Death God: Starting from Refining Essence into Qi

The journey to the First Division was quite far, approximately 150 spirit miles as the crow flies. The three of them leaped onto the roof of Seireitei and used Shunpo to travel there.

Saito remained silent throughout the journey.

In the brief moment between their instantaneous movements, Senhito Shihouin turned his head, his gaze falling on Gen's second Zanpakuto, which had never been shown in public before, at his waist. His voice was low: "Gen, are you planning to officially display your two Zanpakuto in public?"

Xuan Ning nodded solemnly: "Yes. We can't let our guard down. This war will be very difficult. The Quincy are not an easy opponent to deal with. We must be fully armed."

Seeing how seriously Xuan took it, Qianri's relaxed expression faded somewhat. He nodded and gripped the Zanpakuto at his waist tightly: "I understand."

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The captains' meetings are all held in the First Division's council chamber.

There are no superfluous furnishings here, no chairs, no tea. From the day they were born, the original Gotei 13 have been the sharpest blades of the Seireitei.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni stood in the middle, his white Captain-Commander haori reaching his ankles, with a black "I" embroidered on the hem. A cross-shaped scar diagonally across his forehead was visible, and his gaze swept over the captains standing in two rows below.

With the arrival of Gen and his two companions, the entire high-ranking officers of the Seireitei's armed forces were assembled.

Almost simultaneously, all the captains' eyes fell on the two Zanpakuto at Gen's waist—it's common knowledge that a Shinigami only has one Zanpakuto.

However, there was no scene of people asking questions. The original captains of the Gotei 13 each had their own secrets, and it was impossible for them to completely trust each other. They merely glanced at it and then looked away, as if it were just an ordinary decoration.

Only Unohana Yachiru had a faint smile on her lips: "So you've decided to show two Zanpakuto? It seems this enemy is something to look forward to."

Yamamoto Genryusai also noticed the two Zanpakuto at Gen's waist, but said nothing and went straight to the point: "Everyone, the Empire of Light, to which the Quincy belong, just sent a messenger with a declaration of war, urging us to lay down our weapons and surrender as soon as possible to reduce unnecessary casualties, otherwise they will attack Soul Society in ten days."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zenjoji Yubin let out a loud, sneer. He clenched his fist, and his knuckles cracked loudly.

"Surrender?" He grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, and twisted his face into a ferocious smile. "A bunch of scum who only dare to shoot arrows around dare to tell us to surrender?"

"Oh my, Captain Zenjōji is still so energetic." Yan Yuanjinle crossed his arms in front of him and glanced sideways at Zenjōji Yubin.

"snort."

A disdainful snort came from the left flank. Wang Tuchuan Yuxuji slightly lowered his straw hat, obscuring half his face. His long, black hair was disheveled, and his dark blue pupils were faintly visible in the shadow of the hat. His voice was light and airy, carrying undisguised contempt, as if the Quincy were nothing more than ants in his eyes.

"Ugh."

A soft sigh echoed in the council chamber, sounding particularly abrupt.

Chigiri Shijima stood second in the left-hand queue, his shoulders slumped. He had long gray hair tied loosely in a ponytail at the back of his head, and his cheeks were covered with faint freckles.

He looked listless, with droopy eyelids and heavy dark circles and bags under his eyes, as if he were perpetually sleepy. His eyes were downcast, and his fingers unconsciously stroked the hilt of his Zanpakuto at his waist, his eyes filled with weariness and regret.

"More people are going to die." His voice was very soft, as if a gust of wind could blow it away. "Why are they so determined to start a war? Both sides will suffer heavy casualties, and countless lives will wither away silently."

Xuan watched his lonely figure as a bitter feeling welled up in his heart. He knew better than anyone else how brutal this war was.

In the First Quincy War, Seireitei was reduced to scorched earth, a mountain of corpses, a sea of ​​blood, and piles of bones. Countless souls perished in this war, and bodies littered the battlefield.

Xuan took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions within him. He knew this was not the time for sentimentality. He had to prepare to end this war as quickly as possible, minimize casualties on the Soul Society's side, and protect those he cared about as much as possible.

Silence fell over the council chamber once again.

Yan Yuanjin pushed up his brown-tinted glasses, his eyes cold, and remained silent.

Hisamie Yantetsu's two rows of gold teeth clicked together, and the scar above his left eye looked particularly grotesque under the light.

Looking at the captains ahead, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni spoke again: "All personnel, be on high alert. The enemy is likely to launch an attack ahead of schedule. From now on, everyone must keep their swords at all times and be ready for battle at any moment."

Each team deployed according to the pre-arranged plan. The Second Division was responsible for reconnaissance and assassination, the Third Division was responsible for mobile support, the Fourth Division was responsible for medical treatment, the Fifth Division was responsible for evacuating the people in the inner perimeter of Rukongai, and the Sixth Division was responsible for evacuating the people in Seireitei.

The Seventh Division is responsible for guarding the Central Forty-Six Chambers, while the Pure Tower Forest is relatively less likely to be affected; the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Divisions are responsible for patrols and surveillance, while the Eleventh and Twelfth Divisions are responsible for direct combat. The Thirteenth Division will recall its personnel from the mortal realm to provide support at any time.

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the faces of each captain, and said, word by word, "This battle concerns the survival of Seireitei, and the balance of the three realms. We must defend Seireitei at all costs!"

"yes!"

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Xuan and the other captains walked out of the First Division's council hall.

Just then, the sky suddenly darkened.

A massive wall made of pure black killing stone was rapidly falling from the sky. The wall was five zhang high and one zhang thick. The wall was like a giant cage, completely surrounding the entire Seireitei.

This Seireitei Wall, which descended from the Soul King's Palace, is made of the purest killing intent stone. Normally, it is located outside the Soul King's Palace. At this time, the Seireitei requested that the Zero Division, located in the Soul King's Palace, descend to protect the Seireitei.

"Boom—"

A deafening roar shook the entire Seireitei. As the last section of the wall closed, a wave of spiritual energy emanated from the cut surface.

This wave spread out at an extremely fast speed, extending from more than 300,000 meters underground to more than 300,000 meters in the sky, forming a huge transparent protective shield that completely enveloped Seireitei.

This is the soul-protecting membrane.

Gen stood still, looking up at the Seireitei Wall in the distance. He knew in his heart that from this moment on, Seireitei had become a prison, the Soul-Binding Membrane like an overturned urn, and it all depended on whether the enemies outside Seireitei dared to enter and fight to the death.