The Supreme Soul, Starting with Death

Hearing him say that, Ashido glanced at Bai, who was sitting on Gu Shi's shoulder with a happy smile on his face, and then gripped the Zanpakuto hanging at his waist. A hint of longing appeared in his eyes.

"If only it could succeed."

Ashido chose to stay in Hueco Mundo and not return to Soul Society because of "where he belongs".

Controlled by nobles, and with the righteousness of death being denied, Asido no longer considers that place his home.

This time, Ashido put aside his obsession with hunting Voidlings as much as possible and came to the mortal world with Bai. They spent two months busy searching for underground caverns and opening up passages large enough for the Voidlings to pass through, all because of "a place to return to".

In Asido's mind, he was a Shinigami who had abandoned Soul Society, Haku was a living person who had abandoned the mortal world, and Gu Shi and the others were also outcasts who were incompatible with ordinary Hollows. The people gathered in this small group were all people who could not find their place in this world.

He once thought that they could only continue to "wander" like this, and that one day they would be buried in a place that did not belong to them.

But Gu Shi gave him a new option.

If you have nowhere to go, then create one yourself!

They created a spiritually rich area, continuously accumulating spiritual power within it, until the area broke through the great net, detached from the mortal world, and formed a small world that belonged only to them.

There will be no haughty, despicable nobles there who treat them as tools;

There will be no ignorant living people there who regard the immortal as monsters;

There will be no rude and brutal Hollows there, who don't care about anything except what to eat.

That would be their world, where they wouldn't be lost and confused about where they belonged, nor would they have to force themselves to abandon their beliefs and principles in order to fit into those established and corrupt groups.

In the future, they can invite more like-minded partners to provide a place where those who are not inherently bad but have lost their home because they are different from those around them can breathe freely.

Perhaps, that place will become the "utopia" that Gu Shi once talked about.

Although Asido remained silent, Gu Shi was able to guess his thoughts.

Like most ordinary Grim Reapers, Asido possesses a simple sense of justice. However, unlike most people who, when they discover that their justice has been trampled upon, either choose to give up their principles or sacrifice their lives for justice, Asido's actions are different.

Asido, he gave up on himself.

He was unwilling to give up the justice he had upheld throughout his life, yet he didn't know how to change things.

Should we rebel against Soul Society and kill those nobles?

Putting aside the difference in strength, in this process, they will inevitably become enemies with their former colleagues. Why should they kill those ordinary Grim Reapers who have done nothing wrong in the name of "justice"?

Asido's simple sense of justice wouldn't allow him to do that.

Therefore, Ashido remained in Hueco Mundo, exiling himself.

Therefore, Gu Shi gave him new hope and a new choice.

It's a choice that goes beyond A or B, and creates a C choice by its own hands.

Gu Shi believed that if the plan could truly succeed and create a small world similar to Soul Society, Ashido would risk his life to protect the new home he had created.

Gu Shi himself also needs such a new home.

For a long time before this, Gu Shi was actually very worried about his future. If he wanted to soar into the stars, he needed enough time to accumulate experience.

Aizen's talent and growth rate will definitely be much faster than his, so he won't have much time. When Aizen conquers Hueco Mundo in the future and starts a war between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society, as long as he is still in Hueco Mundo and is still a Hollow, it will be almost impossible for him to stay out of it.

Should you side with Aizen? You'll most likely be crushed by the protagonist's plot armor in the end.

Standing on the side of Soul Society? Not to mention being drawn into an even more dangerous battle later on, he'd probably be eliminated by Aizen before that even happened.

It seems there's no way out.

But after obtaining the information about the Spirit Land, Gu Shi finally perked up.

What do I care about faction selection or thousand-year-old blood feuds? I'm just starting a new game and I'm not playing with you guys anymore!

The Soul Society is corrupt! Aizen is ruthless! The Quincy are tyrannical! And the Hollows are utterly worthless!

You're all no good, go fight amongst yourselves. I'll just stay in my new home and enjoy the peace and quiet, nobody should bother me! Once I've built up enough power, I'll lead my friends straight to space, and nobody will be able to bother me then!

Of course, this was just a momentary outburst, a joke.

As long as one remains on Earth, one will inevitably have to deal with these forces. However, having a "home" that is entirely one's own and a proper way out will undoubtedly give one more confidence when dealing with various parties.

Furthermore, if there is an absolutely safe place where friends can be placed in space without having to worry about the Soul Society or Hueco Mundo, so that they can be assured that their friends will not be mistreated even if they leave, they will definitely feel more at ease.

After all, this is the world of Bleach. Not everyone can abandon their family and friends and resolutely step into the world of One Piece, where there may be no turning back, for the sake of dreams, friendship, and freedom.

While Gu Shi and Axido remained silent, Tianpeng had already quickly completed the "planting" of the spiritual energy crystals, burying all the spiritual energy crystals according to the pre-designed blueprints.

"True Lord, you shall initiate it!"

Tianpeng's eyes were full of anticipation. Soul Society had Shinigami, Hueco Mundo had Hollows, and the newly formed small world might also have new specialties that could provide her with more diverse alchemy materials. She couldn't help but look forward to such a future.

However, the initial launch should indeed have been carried out by Gu Shi Zhenjun, who proposed the Chonglingdi plan.

In life, a sense of ritual is also very important.

At this point, Gu Shi couldn't help but get excited. He nodded emphatically, strode to the center of the "array diagram," released his spiritual power, and, relying on the control skills he had honed for five years, connected the numerous spiritual power crystals, forming a complete cycle.

Instantly, a square barrier quickly appeared, completely enveloping an area of ​​several square kilometers, equivalent to the combined area of ​​more than ten high school campuses, as well as the area above and below ground.

It was a very impressive scene. After the initial excitement, Tianpeng and the others were still excited, but Gu Shi couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.

Yushōda Hachigen, the vice-leader of the Kidō Clan, can create a complete barrier by simply clapping his hands together, completely concealing the Masked Army. Moreover, it does not require any additional spiritual energy supply, as the barrier can sustain itself for a long time through its own circulation of spiritual energy.

However, this barrier of his own was slowly pieced together and designed based on the information on the Kido and the barrier notes found in the Shinigami Academy. Its only advantage is that the coverage area is large enough. Apart from that, whether it is the sturdiness or the effect of spiritual energy circulation, it is probably far inferior to Yushōda Hachigen's casual snap.

Fortunately, the effect of concealing internal spiritual energy fluctuations and preventing outsiders from noticing abnormal changes in internal spiritual energy has proven effective, just like in previous tests. This is sufficient for now, and we can gradually improve and expand it in the future.

Minecraft, start!

Chapter 144 Old Habits

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Chapter 145 Urahara's Bitter Heart

"Kisuke, what on earth have you been up to lately?"

Yoruichi Shihōin, carrying a small sake bottle, frowned as she looked at her friend's haggard appearance.

For the past five years, Kisuke Urahara has been holed up in his laboratory every day, researching all sorts of inexplicable and incomprehensible things. Almost every so often, he would go to the outskirts of Rukongai to hunt Hollows. Sometimes he would even use the Shihouin family's portal to go to the human world, where he would be gone for ten days or half a month at a time. He even reduced the time he spent drinking with her.

If that's all there is to it, Yoruichi Shihouin wouldn't have any objections. They're all grown up now, and each has their own things to do. As Shinigami, they have plenty of time, and their friendship won't change just because of a short period of lack of communication.

But recently, Kisuke Urahara's behavior seems to have become increasingly outrageous. According to reports from the Secret Service, he has visited the Shinigami Academy on more than one occasion in his noble capacity to "visit" and observe the students.

Using virtual experiments is fine, as long as it's done discreetly and with covert operations to help, nothing serious will happen. But if they set their sights on the students of the real Central Academy, then things will get out of hand, and even the Captain-General might have to get involved personally.

When she first received this information, Yoruichi Shihouin didn't take it seriously. She had confidence in her friend's character and believed that Kisuke Urahara would never do something so heinous. She instructed the Onmitsukido to help cover it up and then paid no more attention to it.

However, not long after Kisuke Urahara began frequently visiting the Shinigami Academy, something happened there. One or more Hollows of unknown identity opened a Black Hollow on the territory of the Shinigami Academy.

Although the alarm was triggered the moment the black cavity opened, and the Gotei 13 responded at the fastest speed, with the captains of the 8th and 3rd Divisions personally making a trip, it was ultimately too late.

A student who was somewhat famous and had been noticed by several squad vice-captains before graduation was still brutally murdered. There was no body left, and no traces could be found at the scene. The only preliminary speculation is that he was eaten on the spot, leaving not a drop of blood.

This incident directly angered the Captain-Commander. The atmosphere in Seireitei has been so tense these past few days that it's suffocating. Even the Shinigami don't dare to breathe too loudly when they're on patrol.

Yoruichi's mother said when she came home yesterday that the Captain-Commander had submitted an application to the Central 46. Once the application is approved, manpower will be immediately drawn from various divisions to form the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force, which will go to Hueco Mundo to carry out a cleanup mission that will last for at least twenty years and thoroughly wipe out Hueco Mundo.

At that time, one or two team leaders might even be transferred out.

Of course, the nobles who control the Forty-Six Chambers are generally unwilling to expend manpower and resources on some Hueco Mundo expedition for the sake of a mere student.

Moreover, in recent years, some nobles have begun to take the lead in proposing to exterminate the Quincy within fifty years, and they are now actively connecting with various families. These nobles are naturally even less willing to invest their precious fighting power in Hueco Mundo at this juncture, so the application for the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force is unlikely to be approved.

However, the captain's attitude has been made very clear.

In this context, Kisuke Urahara's frequent visits to the Shinigami Academy before the incident naturally became glaringly obvious.

Regardless of whether he colluded with Hueco Mundo to attack the Shinigami, there are plenty of Shinigami willing to mention his name in front of the Captain-Commander in order to gain an opportunity to appear before him. Among them are many Shinigami from noble families. Even the Shihouin family could not completely suppress the matter under such circumstances.

After all, Yoruichi Shihouin is not currently in power in the Shihouin family, and Kisuke Urahara is just a friend of Yoruichi Shihouin. Before the two establish a closer relationship, the Shihouin family is unlikely to make much effort for him.

For example, the genius Kuchiki Kyoga, who married into the Kuchiki family, has been working very hard in recent decades, actively participating in the suppression of rebellious Shinigami on many occasions. He is clearly aiming for the captain's position. After receiving information that Urahara Kisuke is a suspect, he will certainly not easily let go of this opportunity to make a contribution.

The Kuchiki and Shihōin families are both among the four great noble families. Kuchiki Kyouga is the son-in-law of Kuchiki Ginryū, the head of the Kuchiki family, and has already taken on the Kuchiki surname. Urahara Kisuke, on the other hand, is just a friend of Shihōin Yoruichi, the prospective head of the family. Even if the Shihōin family wanted to help Urahara Kisuke, they would not have a valid reason to do so.

After all, if the Shihōin family were to intervene, the Kuchiki family would see it as a complete provocation.

What do you mean? Your Shihouin family wants to shut up my Kuchiki family's legitimate son-in-law just because of an outsider? We are all from the four great noble families. Do you underestimate the Kuchiki family and think that my Kuchiki family is just some minor noble family that you can mess with at will?

Therefore, even though Yoruichi Shihouin trusted her friend, in this situation, she could only give Kisuke Urahara a heads-up before the news reached the Captain-Commander's ears and he was called in for questioning, so that he could be mentally prepared.

Of course, this is also related to Yoruichi Shihouin's belief that Kisuke Urahara was innocent enough and that even if he were called in for questioning, he would be released without charge soon.

Anyway, the Shihōin family is in charge of the criminal investigation team and the prison, so Urahara Kisuke won't be mistreated by being imprisoned. There's no need to worry about him being tortured into confessing. Once the Captain-Commander finishes his questioning, the matter will be over.

However, to Yoruichi Shihōin's surprise, after she told Kisuke Urahara the news, her friend, whom she believed to be innocent, unexpectedly became agitated, rubbing her forehead vigorously and biting her nails unconsciously, looking exactly like a criminal suspect.

Urahara Kisuke's demeanor made Yoruichi Shihouin's heart skip a beat. She became serious and used the interrogation techniques she had learned in the Criminal Investigation Department to carefully observe Urahara Kisuke's expression and analyze his movements. At the same time, she seriously questioned him about what he had been up to all this time.

Kisuke Urahara also had his own unspoken grievances. Ever since he obtained Saito Yoru's interrogation records five years ago and saw the technology that allowed Shinigami to transform into Hollows, he had been researching ways to make Shinigami and Hollows transform into each other or assimilate into the same form, trying to eliminate the barrier between Shinigami and Hollows.

He had his own bottom line. All the experimental subjects he used in the past five years were Hollows. He did not harm any of the Shinigami. He did not even harm the commoners in Rukongai, whose lives were considered worthless by the nobles. His frequent visits to Shinigami Academy during this period were only to collect some students' spiritual power as samples.

Unlike the Shinigami who have already established their forms, the students who have not yet released their Zanpakuto have more "loose" and "variable" spiritual power, which makes them significantly more effective at analysis than the Shinigami, making them excellent research subjects.

Kisuke Urahara is truly innocent, but the problem is that the subject he is researching is absolutely taboo in the eyes of 99% of the Shinigami.

Saito Yoru, who tried to study this thing two years ago, is still in jail. Two years ago, another genius who was once highly regarded by everyone was thrown into the maggot's nest for touching a taboo.

In just five years, the two of them touched things that should never be touched. If Urahara Kisuke dared to reveal his research topic at this time, he would probably have to go to the maggot's nest and become neighbors with that genius that very day.

But if you don't say anything and try to make up lies to get by...

That would be a gross underestimation of the Captain-Commander, who has lived for over a thousand years.

Kisuke Urahara couldn't help but groan inwardly, his brow furrowed so deeply he could have pinched a chopstick between his fingers.

Chapter 146 Decision

Just as Yoruichi Shihouin absolutely trusted Kisuke Urahara, Kisuke Urahara also trusted Yoruichi Shihouin. Even though he knew that Yoruichi would most likely not support his research, Kisuke Urahara still truthfully expressed his worries.

As Urahara Kisuke expected, Yoruichi couldn't understand his actions. Even though he repeatedly emphasized that if he succeeded, the Shinigami and Hollows could achieve peace, and they wouldn't have to fight each other anymore, and the tragedy that had happened every year for thousands of years wouldn't have to continue, Yoruichi's attitude remained unchanged, and she threw out a question that he couldn't answer no matter what.

"If there's no conflict between Shinigami and Hollows, does the Shinigami still have a reason to exist?"