Chapter 76: A Hundred Years in a Hurry, the Void Circle Expedition Ends (Second Update)

"Oh, Captain Wang Tuchuan, you've arrived?!"

"I'm truly sorry, my apologies! I just didn't see you earlier…"

When Wang Tuchuan ran up to Huangmu and the others, Huangmu showed a surprised expression, patted Wang Tuchuan's shoulder, and said cheerfully.

"So he didn't see me earlier?! No wonder he didn't call my name!" Wang Tuchuan smiled at the words and replied to Huangmu: "It's fine, I'm here to tell you that I agree to become your personal guard."

"Is that so! Quite good."

Huangmu only smiled at Wang Tuchuan, then said nothing more.

At this, the other captains watching silently thought: "Poor Wang Tuchuan, stop deceiving yourself, you're just being ostracized…"

Soon, the squad of the Eleventh Division heading to the Great Void Forest made a find.

"Captain, we've brought the Ji Li An corpse!"

One by one, the robust Eleventh Division soldiers carried the massive Ji Li An corpse toward the direction where Huangmu stood.

"Hmm~"

Huangmu glanced at the huge corpse, nodded lightly, then pointed a finger toward the hot spring pool.

"As you command!"

The soldiers instantly understood and threw the corpse into the pool.

"Gururururu…"

In less than a moment, the hot spring began to bubble out ring after ring of water, and the Ji Li An corpse had already vanished without a trace.

"What is this?!"

Seeing this, the captains all displayed shocked expressions.

"Shall everyone go in and try it?"

Huangmu then invited everyone to step into the spring for a try.

"Hmm…"

The captains, hearing that, exchanged glances, then almost simultaneously entered the hot spring.

"What?!"

When they felt the spring's marvelous effects, they again showed astonishment.

"This spring can relieve fatigue, cure hidden ailments, and heal wounds! Incredible! It's even better than the recovery spring at Qilin Temple…"

Yan Yuan Jin Le gently adjusted the nearsighted glasses on his nose, then whispered.

"Moreover, I can feel my flesh being constantly forged by the pool water! This spring can also aid our cultivation!"

Wei Hua Dan Er Lang's control over his muscles is nearly perfect; he instantly sensed the benefits the spring provided.

"So the raw material of this spring water is those Great Void, right?!"

Wei Hua Dan Er Lang looked at Huangmu and asked.

"Exactly so."

Huangmu heard that and gave a faint smile.

"Understood!"

Upon this, the captains who received the answer exchanged smiles.

Thus, in this Great Void Forest, four more Ji Li An hunters have been added.

For a moment, pressure shifted to Bai Le Gang's Thus line: Xu ye gong, and the Ya Qiu Ka Si under Bai Le Gang now seemed even less able to hunt Ji Li An; the Great Void Forest currently resembled a situation of many wolves and few sheep…

This situation persisted for a full hundred years, until a hundred years later when the Void Circle Expeditionary Force led by Huangmu withdrew from the Void Circle back to the Corpse Soul Realm, it finally improved…

Soon the Great Void Forest seemed to enter another era of Ya Qiu Ka Si hunting Ji Li An!

Years later, the only one evolved from Ji Li An, the Broken Face who ranks under Lan Ran's Ten Blades, Ya Luonilo·Ai Luru Yeli once said: "Alas! When the Void Circle thrives, Ji Li An suffers! When the Void Circle perishes, Ji Li An also suffers!"

And so…

Time flew, after Huangmu's Void Circle Expeditionary Force had campaigned against the Void Circle for a full hundred years.

Great Void Forest.

"We're heading back today, right?!"

"Yes! Honestly, I'm a bit reluctant to leave this place…"

"Mainly because we haven't returned to the Corpse Soul Realm for almost a hundred years, we have no idea how things have developed there now."

A few soldiers clad in tattered Death Overlord armor walked through the Great Void Forest as if it were their backyard, strolling and chatting leisurely.

"Roar!!"

Just as the soldiers were chatting, a Ji Li An suddenly burst from the trees and attacked those Eleventh Division soldiers.

"Hey hey hey! We're not here to pick a fight with you today, just stay put here honestly!"

When the soldiers saw the Ji Li An charging at them, a hint of indifference flashed across their faces; a hundred years had passed, they were no longer the fledglings who first arrived in the Great Void Forest.

"Seal him! Yan Yan Luo!"

One of the soldiers drew his waist‑worn Soul‑Cutting Blade and unleashed it; in the dark forest, endless mist instantly swirled, encircling the Ji Li An, and when the Ji Li An touched the mist, it suddenly turned into countless chains that bound the Ji Li An tightly…

"Go!"

Immediately, the soldier wielding the Soul‑Cutting Blade pulled at the Ji Li An from a distance; the chains on the Ji Li An rustled, and the Ji Li An was flung away by the soldier.

"Boom!"

Then the Ji Li An crashed to the ground amid a gust of flying dust.

"In the past, we ordinary soldiers could only run away from those powerful Great Void, but now even we can easily subdue a Ji Li An…"

The soldiers watched the Ji Li An lying on the ground, unable to rise, and felt a touch of sentiment; in these hundred years they had progressed a lot.

A few didn't linger; they only intended, during their final time in the Void Circle, to take a good look at this place they'd lived in for a hundred years…

"The captain has summoned us…"

After everyone returned to the base of the Hollow Circle Expeditionary Force, they saw a wall over a hundred meters high, and inside the wall were rows of two-story buildings, all constructed by them over the years; the soldiers guarding the wall's gate, upon seeing the soldiers heading to the Great Hollow Forest for their final reconnaissance, spoke up to remind them.

"We understand……"

Everyone nodded in unison and immediately headed toward the hot spring pool at the center of the expeditionary force's camp.

A hundred years have passed, yet this hot spring pool has not changed in the slightest!

However, this pool no longer allows anyone to bathe in it; it is now more of a spiritual symbol!

And if a soldier wants to obtain spring water, they must turn in the corpse of a Great Hollow to earn the corresponding points; after earning points, they can return to their own small lodging and spend the points to get the corresponding spring water… Yes, the hot spring pool's water is interconnected with the water supply systems of each small building.

At this moment, all the soldiers of the Eleventh Division of the Court Guard have already gathered before the hot spring pool…

Naturally, standing at the front of the hot spring pool is the commander of the Hollow Circle Expeditionary Force, Araki, and beside him are the squad leaders: Uganoha Retsu, Saito Furu Fushi, Shikari Bakuun Sai, and others.

"Gentlemen, time has flown by; we have been waging war in the Hollow Circle for a hundred years! During this century, we have kept the Great Hollows of the Hollow Circle within the safety threshold, and we have executed the malevolent spirits that once repelled Commander-Commander Yamamoto and slaughtered the sages of the Central Forty-Six Chambers! Indeed, my soldiers, you are all true heroes!"

"Nowadays, all malevolent spirits have been executed; the brilliance of the Soul King's Majesty illuminates the entire Hollow Circle, dispelling all evil! It drives the Great Hollows into the shadows, where they dare not appear! Thus our mission has finally ended; it is time for us to return home! We shall return as heroes to the Soul Society!"

Araki stood on the podium he had erected on the spot and delivered an impassioned speech to the soldiers before him.

"Oh!!"

As Araki's words fell, the soldiers of the Eleventh Division of the Court Guard all broke into loud cheers.

No matter what, the mere thought of returning to the Soul Society, to their hometowns, still fills these soldiers with excitement.

"However, while we were heroes campaigning against the Hollow Circle, some bad people, some evil forces took advantage of our absence to invade and occupy our homeland—do you agree with that?!"

At that moment, Araki continued to question the soldiers of the Eleventh Division.

"Disagree! Absolutely disagree!"

The soldiers replied in unison.

"In the face of those villains, what should we do?!"

Araki nodded satisfactorily, then continued to ask.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The Eleventh Division soldiers, resembling evil spirits, all drew the Soul-Cutting Swords at their waists; their boundless killing intent startled the dark clouds over the Hollow Circle's sky, causing them to scatter instantly.

"This time we go to the Soul Society to do only three things: fairness! fairness! or fucking fairness!"

Araki gazed at the soldiers he had carefully trained, a smile curling his lips as he raised three fingers toward the sky; the Hollow Circle is pretty much pacified, and now it's time to attend to the Soul Society—he wonders whether those adorable nobles, upon learning of their return, will still be able to sleep at night.

Soul Society, Seireitei…

Inside the barracks of the First Division of the Court Guard.

"You told Araki about the Eleventh Division's affairs?!"

Genryūsai stood in the vacant captain's chamber, questioning Jirobou beside him.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing that, Jirobou immediately stepped forward to Genryūsai.

In the lamplight, one could see several deep wrinkles on Jirobou's face; over the past hundred years he has grown much, yet also aged greatly.

"Hmm, not bad! It's also time to give those blind nobles a good thrashing!"

"Otherwise, those high-and-mighty nobles would truly think I've become a puppet dancing to their strings!"

"Surely no one would really think that, after I took their sponsorship money to build an academy and personally drove out the 'weapons' that helped me conquer the world from Seireitei, I'd gone from a mountain tiger to a tame house cat?! Hah, absolutely ridiculous."

Upon hearing Jirobou's words, Yamamoto let out a cold snort, his eyes flashing with a murderous light.

The Eleventh Division of the Court Guard…

A tall man lay asleep in the swordsmanship dojo, snoring loudly.

Because Eleventh Division Captain Araki had taken his troops to the Hollow Circle, the Eleventh Division had remained vacant; however, the vast Seireitei cannot go a single day without a combat division!

Therefore, Genryūsai has continually appointed someone to act as the Eleventh Division captain…

However, a few years ago, a high-ranking noble approached Genryūsai, and after extracting an extremely high price from him, consulted with Genryūsai about supporting one of his own confidants within the Thirteen Court Guard Squads!

Following the principle of "eat the sugarcoating, return the cannonballs," Genryūsai, upon confirming that Araki would soon return, handed over the Eleventh Division captain's position to that high-ranking noble…

This delighted the high-ranking noble immensely, for according to the rules of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, the Eleventh Division captain, besides his duties, also earns the title of "Sword Eight"!

Every Soul Reaper who earns the title of Sword Eight is hailed as the strongest under Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni within Seireitei! To the high-ranking noble, this clearly seemed like Yamamoto was courting him, and so he has swollen with pride over the years, to the point that even the Five Great Noble Houses can barely tolerate him.

Even after being called Sword Eight many times, the man himself came to believe he was the strongest Soul Reaper, to the extent that he even occupied the swordsmanship dojo where the former Eleventh Division soldiers used to train, using it for his afternoon nap.

And the man's downfall is evidently today…

"Captain, Commander-Commander Yamamoto has issued a summoning order, directing all captains to gather at the First Division barracks to prepare for the return of the Hollow Circle Subjugation Force!"

"I've heard that this time the Hollow Circle Subjugation Force achieved unprecedented success, not only slaying the Great Hollow that once plagued Seireitei, but also clearing half of the Great Hollow Forest, slaughtering countless Great Hollows!"

A current Eleventh Division soldier ran into the swordsmanship dojo and shouted anxiously at the man lying there, snoring loudly.

"Ah? Didn't I say it already? I'm not going!"

Upon hearing that, the newly appointed Eleventh Division captain showed no intention of getting up; after giving his men a few perfunctory instructions, he rolled over and continued sleeping on the floor.

"Captain, I've heard through the grapevine that the commander of the Hollow Circle Subjugation Force is the former Eleventh Division captain; I think you should go take a look…"

That soldier gazed at his arrogant captain, a flicker of helplessness crossing his face—precisely because their captain always wears an air of superiority, the Eleventh Division soldiers are thus disliked by other divisions within Seireitei.

"Huh? Did you get something wrong? Right now I am the Eleventh Division captain! Let that damn former Eleventh Division captain go to hell!! No one can take my position!"

As the soldier's words fell, the tall man suddenly opened his eyes, revealing a murderous glare, and seized the soldier's throat in one grip.

"Ugh……"

The soldier tried to resist, but unfortunately his strength was vastly inferior to the man's.

"Boom!"

Just then, a rumbling sound suddenly came from outside the Eleventh Division's gate.

"Huh?!"

"What's happening?"

The man threw down the soldier in his hand, swaggered to the gate of the swordsmanship dojo, and then shoved the door open.

"Captain..."

Immediately coming into view were a group of the current Eleventh Division soldiers collapsed on the ground.

"Huh?!"

The man looked up and saw a youth with jet-black short hair and a handsome face smiling at him.

"Is it you who made my division like this?"

To this, the man roared at the youth.

"Is this your division? So you're saying you're the newly appointed captain of the Eleventh Division?"

The youth didn't answer the man's question, but instead asked on his own.

"Isn't it obvious? As you said, I am the captain of the Eleventh Division!"

Upon hearing this, the man spoke coldly.

"Swish!"

At the very moment the man's words fell, a blade of cold light slashed toward him.

"Huh?!"

The man stared blankly for a moment, first raising his hand to touch his forehead, and upon seeing the blood on his hand, he widened his eyes.

"You bastard..."

Before the man could finish his words, a large amount of blood gushed from his body, and he collapsed to the ground without a fierce expression.

"It's not yours anymore."

The youth looked at the fallen man and spoke coldly.

(End of chapter)