The Supreme Soul, Starting with Death

Not long after, another bone cocoon was shattered from the inside. One of the faces was extremely gloomy, with long bangs covering the upper half of the face and tooth-shaped mask fragments covering the lower half like a mask. The entire face was completely hidden, with only a lifeless left eye barely showing through the gap in the bangs.

As for the Zanpakuto at the waist of the Arrancar, it was indeed the Asauchi that Gu Shi had put in. However, at this moment, the shape of the Asauchi had changed slightly. The blade had become about two palm lengths longer, and the tsuba had become a cage-like mesh.

This change signifies that the spirit of this Asauchi sword has undergone specialization, transforming into a "shape" more suited to its master. Once the sword's name is known, the first Shikai can be completed.

This change delighted Gu Shi, and he grabbed the masked man, wanting him to unleash his Zanpakuto so he could see it.

Interestingly, this Arrancar is even more agreeable than the previous one. He's a complete shut-in, seemingly unable to refuse anyone. No matter what Gu Shi says, he just nods in agreement.

In fact, if Gu Shi gets closer to him, he will become flustered, his eyes will dart around frantically, and he will subconsciously look for a place to hide. This is a social anxiety attribute that is extremely rare among virtual beings.

Unfortunately, although Asauchi has completed his specialization, this Arrancar has not yet heard the name of his Zanpakuto and is not yet able to complete his Shikai.

These things can't be forced, so Gu Shi could only give up for the time being. He found a large rock, dug a hole in it with his claws, and gave it to the broken-faced man as a greeting gift.

Just like cats are naturally fond of boxes, socially anxious people are naturally fond of small spaces that can block the view of others. After receiving Gu Shi's gift, this socially anxious Arrancar couldn't wait to crawl into the stone box, breathed a sigh of relief, and secretly peeked out half an eye, curiously watching Gu Shi and the others.

Although it was a little disappointing not to see the Arrancar unleash their Zanpakuto, Gu Shi was still very satisfied overall. He was pondering whether to continue trying, and if so, whether to be more aggressive.

For example, release some of your own blood, or cut off one of your own claws, melt it in the Hollow inside the cocoon, and put these body parts in to see if the resulting Arrancar will inherit some of your characteristics and thoughts, and naturally have similar goals to you.

As Gu Shi was pondering this, Erlang's joyful cheers came from the side.

"It's absorbed! It's really absorbed!"

Gu Shi turned his head and saw that the Killian that Erlang had smeared with liquid had increased in size and spiritual pressure compared to a moment ago. Most importantly, it did not exhibit any disordered evolution.

It seems that applying it externally is indeed a viable approach.

That being the case...

"I'm going to catch them. Lord Tianpeng, can I come with you? Having more hands means we can bring back two more little Void creatures, right?"

The bespectacled Arrancar stood up and volunteered to help hunt down the Hollows. Gu Shi glanced at him and nodded noncommittally. Tian Peng didn't object either, and left with a "follow me" before using his Whirlwind Technique.

Gu Shi didn't have to wait long. A moment later, Tianpeng returned carrying two small Hollows, casually tossing the corpse with the broken eye into his alchemy material storage, and then handing two slightly damaged Zanpakuto to Gu Shi.

"This guy tried to ambush me, but I took him down."

Neither Gu Shi nor Erlang doubted Tianpeng's seemingly perfunctory explanation.

It's nothing unusual. In the past five years, Gu Shi has created quite a few small Hollows for research purposes, but in the end, only the Holy Son, who is currently guarding the underwater cavity, survived and joined their group.

The reason is simple: it's just the same old problem with virtual characters.

Hollows are basically all megalomaniacs, especially the younger Hollows who haven't gone through the "evolution into Gillian" test. Their mentality is even worse. As soon as they gain a little power, they start to swell and become arrogant, thinking they are invincible and that everyone else is just a piece of trash and can't be defeated.

Over the course of five years, a few reckless individuals even mocked Stark as a lazybones. The most reckless of them all went so far as to spit on Stark, ultimately meeting his demise.

It can only be said that courting death seems to be a common ailment ingrained in the very bones of all fictional characters.

As for this bespectacled rogue, although he was treacherous by nature and did not immediately jump out to shout for violence, but instead pretended to be friendly and peaceful on the surface while secretly plotting to defeat Gu Shi and the others one by one, in the end, this operation was not really that unexpected.

After all, the Holy Son had actually tried this tactic before, and foolishly chose Lilynette as his first assassination target. Fortunately, he was lucky, and when he was about to be killed by Lilynette, he wisely and decisively knelt down and begged for mercy in a sincere manner.

Given that the Holy Child was one of Gu Shi's first creations and thus had a certain added value, Lilynet let her go, giving her a chance to "turn over a new leaf."

Gu Shi and the others were not surprised, but the socially awkward Broken Face hiding in the stone box was terrified. He didn't even dare to peek out to observe Gu Shi and the others. He huddled in the box with his hands around his knees, trembling.

Gu Shi offered him a few words of comfort, but seeing that it had no effect, he simply stopped talking and let him struggle in the box. He grabbed the two fresh little Hollows, took out the blue crystal, and started the process of becoming an Arrancar again.

Soon, two more bone cocoons appeared. Gu Shi handed one to Erlang and asked him to get the liquid to try applying it externally. Then he cut off a piece of flesh from his own body and stuffed it into the other bone cocoon.

Chapter 175 Evolution of Adjuchas

Staring at the bone cocoon with a hole in it, watching his own flesh slowly melt inside and mix with the liquid from the melting Hollow, Gu Shi was filled with anticipation. He didn't plan to become an Arrancar before becoming a Vasto Lorde, but that didn't stop him from being curious about his Arrancar abilities.

Right now, this little Hollow is fusing with his flesh and blood, acquiring his characteristics. Once it successfully breaks through and possesses two Zanpakuto, Gu Shi can get a glimpse of his future abilities as a Breaker by using the power of the opponent's second Zanpakuto.

Gu Shi was looking forward to it when suddenly a violent spiritual pressure rose up not far from his side, along with Erlang's long, joyful sigh.

Gu Shi looked over in surprise and saw Erlang standing in the spiritual flames that seemed to reach the sky. His spiritual pressure was rising wildly, but his body size was shrinking rapidly. Moreover, his originally upright body began to slowly lower, showing a tendency to put all four feet on the ground.

A change to a more oblique tone!?

So fast! ?

Is it really that effective when applied topically?

Gu Shi didn't have time to think deeply. He quickly ran to Erlang and shouted loudly through the surging spiritual energy flames.

"Erlang! How are you doing now?"

"I'm fine, better than ever before."

Amidst the flames, Erlang's voice was relaxed and at ease, even carrying a hint of contentment.

Hearing this answer, Gu Shi breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to give a few more instructions, Erlang's voice suddenly became urgent.

"No! My hunting instincts are kicking in! Gu Shi, get away from me right now!"

At the same time, amidst the blinding flames, a sharp claw suddenly extended and viciously grabbed at Gu Shi. Even though Gu Shi immediately made a dodging motion, it still easily tore off half of Gu Shi's arm.

There was a clear disconnect between his language and actions; Jiro's instincts had clearly overridden his consciousness and were beginning to directly influence the body's activities.

Tianpeng's eyes suddenly sharpened, and she turned to Gu Shi's side to suppress Jiro. Although her Zanpakuto had been swallowed by Gu Shi's Hollow Hollow in order to successfully infiltrate Soul Society and silence witnesses, and she could no longer unleash her Zanpakuto, her status as a Hollow Arrancar was still there, and taking down Jiro would not be a problem.

However, Gu Shi immediately stopped her.

"Tianpeng, bring out the elixir!"

Tianpeng was taken aback, but immediately understood Gu Shi's meaning. He used the Xiangzhuan technique to its maximum and ran back and forth in just two seconds, returning with a full box of Tianpeng Pills. Without needing Gu Shi to give any further instructions, he grabbed a handful of the blue pills and threw them directly into the flames where Erlang was.

The pills, containing immense spiritual power, immediately triggered Erlang's already heightened instincts. Erlang's body suddenly sprang forward, and he swallowed all the pills. The next moment, immense spiritual power, equivalent to the spiritual energy of more than a dozen Kili'an individuals, was released from his stomach.

Such a large amount of spiritual energy was enough to overwhelm an ordinary Gillian, but for Jiro, who was beginning to evolve and whose body's demand for spiritual energy had increased dramatically, it was not enough. The spiritual energy in his stomach was absorbed by his body in the blink of an eye, and his gaze also fell on the box in Tianpeng's hand.

Before Erlang could make a move, another handful of pills were thrown out by Tianpeng, and Erlang caught them with his mouth without hesitation.

And so, Tianpeng threw more than ten handfuls of pills. After Erlang had swallowed the spiritual power of at least a hundred Kirian, he finally stopped chasing after the pills that Tianpeng threw. A loud burp came from the increasingly intense flames.

Erlang didn't intend to eat anymore, but Tianpeng had no intention of giving up. He flashed into the flames, used his right hand to forcefully pry open Erlang's mouth, and then used his left hand to shove a handful of pills directly into Erlang's throat.

Instantly, Erlang's stomach swelled up like an inflated balloon, and the burp that was about to come out turned into painful retching, sounding as if he had eaten too much and was about to throw up.

Of course, Erlang was indeed about to vomit. The overwhelming feeling of fullness had turned into a constant stream of pain. Under such circumstances, his hunting instincts and devouring instincts had no room to be exerted.

Seeing that Tianpeng had calmed down, Tianpeng breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at Gu Shi, whose arm had not fully regenerated, and at the blood splattered on the ground. His face, which had become increasingly gentle in recent years, revealed a sinister expression that he had not seen for a long time. He kicked Erlang's bulging belly.

Jiro's eyes widened instantly, and he let out a low, hoarse scream as he clutched his stomach and writhed in agony on the ground like a fish out of water.

"Alright, Tianpeng, don't get excited. Erlang is evolving right now. If we attack him now and something goes wrong during his evolution, it will be troublesome."

Gu Shi, while trying to persuade Tianpeng, picked up his severed arm with a smile and forcefully stuffed it into Erlang's mouth.

"It's not good to waste food, come on, eat up."

Erlang's retching grew louder, while Tianpeng gave Gu Shi a thumbs-up with a face full of admiration.

After a while, Jiro's evolution finally came to an end, shrinking from a 30-meter-tall Killian to a large dog with a shoulder height of just over four meters.

The sharp teeth that gleamed with a cold light and the powerful, huge claws made Erlang's new image look quite majestic. However, all the majesty became comical when contrasted with his large, bulging belly, which looked like he was about to give birth.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! Tianpeng, you bastard, you almost made my stomach explode from your kick!"

Having completed his evolution and suppressed his instincts, Erlang clutched his stomach, which was beginning to shrink back, glared at Tianpeng, and loudly accused her of her evil deeds. After receiving a cold laugh from Tianpeng in response, he guiltily backed down and looked at Gu Shi, whose arm had already regenerated.

"Um, I'm sorry, Gu Shi, my body suddenly went out of control. I really didn't mean to hurt you."

"Okay, I've received your apology. Let's consider this matter over."

When traveling with Xu, one must be prepared for the other party to lose control of their instincts and be attacked or devoured. Gu Shi himself was not seriously injured. Since he had already retaliated against Erlang in a small way and Erlang had sincerely apologized, there was no need to pursue the matter further.

Gu Shi squeezed Erlang's new body, and after a long time, rubbed the dog's head, which still felt as good as it did back then. Gu Shi nodded in satisfaction.

"From this perspective, the liquid produced during the transformation does indeed aid in evolution, and apart from greatly stimulating instincts, it seems to have no drawbacks. So I'll complete my evolution today as well."

A moment later, another brand new bone cocoon appeared. Gu Shi grabbed the liquid inside and, like applying body lotion, evenly spread it on his body. The next moment, surging flames burst forth from his body.

Chapter 176 Evolution Pit

"..."

"Dont look at me!"

"..."

Please, please stop looking at me!

"Ah."

"Aaaaaah! I admit it, I admit I'm embarrassing, okay?!"

Erlang clutched his head, shouting in despair as he slammed his head into the sand, physically eliminating the sight of the sand.

Tianpeng, who had been watching Erlang closely, let out another mocking sneer, let go of the big dog pretending to be an ostrich, and turned to continue observing Gu Shi's new posture.

Yes, Gu Shi has completed his evolution, acquired a new form, and become a mid-level Hollow known as Adjuchas. The process went smoothly without any setbacks.

This is precisely why Tianpeng cast a mocking glance at Erlang. Although Gu Shi was also triggered to have a dangerous aura by evolving in the same way, he showed no signs of losing control or going berserk throughout the process. Even when taking pills, he was still experiencing the absorption speed of his body and slowly taking them one by one.

This forms a stark contrast with Erlang.

Erlang could comfort himself before, saying that going crazy and losing control was an inevitable process of evolution or external stimulation, and that his loss of control was a normal reaction. But compared with Gu Shiyi, his reasoning was completely invalid, and he could only admit with embarrassment that his self-control was indeed somewhat shameful.

"True Lord, are you still not used to your new body?"

Just moments ago, Tianpeng was full of mockery, but after getting close to Gu Shi, he skillfully changed his expression, grabbing Gu Shi's leg and shaking it with a worried look.

"It is indeed a bit difficult to get used to, after all, the changes this time are quite significant."

Gu Shi sighed, tried to figure out which of his legs Tianpeng was holding, and then pulled it back.

Before Jiro evolved into Gillian, he was a dog, and after evolving into Adjuchas, he was still a dog. But why is it different for him? He was clearly a bear in his Hollow form, but Adjuchas is a mantis? Six legs and all that, it just feels weird to control.

...No, Gu Shi actually understood the reason clearly.

Just like the Zanpakuto of the Grim Reaper, whose abilities and forms automatically adapt to the mind of the user, the form of a Hollow also adapts to its own mental state to a certain extent. For example, a savage and violent Hollow will become a ferocious beast, a cunning and treacherous Hollow will become a snake, rat, or octopus, and a Hollow that yearns for freedom will grow wings.

In Jiro's self-perception, he has always been a dog, and his Adjuchas posture is naturally canine.

In Gu Shi's self-analysis, when he first transmigrated, he should still have the mindset of a standard 21st-century peaceful environment, free and eager for greater power to obtain a more comfortable life. Thus, his Xiao Xu posture naturally transformed into a strong and wild bear.

However, as time went on in this world and he experienced various threats, his heart became less free.