"

"Eh?!"

"Are you Mr. Yoruichi?"

"Aren't you a cat?"

In an instant, the whole place erupted.

"Hehe, I'm certainly not a cat—how could a cat speak?"

Yoruichi looked at everyone's surprised expression, the corner of her mouth slightly curling, she held back a smile and spoke triumphantly.

"If you don't listen carefully, what exactly are you saying?"

"I don't even remember who told me that cats speaking is common sense~"

Upon hearing Yoruichi's words, Uryu nearly died of anger.

"I see, you're Mr. Yoruichi!"

As for the thick‑headed Orihime and Ichigo, they quickly accepted Yoruichi's identity.

"Hey! You accepted that too quickly!"

In response, Ishida Uryu couldn't help but retort.

At that moment, Chada Taihu whispered softly: "Really? It's Mr. Yoruichi? No wonder it's surprising! But of course, how could an ordinary cat speak?"

"You guy, your reaction is way too slow!"

"We've all finished being surprised, and you're only just starting to be surprised?"

"Taihu, you really need to go see a doctor this time! I'm serious……"

"Yulong, hearing this, looked at Chadu Taihu and weakly complained."

"All right! You already know my identity……"

"So I'm going to continue speaking! Actually, the founder……"

"I mean, this wild Old Man Genryusai has been on our side from the start! He's not an enemy; he's actually……"

"Well, he's actually an inside agent that I and Urahara Kisuke prepared in the Soul Society."

"As for why he just attacked you, I think he probably……"

"I mean he was just testing your strength! That's all."

"Sifengyuan Yiyi spoke haltingly, word by word, obviously making it up on the spot while explaining Genryusai's identity to Kurosaki Ichigo and the others."

"I see……"

"Upon hearing this, Kurosaki Ichigo and the others showed expressions of sudden realization."

"This is obviously fake!"

"Only Ishida Uryuu realized that everything Yiyi just said was made up."

"Hah! That's how it is……"

"Yiyi said this while letting out a breath, feeling pleased with herself."

"I've had enough."

"Uryuu's eyelid twitched slightly; he no longer knew what to do."

"Nobody here is normal, alright?!"

"For a moment, Uryuu worried whether their half-baked team could really rescue Rukia Kuchiki."

"Now then, let's get down to business!"

"Ichigo, you should already feel the gap between you and the founder—I mean, between you and Mr. Genryusai! Over the next three days, I'll have you learn the Death God's ultimate secret, the Complete Release of the Soul-Cutter Sword, so get mentally prepared."

"Yiyi spoke, no longer stammering, her expression turning stern, her eyes like blades fixed on Kurosaki Ichigo."

"I understand……"

"Kurosaki Ichigo said this and walked straight out of the water."

"Splash~"

"With the sound of the water column falling, Inoue Orihime's cheeks flushed slightly."

"Kurosaki Ichigo, your clothes?"

"At this point, Ishida Uryuu also noticed something off: aside from Inoue Orihime, he, Taihu, and Kurosaki Ichigo seemed to be wrapped only in a towel."

"As for Inoue Orihime, she had two—one on top, one on bottom……"

"Meanwhile, Kurosaki Ichigo's towel, having been pulled too hard, had already come off……"

"Huh?!"

"Ichigo lowered his head, silently glanced at his lower body, then shouted loudly at Sifengyuan Yiyi: 'Clothes! Where did my clothes go?!'"

"They're with this old man……"

"Just as Ichigo was surprised that his clothes had disappeared, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, who had been silently drinking tea, finally spoke. Saying this, Genryusai threw the clothes that Sifengyuan Yiyi had prepared in advance for Ichigo and the others over to them……"

"Thanks! Old Man Genryusai~"

"After receiving the clothes from Genryusai, everyone kept their distance from the female Orihime, turned their backs to each other, got out of the hot spring, and promptly put on the several sets of black Death Garb that Genryusai had given them."

"Phew~"

"Only after everyone had finished dressing did they finally let out a slight sigh of relief."

"Once you're wearing the Death Garb, the patrol units of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads won't easily spot you~"

"Yiyi crossed her arms in front of her and addressed the now-dressed Ichigo and company."

"I understand……"

"Uryuu gave a slight nod, indicating understanding."

"In fact, Uryuu had long wanted to wear a Death Garb; he didn't believe those Soul Reapers knew every squad member!"

"Moreover, even in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, each division usually has one or two members who are normally unnoticed, people nobody can name."

"From now on, he'll be that person……"

"Now then, Ichigo! Plug your Soul-Cutter Sword into this doll!"

"This thing is called a Soul Transfer Body, invented by that guy Urahara Kisuke, specifically for training the Complete Release! Urahara mastered the Complete Release in just three days thanks to this, and I believe your talent, Ichigo, is no worse than his—three days is plenty for you to master the Complete Release……"

"Yiyi whispered to Kurosaki Ichigo."

"No need for three days! One day is enough……"

"Kurosaki Ichigo said this and instinctively reached behind him."

"However, Ichigo came up empty-handed; there was no Soul-Cutter Sword behind him……"

"Sword! Where's my sword?!"

"Ichigo blinked, looking at Yiyi and asking."

"If Ichigo remembers correctly, his Soul-Cutter Sword seems to have been smashed by Genryusai's punch."

"Your sword is here……"

"Genryusai, hearing this, handed over the sword wrapped in white bandages to Ichigo."

"Thanks! Genryusai……"

"Ichigo said this, unfolding the white bandages to reveal a blade riddled with cracks, a huge hole in its middle, looking like the decapitating great sword among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."

"What the hell is this? Where's my sword?"

Yi Hu froze, this is definitely not his Zanpakuto.

"The broken part in the middle, I really can't find where it fell…"

"The remaining part I also painstakingly pieced together; in short, a Zanpakuto is just about good enough—if it works, that's all that matters; don't worry about its appearance!"

Yuan Liuzhai lectured Yi Hu.

"No, I…"

Yi Hu was at a loss for words.

"Yi Hu, it's fortunate that your Zanpakuto broke in its Shikai state; if it had broken in its Bankai form, it couldn't be repaired! As for its current form, there's no need to worry—just as Lord Yuan Liuzhai said, as long as it works, that's enough. Once you achieve Bankai, the Zanpakuto will repair itself."

Ye Yi looked at Yi Hu and spoke softly.

Ye Yi softly explained to Yi Hu the importance of protecting his Zanpakuto.

"Me, fine!"

Yi Hu sighed helplessly at the words, gripping the Zanpakuto that seemed ready to shatter with a slight pressure. He approached Pu Yuan Xi Zhu's Transcended Body, unleashed a surge of spiritual pressure, and just before his Zanpakuto was completely crushed by that pressure, he thrust the blade forcefully into the Transcended Body.

"Boom!!"

The sky‑piercing spiritual pressure erupted from Yi Hu's body.

A figure dressed in a black coat, sunglasses perched on his nose, with a cascade of thick hair like a waterfall—resembling a rock‑star yet exuding European aristocratic aura, looking like a classic novel vampire—suddenly appeared before Hei Qi Yi Hu.

"Ah! It's you, Zan God Uncle!"

Hei Qi Yi Hu looked at the man before him and instinctively greeted him.

"..."

The Eradicator's power within Hei Qi Yi Hu, which had taken the form of You Ha Ba He from a thousand years ago and now manifested before everyone, pursed its lips at Yi Hu's address.

"To be fair, he had already decided to name Hei Qi Yi Hu's Zanpakuto 'Moon Cutter', but it was ruined by some mischievous fellow…"

"A name is power; different names represent different abilities! Even changing a single character alters the strength it yields."

"Fortunately, aside from raw damage, Hei Qi Yi Hu's Zanpakuto has no flashy abilities. Its sole technique, Crescent Sky Surge, is actually recorded within Hei Qi Yi Hu's spiritual pressure—a hereditary sword art of the Shi Ba family—and bears little relation to the Zanpakuto itself. It's like Shi Ba's Zanpakuto being a fire‑type 'Flame Moon', yet its swing still resembles Crescent Sky Surge."

"So you are my Zanpakuto, then?!"

Hei Qi Yi Hu looked at the 'Zan God' Uncle before him and asked aloud.

"Indeed!"

With hands in his pockets and a cold, arrogant expression, the Eradicator's power inside Hei Qi Yi Hu lightly nodded after hearing Yi Hu's words, openly acknowledging its identity.

"Then, Zan God Uncle, quickly tell me the name of my Bankai!"

Hei Qi Yi Hu looked at the Eradicator's power before him and asked.

"Alright! But you must pass my trial…"

The 'Zan God' Uncle lightly nodded, and as he spoke, he prepared to release the suppressed true Soul Reaper power of Hei Qi Yi Hu, teaching Yi Hu how to achieve Bankai.

"After all, a Zanpakuto's Bankai is beyond what a disguised Eradicator's power can handle! He could teach Yi Hu how to use Silent Blood Gear, how to wield the Holy Eradication Arrow, even attempt to teach him to harness the power of a perfect body—but anything Soul Reaper‑related, he simply couldn't."

"Heh heh! Zanpakuto? You really…"

"You, an Eradicator, in front of me, a Soul Reaper…"

Before the 'Zan God' Uncle could finish, an impatient voice rang out; Yuan Liuzhai, irate, smashed his tea cup, lifted his Zanpakuto, and strode toward Hei Qi Yi Hu's 'Zan God' Uncle.

"Huh? How the damned old scoundrel Yuan Liuzhai ended up here?"

The 'Zan God' Uncle, after hearing Yuan Liuzhai, silently turned away, then felt a throb at his temples, as if something was about to burst, and it seemed he could no longer contain himself.

At the same time, the 'Zan God' Uncle seemed puzzled: although he could see everything outside through Hei Qi Yi Hu's eyes, why hadn't he noticed Yuan Liuzhai? Could it be…

"Huangmu! You're scheming me again!"

The 'Zan God' Uncle—i. e., the Eradicator's power within Yi Hu—instantly snapped to attention, his eyelids twitching wildly as he roared deep within.

You Ha Ba He's defense shattered, and the Eradicator's power he scattered began!

"You Ha, I ask you, what are you really pretending to be before me?"

At the moment the Eradicator's power roared within…

Yuan Liuzhai, already bearing his blade, approached the side of Yi Hu's Eradicator power, placed the sword against its neck, and asked coldly.

"Fourteen thousand, big chapter!"