The Supreme Soul, Starting with Death

As soon as he finished speaking, Stark, with his exceptional agility, fired a Cero flash from his fingertip, easily opening a passage in the desert beneath his feet that led directly to the Hollow Forest. In a flash, he dashed inside.

Gu Shi quickly took a few steps to the side to avoid falling into the hole himself, and then breathed a sigh of relief. The people around him were too energetic, which sometimes tested his heart.

He glanced again at the large hole leading directly to the Great Void Forest, and found that the dome of the Great Void Forest was too high. From such a distance, he couldn't see what was happening inside at all. Gu Shi shook his head and decisively turned around to continue looking for the small Void that he could use.

Stark's explosion just now, although his spiritual pressure was extremely well contained, and even as a Killian standing next to him, he didn't feel uncomfortable, the Hollows around him were probably either scared away or scared to death. If they wanted to find a few usable ones, they would probably have to go far away again.

Having chosen a direction, Gu Shi walked for quite a while before finally spotting a living Hollow. The Hollow was only a little over four meters tall, resembling an antelope, and stood atop a high sand dune, looking up at him. It seemed no different from the other Hollows, except…

Why does this spiritual pressure feel so terrifying?

That's Adjuchas, isn't it?!

The moment Gu Shi met Antelope's gaze, he had already prepared his eulogy in his mind.

Chapter 118 Nilu

"Heh, heh heh, how about we talk? I'm just a Killian, eating me wouldn't do you any good, right?"

Gu Shi said he was just chatting, but in secret he had already accumulated spiritual pressure and prepared for battle. If beings like Hollows could resolve their conflicts with words, then Earth wouldn't have specially created an absurd being like the Soul King just to deal with the original Hollow.

However, to Gu Shi's surprise, upon hearing him say that, the antelope Da Xu actually nodded and uttered a clear and melodious female voice.

"Okay, then you can chat with me. I've been feeling really bored by myself lately."

As if to prove that he really didn't intend to eat Gu Shi, the antelope Da Xu took a few steps back, and slowly lay down in a strangely elegant posture, staring with a pair of bright, watery eyes, waiting for Gu Shi to start a conversation.

Although for Adjuchas, the few steps that the antelope Hollow took back were easily covered in less than a second if he really moved, the friendly attitude expressed in this action left Gu Shi somewhat dumbfounded.

The Starks are friendly because they have been lonely for over a hundred years. As long as it is a living being that can talk to him as an equal, help him relieve his loneliness, or not suddenly die in front of him, he will definitely be friendly.

But this antelope, Hollow, looks like just an ordinary Adjuchas. Why is she so friendly?

To put it more bluntly, what gives her the right to be friendly to people? In a place like Hueco Mundo, how could someone with such a kind and gentle personality survive? And even evolve into an Adjuchas?

Could this be a tactic of toying with the prey before killing it, giving it false hope, and then shattering that hope?

Gu Shi had all sorts of guesses in his mind, but he quickly put on a harmless and friendly smile and started rambling on about an appropriate topic.

"I'd like to ask you, were you an antelope before you became Hollowfied? Among the Hollows I know, those who were humans in life are mostly... rude, while those who were dogs and rabbits in life have personalities like yours, which are more friendly and pure."

The antelope Hollow, whose personality had been praised, smiled and her eyes narrowed. Even through the bone mask, it was clear that she was in a very good mood.

“I’m starting to like you. When I was nice to other Hollows before, they would just say I was an idiot. You’re the first one to praise me. But you guessed wrong. Before I became a Hollow, I wasn’t an antelope. I was a pure human.”

Gu Shi was not surprised by this answer at all. After all, the horns of this antelope daxu were coiled, huge, and gorgeous. It was hard to imagine that they were related to the antelopes in Japan, which had short horns and looked more like dogs than sheep.

However, Gu Shi still put on a surprised expression and nodded repeatedly in admiration.

"That's truly remarkable. Based on my observations, because humans have complex emotions in life, these emotions are amplified by their virtual instincts after they pass through the ethereal realm, making them irritable and cruel. Only animals with simple emotions in life can retain their pure and kind nature after passing through the ethereal realm. So it seems..."

Gu Shi paused deliberately, waiting for the antelope dwarf to cast a curious glance, before continuing with a smile.

"Judging from this, you must have been a very simple and pure person in your previous life. Only someone like that could remain kind even after being forgotten. It's a pity I didn't know you back then, otherwise I would definitely have tried to make you my friend."

The antelope laughed even more happily. Perhaps when she was in the ethereal state, the emotion she lost was shame. Even though Gu Shi's praise was very blatant, she did not feel ashamed. Her big green eyes were filled with the desire to "praise me more, praise me even more".

“We can be friends now. My name is Nelielu du Odeschvank, just call me Nelielu. What’s your name?”

Upon hearing Antelope Daxu introduce himself, Gu Shi was stunned for a moment before realizing that the person he had encountered was indeed the Antelope Knight, and his vigilance immediately lessened considerably.

The friendliness of other Hollows may just be a facade; beneath that friendly appearance, they may very well harbor even more malicious intentions than their counterparts.

But Nel is different. If she is friendly to you, then there is no doubt that she is genuinely friendly. In terms of credibility, perhaps only Halibel, who carries the image of "sacrifice" in death, can rival her in the entire Hueco Mundo.

However, at this time, Nel wasn't yet Vastod.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Shi simply sat down as well, using this posture—which makes it inconvenient to react immediately in case of an accident—to express his trust and goodwill.

"Since you've said so, I'll consider us friends. My name isn't as long as yours; it's Gu Shi. Just call me by my name. By the way, how come you're in the Surface Desert? This place is far more vast than the Great Void Forest, and the number of Great Void beings is far less than in the Great Void Forest. Don't you go hungry here?"

Gu Shi wasn't worried that his direct mention of devouring other Voids would anger Nilu. Nilu simply loathed meaningless killing and fighting, such as deliberately toying with prey and trampling on their dignity when she could easily kill them, or hunting for amusement or out of prejudice when there was no reason for hostility.

Having evolved all the way to Vasto Lorde, Nel must have devoured other Hollows. She wouldn't be unable to accept the normal mutual devouring among Hollows.

As expected, Nilu didn't get angry because of Gu Shi's question; she just sighed deeply, looking quite frustrated.

"Sigh, Gu Shi, of course I understand what you're saying, but a while ago, a monster that had been active in the surface desert suddenly ran to the Great Void Forest."

"That monster is really terrifying. Even across half of the Great Hollow Forest, his terrifying spiritual pressure felt like it was directly pressing down on my head. I'm afraid that one day he might just take a couple of steps and crush me to death, leaving me no choice but to escape to the surface desert to starve."

As she spoke, without needing anyone to comfort her, Nilu cheered herself up again, and her face regained its energetic smile.

"But it's okay. I'm not the only one who escaped up here. Just watch, before long, except for the weaker Kylians and some of the lowest-ranking Adjuchas, all the Hollows in the Hollow Forest will have to move up here. Then I won't have to worry about food."

Listening to Nilu's optimistic remarks, Gu Shi nodded thoughtfully.

So this is why, in Grimmjow's memories, he and his subordinates were active in the surface desert, but in his own experience, the surface desert was only inhabited by Hollows, while the Hollow Forest was full of Hollows?

Before he was an Arrancar, Stark was a walking calamity. Even the most perceptive Hollows avoided him. When he stayed in the surface desert, the Hollows would go to the Hollow Forest to make a living. When he went to the Hollow Forest, the Hollows would come to the surface desert to be active.

Perhaps, even if I hadn't created the corrupted Hogyoku, one day in the future, Stark would have wandered into the Forest of Menreiki, and then all the Menreiki would have been scared away by him and fled to the surface desert.

No wonder all those Espada in the story are so proud, yet none of them dare to challenge Stark for the first seat. Even Barragan, who is in second place, only dares to talk big but doesn't dare to actually challenge Stark. It turns out that these Hollows have already been thoroughly tormented by Stark.

Chapter 119 The Real World

"Brother Yuzhu, did you succeed?"

Filled with unease, Shota cautiously asked in a soft voice. On the other side of the wooden table, Yusuke sat calmly, his unfocused eyes staring blankly ahead, not answering Shota's question.

Shota grew increasingly anxious. Ever since yesterday, when his older brother Yusuke said that he had mastered all the secrets of the five senses and memories and immediately started to retrieve his memories from his previous life, he had been like a statue, sitting stiffly at the table, not moving once for the entire day.

If it weren't for the fact that Yusuke's chest was still rising and falling with his breathing, Shota would have even suspected that he was already dead.

However, even though it was confirmed that Yusuke was still alive, his condition was clearly very wrong. He not only stopped moving his body, but he also didn't blink once all day.

Therefore, as time went on, Shota became increasingly uneasy.

He was well aware that his current status and preferential treatment in "Wild Fu" all stemmed from his relationship with Youzhu. What he received was actually the boss's investment in Youzhu's future.

Even someone with no brains could guess that if something happened to Yusuke and he lost his value in the eyes of outsiders, then the person who rose to power by relying on Yusuke would definitely have a terrible ending. Those who were jealous of him and flattered him would be eager to tear him apart to repay the "grievances" they suffered from him.

Thinking of this, Shota's eyes welled up with tears.

"Boss Yuzhu, don't scare me, please wake up."

By the end, Shota's voice even trembled with a hint of tears. He wanted to shake Yusuke's body, but he was afraid that if he did, Yusuke would fall straight to the ground and completely extinguish his hope. So he could only wave helplessly in front of Yusuke, hoping that Yusuke would at least blink.

Yusuke, increasingly frightened and aggrieved, finally couldn't hold back his tears, which began to slide down his cheeks. Just then, the gentle voice that he had become completely familiar with finally rang in his ears once again.

"It's rather embarrassing for a boy to cry."

With wide, surprised eyes, Shota frantically wiped his eyes, quickly removing the tears that were obstructing his vision. He could clearly see Yusuke's smiling face and finally felt relieved. He felt completely drained and slumped down at the table, filled with the joy of escaping a desperate situation, and couldn't help but complain under his breath.

"Brother Yuzhu, you really scared me this time. Let's not do dangerous things like this next time, okay? Losing memories isn't like losing a piece of flesh. It won't affect our lives at all. Let's just look forward."

Yusuke ignored Shota's complaints and, with a wistful smile, affectionately tapped Shota on the head.

“Shota, if from the moment you were born, someone had blindfolded you, and all your knowledge of the world came from that person telling you what they wanted you to know, and you weren’t even aware of their existence, taking their voice for granted as part of your world…”

Yusuke, with his gentle smile, gradually revealed a sharp glint in his eyes as he softly asked Shota a question.

"So, once you realize that the black cloth exists, will you tear it off and embrace the real world?"

Yusuke's gentle and calm voice seemed to possess a natural magic that made people want to listen. As Shota listened to his description, he unconsciously began to imagine the scene and couldn't help but shudder. He felt an immense terror enveloping his entire body and answered without thinking.

"Of course I'll tear it off! I'm not only going to tear off that damn black cloth, I'm going to kill the guy who blindfolded me too!"

Shota's answer did not surprise Yusuke. He had already seen that this boy, who obviously grew up in poverty, had his own set of survival wisdom. Beneath his selfish and timid exterior, he was not lacking in the ruthlessness to fight to the death.

Yu-zhu believes that if necessary, this seemingly honest young man would not hesitate to stab anyone in the heart, including his "big brother Yu-zhu".

So, Yuusuke simply nodded calmly and continued to guide Shota's thinking in a gentle voice.

"So, if, just as you're about to tear off the black cloth, that voice tells you that the real world is extremely dangerous, and that facing it might drive you insane or lead to suicide, and that everything it does is to protect you, would you still continue to do so?"

This time, Shota hesitated. His youthful passion made him want to stick to his previous choice, but his survival wisdom made him realize that even if he was blindfolded, he could still live a good life.

Moreover, since we have never seen the real world since birth, why risk our lives to pursue something that never belonged to us in the first place?

After thinking for a long time, Shota scratched his head, grinned, and revealed his signature憨厚 (honest and simple) smile.

"This problem is too complicated, I can't figure it out, but I just need to follow Brother Yu-suke. If he says to pick it, I will pick it; if he doesn't want me to pick it, I won't pick it."

The seemingly clever answer, intended to show loyalty, did not change Yusuke's smile at all. He simply glanced at Shota calmly and continued to ask questions.

"If you've made up your mind to embrace the real world, but other people who are also blindfolded accuse you of breaking the established rules and disrupting their peaceful and happy lives, and are willing to kill you to stop you, can you still stick to your decision?"

Shota shivered involuntarily when Yusuke glanced at him with his sharp eyes, and subconsciously shrank his neck. He finally realized, belatedly, that there seemed to be something different about his older brother Yusuke when he woke up.

Yusuke, it seems, has truly regained his memories from his previous life.

It was that memory that made the eldest brother dangerous.

Not daring to play any more tricks, Shota thought about it seriously for a while before cautiously giving his answer.

"Since so many people want to stop me, I should first quietly gather a group of people who share my ideas, and once there are enough people to hold them off, then I'll remove the black cloth with my companions?"

As Shota slowly explained his thoughts, he secretly observed Yusuke's expression. He wasn't sure if his answer met Yusuke's expectations, and he was even more unsure what Yusuke, now in danger, would do to him if his answer didn't satisfy him.

However, no matter what Shota answered, Yusuke's expression did not change. He seemed not to care about Shota's answer and was just using the question to organize his own thoughts.

Chapter 120 Good Child

Yusuke didn't care about Shota's answer, but Shota didn't understand his thoughts. Seeing that his older brother didn't say a word after he answered, he subconsciously thought that his answer had displeased his older brother, and his already uneasy heart became even more flustered.

"I... I was just talking about my own situation! I'm so weak, I have to rely on others to get anything done. If it were someone as strong as Yuusuke, the situation would definitely be different!"

In his heart, Shota was once again grateful to his past self for having developed such a talent for talking nonsense. Even though he was still very flustered and his mind was in a mess, with no room for thought, he could still spout a bunch of seemingly reasonable things without having to think at all.

Shota simply abandoned the responsibility of speaking to his body's instincts.

“Someone as strong as Yusuke can easily take down anyone who wants to oppose him, unlike an ordinary person like me who has to team up with others before I dare to express my own opinion.”

This time, Yusuke finally responded to Shota's answer. His smile seemed to soften a little, and he shook his head slightly in disapproval.

"Ordinary people have their own value too. Didn't I choose Shota as my partner?"

Hearing this, Shota finally felt a little relieved, as if the familiar, easily fooled Yusuke older brother had returned, and he quickly nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, although I can't help with the fight, I can still help you with other chores!"