Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero.

Upon hearing this, Yanagawa did not hesitate for a moment and quickly gave instructions to Kibune:

"Take good care of Captain Tianbei and bring him back to camp for treatment immediately. Leave the rest to me."

Before he finished speaking, he had already transformed into a blurry white shadow and was chasing after Lijie Barrow at an extremely fast speed!

Only the echoes of his calm yet resolute words remained in the air:

"He can't escape."

Beneath the white, ethereal sky, two figures, like two bolts of lightning tearing through space, raced one after the other across the boundless, pale sand sea.

Ahead, Ridge Barrow's figure flickered erratically as he used the Quincy's unique high-speed movement technique—the Flying Kick.

The steps seemed light and ethereal, yet each touch of the ground unleashed astonishing speed.

Behind them, Liuchuan was in hot pursuit.

His speed was equally astonishing. With each step he took, the sand beneath his feet silently caved in, and his body shot forward like a cannonball, relentlessly chasing the blurry figure in front of him.

A faint, dark magical luster flickered in Liu Chuan's eyes. His perception was heightened to its limit, like the most keen hunting dog, firmly locking onto the faint yet unique trace of Quincy spiritual power in the air.

The opponent was extremely fast and moved in a strange manner, but for Liu Chuan, it was still within his pursuit range. He noticed that Li Jie Barrow seemed to be intentionally guiding the direction, rather than fleeing aimlessly.

The two chased and fled, covering dozens of miles of pale sand in the blink of an eye.

Ahead, a strange sight appeared on the horizon—

The cracks crisscrossed, their depths unfathomable, emanating a chaotic and chilling spiritual aura.

Lijie Barrow paused slightly before one of the widest cracks.

Without hesitation, he leaped down and was instantly swallowed by darkness.

Liuchuan followed closely behind, stopping abruptly at the edge of the crack.

He looked down and saw that the area beneath the crack was not completely dark; a faint light could be seen flickering from the depths of the earth.

More importantly, the spiritual pressure traces of Lijie Barrow became unusually clear here, as if he had deliberately left a mark.

"Did you deliberately lure me here?" Liu Chuan's gaze narrowed slightly.

Chapter 78 The Real Goal

Without hesitation, he moved swiftly, like a meteor falling to earth, following the "signposts" left by Lijie Barrow, and plunged straight into the bottomless crevice.

The descent took longer than expected.

The light dimmed quickly, and all around were cold, rough rock walls.

The deeper you go, the more intense the chaotic spiritual particles and void aura become in the air.

After falling for several hundred feet, a solid feeling suddenly came from beneath my feet—not rocky ground, but a relatively soft soil that resembled some kind of fungus.

The view suddenly opened up, but the light was still dim.

This is an astonishingly vast underground space. Underfoot is soft, damp "ground," and the air is thick with moisture, along with countless intertwined spiritual pressures.

What's most striking is the surrounding scenery—

Countless thick, pale "giant trees" rose from the ground, but these "trees" were not made of wood, but were made of quartz, a material unique to Hueco Mundo.

The dense forest, with its intertwined branches, forms a dimly lit, intricately woven maze.

In the air, one could hear the occasional roar of the void, the scraping sound of crawling, and the echo of some kind of liquid dripping.

The Great Hollow Forest, a vast underground world beneath the Hueco Mundo sands, is one of the main settlements of Hollows of Kyrian and lower ranks. It is a harsh environment fraught with danger.

Liu Chuan landed silently, his spiritual senses instantly spreading out and covering the surroundings.

He immediately "saw" several low-level Void creatures of various shapes lurking in the shadows of the quartz forest. They seemed wary and agitated about the intruder, but did not attack for the time being.

Lijie Barrow's spiritual pressure stopped a short distance ahead and ceased to move.

Liu Chuan walked slowly forward and came to stand in front of Li Jie Barrow.

Lijie Barrow stood on the tree with his back to him.

He seemed to have anticipated that Liu Chuan would come after him. He slowly turned around, and in the dim light, his eyes, like two burning cold flames, calmly "stared" at Liu Chuan.

The spirit sniper rifle in his hand hung casually at his side, its muzzle pointing to the ground.

"Zero Squad, Yanagawa." Li Jie Barrow's voice rang out, still devoid of any emotion, like a mechanically synthesized tone, echoing in the silent and eerie underground forest.

"The pursuit ends here. This place is the stage you have chosen."

He slightly raised the sniper rifle in his hand, not aiming at Liuchuan, but casually pointing it at the surrounding quartz forest:

"The Great Void Forest is a complex environment with chaotic spiritual particles and surrounded by Void swarms."

For Death, who is accustomed to fighting in open spaces or orderly spiritual environments, this place is a natural prison and grave.

But for hunters skilled in stealth, precision, and utilizing the environment…

He paused, a cold, calculating glint flashing in his golden vertical pupils: "...This is the perfect hunting ground."

"The hunting grounds?" Liu Chuan spoke slowly, his voice exceptionally clear in the empty underground space.

"A good location. At least, it provides some... cover compared to the pale desert outside."

He took a step forward.

"Then the hunt begins, but who will be the hunter in this forest today?"

Liuchuan did not draw his sword immediately.

He calmly gazed at the Quincy opposite him, who seemed to blend into the surrounding shadows, and slowly spoke:

"I have a question before I start."

Lijie Barrow's golden vertical pupils shifted slightly, seemingly surprised by Liu Chuan's current interest in "chatting," but he did not stop him, simply "watching" quietly.

"You Quincy, who have been hiding for a thousand years, are now willing to expose your whereabouts and even launch an attack on the Shinigami Expeditionary Force, drawing me, a member of the Zero Division, from Soul Society to Hueco Mundo."

Liu Chuan's tone was calm, as if he were discussing an academic issue.

"If the goal is simply to eliminate a 'genius grim reaper' who might pose a threat to you, the cost and risk seem disproportionate."

What is your true goal? Or rather... what is it about me?

Lijie Barrow was silent for a moment, then he spoke:

"As a member of Squad Zero, you don't even know what the most important 'thing' you possess is?"

Liu Chuan's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. What was most important to him? His identity in the Zero Squad? Or...?

As he pondered, deep within the Ice Palace of a distant, invisible empire...

Raingray Hasward sat regally beside the throne.

"Wang Jian." He suddenly spoke, his voice echoing in the empty and silent ice palace.

"The key to the gates of the Spirit King's Palace."

Yaskin Nakruvar, who was idly playing with a strange die nearby, heard this.

She raised her head, a slightly curled fringe swaying across her forehead, and a playful smile appeared on her face: "I see."

Ignoring Jaskin's teasing, Yugraan Hasward continued in his emotionless tone:

"Based on the intelligence we have gathered over the past thousand years, we can confirm that:"

Every Zero Squad member who is formally accepted by the Spirit King Palace and completes the ritual will have their body completely reshaped by the Spirit King Palace's special power.

Its very existence is equivalent to a living 'King's Key,' the key to the Spirit King's Palace.

He tilted his head slightly and looked at Askin, saying, "Now, there happens to be a special member of the Zero Squad who has just completed his 'reconstruction'."

Instead of settling permanently in the Spirit King's Palace, they've spent a considerable amount of time in the relatively weakly defended Soul Society... This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us.

"Therefore, even if it means risking exposure and paying a price, it's all worth it as long as we can obtain this 'living King Key'."

Yaskin chimed in, his tone relaxed, as if discussing an interesting gamble.

"As long as we capture him and obtain the 'King's Key,' the gates of the Spirit King's Palace will open for us."

At that time, His Majesty's great undertakings after his return will be unimpeded; it's truly...something to look forward to.

"To ensure the smooth progress of the plan, this task will be fully managed by Li Jie."

"He is the most suitable candidate."

“That’s true, after all, he’s the captain of our personal guard.” Askin shrugged, but there was little worry in his eyes.

“With Li Jie’s ‘All Things Connected’ power, even the Death God of the Zero Division would probably be no match for him.”

Yugrain Hasworth's tone, however, carried an absolute certainty:

"Lijie Barrow was the first Quincy to be granted the ability of Holy Script by His Majesty, and he boasted that he was His Majesty's most perfect creation."

The man closest to the realm of gods possesses a power that transcends the comprehension of ordinary death gods, and his opponent…”

"...He's just a newly promoted member of the Zero Squad. In the hunting ground that Lijie has carefully prepared, I don't think Lijie has any chance of failing."

Jaskin grinned, tossed the dice high into the air, and caught them steadily. "We just need to wait for Lijie's good news."

Chapter 79 The Monk's Plan

Lingwang Palace, Eye Monk Hall.

A giant calligraphy brush, "Ichimonji," floats in mid-air, while Hyosube Ichibei sits cross-legged.

His wide sleeves fluttered even without wind. His eyes were slightly closed, and he was drawing upon an invisible stream of spiritual energy, writing several ancient and profound characters in mid-air.

The characters are not any known writing system, yet they seem to contain some fundamental truth of the world, and the surrounding space subtly resonates with the movement of the strokes.

Just as the last stroke was about to be completed, a slightly rapid fluctuation of spiritual pressure came from outside the palace gate.

Immediately afterwards, the palace door was pushed open without any ceremony, and a figure wearing a Zero Division haori, with anxiety and worry between his brows, walked in. It was Kirinji Tenjiro.

"Monk!" Kirinji Tenjiro's voice arrived before he did, interrupting Hyosube Ichibei's writing.

He walked a few steps to the side of the military commander.

"Are you sure it's okay? Entrusting such a dangerous mission as investigating the Quincy in Hueco Mundo entirely to that kid Yanagawa?"