Death God: Starting from Refining Essence into Qi

A pale blue layer of spiritual particles spread out beneath Nikita Deslock's feet, lifting her upwards like a transparent elevator, leaving only the spiritual traces of her flying feet in the air.

She cautiously looked down at the dilapidated clock tower below, repeatedly using her spiritual energy to sense her surroundings, but she did not detect anything unusual.

There was no spiritual energy fluctuation from that Grim Reaper.

Nikita Deslock knew that her guess was correct.

Currently, the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light, but this situation may not be unable to be turned into an advantage.

Now that his position had been exposed, he decided to use the Flying Kick to ascend into the air without restraint, without bothering to conceal his spiritual energy fluctuations. Once he reached a certain height, if the Grim Reaper stopped attacking, he could leave; if the Grim Reaper wanted to stop him or even launch another attack, it would have to rise to the same height as him.

Although it is unknown how that Shinigami managed to completely conceal his spiritual pressure and physical form, Shinigami are different from Quincy and do not use Hiren-kick.

For a Shinigami to ascend, it must create a foothold in the air, ascending like climbing stairs. Even if that Shinigami could conceal its spiritual pressure fluctuations, it would be impossible for it to create a high-density spiritual particle staircase in the air without being detected by a Quincy with keen spiritual senses.

If that Grim Reaper also chooses to ascend to the heavens, then Nikita Deslock will be able to indirectly pinpoint the opponent's location through the concentration of spiritual particles in the air.

Even if the Grim Reaper used long-range anti-air tactics, Nikita Deslock was very confident that she could fire bullets to intercept the enemy's long-range attack.

As for the fact that Death could build a spiritual foothold in the air and completely evade her perception, Nikita determined that it was impossible.

If this were to happen, it would mean that the Quincy's advantage over the Shinigami in terms of spiritual power had vanished. Apart from His Majesty Yhwach, no one could escape the Shinigami's assassination attempt. Even if Nikita Deslock were to die, she would accept it, as there was indeed nothing she could do.

Since she had already taken to the air and hadn't detected any spiritual pressure fluctuations or abnormal spiritual particle concentrations from the Shinigami, and was still standing safely in the air, it meant she had made the right bet; the Shinigami was indeed helpless against her measures. Thinking this, Nikita Deslock leisurely headed towards the Quincy army.

Yan Yuanjinle stood atop the broken beam of the bell tower, gazing up at the white figure rising higher and higher in the sky. His brown-tinted glasses reflected the leaden-gray sunlight as he released his Zanpakuto and sheathed it.

Continuing to engage in close combat is pointless. Once the enemy gains air superiority, any attempt to close the distance and launch an attack would mean abandoning one's stealth advantage, making one an easy target as one approaches the enemy.

Yan Yuanjinle's gaze swept over the advancing Quincy formation below. Rather than watching them recede into the distance, it was better to cut down their forces on the front lines. Every Quincy killed would reduce the pressure on their Shinigami and the other captains, increasing their chances of victory.

He lightly touched the broken beam with his toes, his body as light as a falling withered leaf, landing silently.

Yan Yuanjinle's figure completely blended into the shadows of the alleyway, rushing towards the direction where the Quincy were concentrated. His movements were extremely fast, and his sword strikes were even faster, each strike precisely hitting vital points, his movements concise and his attacks swift.

The Quincy who were firing arrows toward the Grim Reaper could only feel a gust of wind pass by before they fell to the ground one after another, each with a thin but deep cut on their neck.

The soldiers frantically fired at Yan Yuanjinle, who had been exposed during the attack. The arrows pierced the wall in dense clusters, only kicking up a cloud of gravel dust.

Although Yan Yuanjinle did not possess the defensive power to ignore ordinary Quincy spirit arrows like Zenjōji Yubin, he was not afraid of these attacks. After easily dodging a volley of arrows, he had already circled around to the other side of the formation, and with another swift movement of his short sword, he reaped the lives of several more ranged archers.

He was like a sharp blade lurking in the darkness, leaving only death in his wake. The firing power of this Quincy phalanx visibly decreased.

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Nikita Deslock finally returned to a place not far from Yhwach. Although she had escaped safely, she had failed to inflict a heavy blow on the Death forces and was temporarily unable to meet His Majesty Yhwach.

But she still looked at Yhwach from afar and was surprised to find that His Majesty's right-hand man—John Saidlitz—was not behind His Majesty Yhwach.

Just then, a soldier dressed in a Quincy white uniform approached Nikita Deslock.

"Report! Commander Deslock! Lord Algra was ambushed by the Great Demon Master of the Death Gods during the battle against the 12th Division Captain. Lord Algra killed the Death God Captain but unfortunately sacrificed himself. The Great Demon Master has broken through our encirclement and retreated!"

The messenger from the Empire of Light, panting, said in a flustered manner.

"Huh?! The intelligence is confirmed? Take me to him! I don't believe Algraa would die like this." Nikita Deslock shouted at the messenger, "Tell me the details as we go."

She followed the messenger toward the place where the remains of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the Empire of Light and His Majesty's great cause were laid to rest in the Seireitei.

Nikita Deslock was in a terrible mood; the good feeling she had just had after escaping an assassination attempt by the enemy's Captain Death had vanished without a trace.

Unconsciously, she conjured a bullet at her fingertip, which rolled and spun around her finger.

How could Algraa have died like this?

She recalled ten years ago at the training camp, when Algraa, clutching a thick tactical notebook, awkwardly asked each member of the Royal Guard how to fight, how to leverage the advantages of a Quincy as a melee fighter, and how to quickly unleash the Blood Armor.

She recalled five years ago when the monk-like Grim Reaper deflected her spiritual bullet back at her; it was Algra who instantly stepped in front of her and Claysie, taking the hit with his back. Afterwards, he only suffered shredded flesh on his back, but recovered completely within a few weeks and continued his training.

That was an attack from the Shinigami's top-tier combat force, yet Algra wasn't seriously injured. So how could he be confirmed as dead now?

A chill crept up his spine, settling heavily in his chest. Algraa was honest and straightforward, training relentlessly; diligence and hard work were insufficient to describe him. He treated everyone with genuine sincerity, even acknowledging the wretched young master, Claysie.

Yet this man was defeated by the enemy's sneak attack and encirclement, and it was from the very Grim Reaper he had failed to kill.

Finally, Nikita Deslock saw Algraa Lalau's body.

Nikita Deslock took a deep breath, suppressed her surging emotions, and left.

One order after another was issued from her mouth and relayed by messengers to the nearby Quincy divisions.

After issuing the troop deployment orders, she didn't hesitate and rushed towards an abandoned building in the southeast direction.

At this moment, Nikita Deslock was no longer thinking about how to deal with the assassin Captain Death after another sniping attempt. She knew that she had to kill the Death faction's Great Demon Master with her own hands to avenge Algra.

Ironically, he hadn't seen the back of the bespectacled, assassin-skilled Grim Reaper, nor did he know which division's captain the man was. In any case, after firing his first shot, the enemy would undoubtedly attack quickly and wouldn't allow him to retreat as easily as before. Therefore, he only had one chance to attack, and then he had to leave the sniping position immediately.

She would personally watch her target, waiting for them to step into the center of her meticulously prepared encirclement, and then deliver the final blow at their most vulnerable moment after barely escaping, guaranteeing a fatal kill. This same sneak attack allowed him to experience what Algra felt.

The entire deployment was swift, with concise instructions and clear division of labor. Now all that remained was for the Great Demon Master to appear on the battlefield, after which thousands of Quincy would disperse and surround him from all sides.

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Xuan followed Qianri to the rear of the Death God's battle formation, and then canceled the Bloodlust Armor and Instant Burst that he had been maintaining. It has to be said that Qianri's Instant Burst speed was fast and smooth, as if he could keep using Instant Burst indefinitely. In the end, his average speed was almost the same as Xuan's when he activated Bloodlust Armor and Instant Burst.

Xuan was amazed by Qianri's Instant Step technique and spiritual power, while Qianri was also impressed by the power of Xuan's creation.

Qianri straightened his slightly askew orange-red scarf, rested for a moment, and then stepped back onto the battlefield. He still needed to gather the scattered covert mobile team members and re-infiltrate the enemy's long-range positions.

Unlike a thousand days, Xuan could not return to the front line after a short rest. While the Bloodstained Armor enhanced his body, it also continuously put pressure on him. Shun Hong even poured the power of the Ghost Path into his body, turning his body into a human-shaped bullet, which put him under tremendous strain.

The pure energy within his body flowed slowly along his meridians, washing away the pressure from being at full power just now. Xuan performed the Yi Jin Jing twice, and every tense muscle and fascia gradually relaxed.

During the instantaneous burst of energy, the spiritual pressure shattered the outer layer of the Shinigami uniform, revealing the close-fitting black combat suit underneath. If Gen is to return to the front lines afterward, he will need to change into a new Shinigami uniform to avoid drawing attention and becoming a target for enemy fire again.

A stealthy team member climbed over the wall and knelt down to quickly report the battle situation.

Xuan listened quietly while recovering his physical condition. Currently, the only confirmed Spirit Masters of Level 3 or above on the battlefield are Yhwach and three members of his personal guard; the rest of the Quincy are at most Level 4 Spirit Masters.

Zenjoji Yubin has died in battle, and the spiritual pressure of her opponent, Algra Ralau, has dissipated; her body has been recovered by the Quincy. At the battlefields of Wang Tuchuan Yuxi and Unohana Yachiru, spiritual pressure is still erupting fiercely, preventing the Stealth Mobile from entering; the specific situation is currently unknown. Yan Yuan Jinle has pursued the sniper who ambushed Zenjoji Yubin. There are no further updates at this time.

Xuan slowly sorted things out in his mind. There were four members in the guard. Algraa Lalau was dead, and Hubbard Alexander Kleich used a rapier. Therefore, the sniper that Yan Yuanjinle was chasing should be either Nikita Deslock or John Saidliz.

Considering that John Saidlitz is to Yhwach what Chojiro Sasaki is to Yamamoto Genryusai, the captain-level sniper, who was the Quincy who attacked him earlier, is most likely Nikita Deslock.

It's just unknown whether Yan Yuanjinle killed him. Xuan can't just stay holed up in the Death God's front line without waiting for information about Yan Yuanjinle.

After a moment's hesitation, Xuan decided to test the waters himself. He took out the white Great Demon Daoist's Hagoromo he had stored away and put it on, then slowly walked along the shadow of the broken wall to the edge of the front line. The white Hagoromo stood out conspicuously against the gray and black ruins, and the Quincy not far ahead spotted him at a glance.

They instinctively spread out and took different positions, and then the spirit arrows shot towards Xuan. They were of ordinary power, just typical Quincy attacks.

Xuan didn't even use his demonic arts; he simply raised his hand and swung his sword, the blade tracing a smooth arc as he deflected the incoming spirit arrows. He stood there for nearly half a minute, but the expected armor-piercing sniper attack did not materialize.

Having roughly figured things out, Gen turned and retreated to his hiding place. After taking off his haori, he drew his Zanpakuto again and rushed towards the direction of Saito's immortality.

The battle on Saito's immortal side was raging. Purple lightning exploded in the crowd as her Zanpakuto, Shiden, entered its Bankai state.

At this moment, her Zanpakuto no longer had a blade shape, but transformed into purple lightning covering her entire body. Saito swept through the enemy formation, her whole body covered in blade light.

Even after her Zanpakuto reaches Bankai, the lightning cannot be released from her hand for ranged attacks. However, Bankai provides a greater speed boost than Shikai, and Saito doesn't need ranged attack capabilities.

She shattered the Quincy's formation, leaving their corpses charred black from their wounds, devoid of any blood.

Gen and several other high-ranking Shinigami plunged into the Quincy, their blades steady and precise, targeting the Quincy's necks. Unlike Kyūmeni Ente, Gen didn't smash the Quincy through to pieces, splattering their brains everywhere, simply because this method of killing was more efficient and the victims would suffer less pain.

In this chaotic world, and having already chosen sides, the only option is to end the war as quickly as possible. However, Gen will not blame Hisamii Enteki, Zenjoji Yubin, Shikatori Hakunsai, and others for their ruthless methods, because they are merely swords of the Seireitei, and the Seireitei is currently the one being invaded.

While thinking, Gen quickly led several Shinigami to Saito's vicinity.

Saito swung his hand, slaying several resisting Quincy, and landed beside Gen, his body crackling with lightning: "Not bad. The enemy's ranged firepower suddenly disappeared, and you were here slashing and killing. I was so close to you, and I didn't even notice when you released Kido to attack their ranged soldiers. Their snipers couldn't possibly have known that it was you who used Kido here."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xuan's brows suddenly furrowed. "I didn't use Kido. The Quincy's ranged attacks have indeed decreased, something's not right."

Ignoring the lightning clinging to Saito, Gen immediately grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, preparing to retreat. In any case, retreating immediately after an anomaly was the safest course of action.

But as soon as the two turned around, patches of pale blue light simultaneously lit up behind the broken walls, at the entrances of alleyways, and on the tops of ruins. Countless Quincy emerged from the shadows in the distance, their exact number impossible to determine at a moment.

They stood in a circle, firmly surrounding the two men and several nearby Death Gods in the central open space. All the spirit bows were drawn to their full strength, the blue spirit arrows gleaming coldly in the dim light, their tips all aimed at the circle.