Death God: Starting from Refining Essence into Qi

The shattered spiritual particles drifted slowly through the air like ashes, mingling with a heavy smell of blood and gunpowder.

The stone pavement of Seireitei was already soaked in blood, making a sticky sound when stepped on. Broken Zanpakuto and twisted spirit crossbows were scattered among them, and the still-dry blood meandered through the cracks in the stone slabs, forming dark red streams.

The corpses of Grim Reapers and Quincy were piled up intertwined, some still in the posture of wielding swords, others clutching broken spirit bows. The autumn wind swept across the battlefield, lifting the hems of the dead and bringing a bone-chilling cold.

The Shinigami breathed heavily, their Shinigami armor stained with dust and blood, many bearing wounds of varying depths. The Quincy's spirit arrows rained down like a dense storm, causing the Kido's Binding Shields to tremble under the bombardment, emitting a groan of unbearable strain. Occasionally, a shield would shatter, and a Shinigami would be immediately wounded by the spirit arrows.

The morale of the Death God's forces was like a flame dampened by rain, with only a faint spark clinging to life. Every face was etched with exhaustion and solemnity. No one spoke; only the whistling of arrows piercing the air, the crisp sound of clashing swords, and the screams of those about to die intertwined, composing a tragic war epic.

A deafening roar suddenly shattered the battlefield's clamor, like a thunderclap exploding in mid-air.

Zenjōji Yubin was nearly 2.5 meters tall, her imposing figure resembling a moving small mountain. A violent spiritual pressure swept outwards, shattering all the incoming spiritual arrows.

"A bunch of scum!"

Zenjōji Yubin roared, stomping his feet hard on the ground. The hard stone slabs shattered instantly, sending countless fragments flying. His figure charged forward like a cannonball, each step causing the earth to tremble slightly and leaving deep footprints behind him. He was like a furious mammoth, rampaging and unstoppable.

"kill!"

Upon seeing this, the members of the 11th and 12th Divisions roared and followed.

The members of the Eleventh Division are all the most warlike Shinigami, unafraid of death, but they dare not fight alongside their captain, Unohana Yachiru—because that would be seen as an enemy trying to steal Unohana Yachiru and they would be killed along with her.

The Eleventh Division, known for its bravery and warlike nature, charged forward alongside the Twelfth Division and Zenjoji Yubin, unleashing their pent-up anger.

Zenjoji Yubin faced the incoming spirit arrows without flinching or dodging; even ordinary Quincy spirit arrows couldn't penetrate the spiritual pressure on his body.

His body was enormous, but his speed was so fast that it was impossible to dodge. He reached forward with both hands, and his huge palms directly grabbed the heads of the two Quincy, instantly lifting them up before they could react.

Zenjouji Yubin grinned maliciously and slammed the two Quincy's heads together in front of her. The hard skulls were like putty in her hands, and after being kneaded at will, they were casually tossed aside like two rags.

His charge was like a sharp chisel, tearing a huge gash in the Quincy's tight battle formation. The Shinigami followed closely behind, wielding their Zanpakuto to hack and slash at the panicked Quincy. Blood splattered, and screams rose and fell.

Zenjoji Yubin casually tossed two mangled corpses to the ground, their impacts on the stone slabs producing dull thuds. A brief silence fell over the previously noisy battlefield as all eyes focused on the demon-like man. He raised his blood-soaked face, a sinister grin spreading across his eyes as he looked at the figure riding a black horse at the far end of the battlefield.

Yhwach remained calmly seated on his horse, as if the fierce battle before him had nothing to do with him. Zenjoji Yubin's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and the distance between them rapidly closed.

"His Majesty."

Algra Lalau stepped forward, bowing slightly. His tall, imposing figure was like an iron tower, his muscles bulging beneath his white military uniform as if they might burst through the fabric at any moment. His voice was deep and resonant, like muffled thunder.

"Please allow me to kill him."

Yhwach nodded slightly, his gaze remaining calm as he looked at the battlefield ahead, without saying a word.

Algra Ralau suddenly turned around and strode toward Zenjoji Yubin. Each step he took was incredibly heavy, the ground cracking beneath his feet and leaving huge footprints. His spiritual pressure was so strong that it pressed down on the surrounding air, causing Quincy who approached to give way.

Spiritual energy gathered in his hands, forming two axes with blades that gleamed with a cold, icy light.

"Bankai!" Zenjoji Yubin's voice boomed like a bell, echoing throughout the entire battlefield.

His Zanpakuto trembled violently as he yanked it out. Golden light burst forth from the blade, instantly touching the blood on Zenjoji Yubin's hand.

In an instant, the purest golden light, like gold foil scorched by flames, quickly lost its holy color and was stained with a deep, viscous, rusty blood red. Even the air was filled with a strange smell of blood mixed with sandalwood.

The crimson light condensed into two rings, connected by a long chain. The rings were engraved with dark red Vajra Subduing Demon Mantras, like dried blood scabs.

Zenjoji Yubin held the rings in both hands, and the chain wrapped around his back, forming a red "U" shape that matched his wrist guards and face, giving him a violent and eerie aura.

"The Vajra Shackles of Ten Thousand Bones".

-----------------

Kiyomi Ise stood in the center of the Kido followers, her plain white robes fluttering in the wind, her long hair tied up with a wooden hairpin, revealing her smooth forehead. Her face was expressionless, her eyes calmly watching the chaotic battlefield before her. Protected by the other Kido followers, she was able to unleash the Kido after its full incantation.

"Heaven and Earth, the profound origin of all things. The central element, Earth, governs all spirits. Gathering earth to form weapons, flying stones to become blades. The Fifty-Seventh Path of Destruction—The Earth Shakes and Leaps!"

As her words fell, the ground suddenly trembled violently. The stone slabs beneath the Quincy's feet cracked, and countless huge rocks rose from the ground, some reaching several meters high, standing like mountains on the battlefield, while others formed steep slopes and deep ravines. The once flat and open battlefield instantly became rugged and uneven, filled with boulders and gullies.

Caught off guard, the Quincy lost their balance and fell to the ground, their once orderly formation completely disrupted. Their long-range advantage, upon which they relied for survival, was greatly weakened; their spirit arrows were either blocked by boulders or lost their accuracy due to the undulating terrain, making it impossible for them to maintain the dense firepower they had before.

Many Quincy were separated by the raised boulders and forced into a situation of fighting alone. The Shinigami seized the opportunity to rush in and engage the Quincy in close combat. The ranged attacks that had previously held an absolute advantage were instantly reduced by more than half in power.

Xuan stood on the flank of the Ghost Path Clan, his gaze quickly sweeping across the entire battlefield as his brain raced, analyzing the current situation.

Although no one could be seen, one could sense that the spiritual pressure of Unohana Yachiru and Zenjouji Yubin was erupting near Yhwach, and the battle between Quincy and Shinigami around them was also quite intense.

A strange stalemate has formed between Yamamoto Genryusai and Yhwach, with neither making any rash moves. Perhaps they are conserving their strength, or perhaps they are waiting for the other to make a move and reveal more information.

Given that some captains have already advanced to attack, we should provide assistance now. However, if we rush in to help the captains now, Xuan knows that without using Instantaneous Strike and Bloodlust Armor, he will inevitably become the target of Quincy ranged fire before he even gets close.

Moreover, the Quincy army outnumbers the Shinigami by a great margin, and their long-standing combat experience in the mortal realm makes them more suited to large-scale warfare.

The Quincy still have a clear overall advantage. If they were to slaughter all the Grim Reapers on the front lines and then concentrate their firepower on the captains, the entire battle would collapse completely.

Gen's forte is wide-range Kido attacks. Instead of trying to help the captains who are engaged in close combat, he should take advantage of his strengths and use wide-range Kido to weaken the Quincy's forces, break the current situation, and prevent the Quincy from focusing their fire on the captains.

Xuan took a deep breath and slowly raised his hands.

A dark red aura emanated from his fingertips, and countless fine, hair-like threads of molten fire spread from them. These threads, like living red serpents, silently darted through cracks in the rocks and alleyways, heading towards the distant Quincy ranged positions. Xuan's mind was highly focused, precisely controlling the trajectory of each thread, deliberately avoiding areas where they were engaged in close combat with the Grim Reapers, and only wrapping around the Quincy wielding spirit bows and searching for targets.

Dark red spiritual threads silently wrapped around the Quincy's wrists, ankles, and neck.

Unaware of the danger, the Quincy continued to nervously adjust their positions, preparing for another round of firing.

Xuan took a deep breath and flicked his finger.

A bolt of azure lightning burst forth from his fingertips, like a nimble electric snake, rapidly traveling along the network woven from the Fire Spirit Silk.

The dark red spiritual threads on the Quincy's body glowed faintly, like a fuse about to explode. One Quincy finally noticed the anomaly; he looked down at the red threads on his wrist, a flicker of doubt crossing his eyes—

"boom--!!!"

The deafening explosion instantly engulfed everything, leaving everyone temporarily deaf. All that could be seen was a towering flame that dyed half the sky crimson, and thick black smoke rising like a giant pillar, obscuring the midday sun.

The violent shockwave spread outwards, causing the surrounding boulders to tremble precariously.

The smoke and dust slowly dissipated.

The area that was once filled with ranged Quincy is now nothing but charred ruins. The vast majority of Quincy have been reduced to charred corpses in the explosion. Only a few Quincy with strong spiritual pressure are still standing, their uniforms tattered and their skin covered with burn marks.

This composite demonic art, which combines [Hidden Fire] and [Lightning Bolt], not only doubles its power but also consumes very little spiritual energy, making it ideal for large-scale battlefield cleanup.

Looking at the charred corpses and groaning survivors in the ruins, a faint sense of guilt welled up in my heart.

Those he killed were also souls with intelligence and life, just like him. The physical discomfort caused by killing one's own kind does not completely disappear simply because of the cultivator's state of mind.

But Xuan's eyes remained calm and unwavering. He coldly used white lightning to finish off the Quincy one by one from a distance, preventing them from launching a sudden attack.

Guilt is acceptable, but it should not become a shackle that restricts action.

This is war.

It's either you die or I die. If he shows mercy today, then tomorrow he, Senji, Saito, and countless innocent deaths and civilians will be lying in pools of blood. A cultivator cultivates inner peace, not outdated compassion. Protecting those one wants to protect, and surviving, is the most important thing right now.

For this war, Gen had specifically optimized this composite Kido, expanding its attack range to a hundred meters square. However, the Quincy were prepared, keeping their distance from each other, clearly having already suffered from the Shinigami's wide-range Zanpakuto abilities.

This also resulted in Gen's Ghost Path attack, despite its wide range, only causing about a thousand Quincy to lose their fighting ability.

But these thousand men already represent nearly one-tenth of the total strength of the annihilation division.

He tore open a huge, irreparable vacuum in the Quincy's battle formation.

"Kill them!!!"

Seeing this, the previously demoralized Shinigami erupted in a deafening roar. Their fighting spirit, like dry tinder being ignited, burned fiercely once more. Wielding their Zanpakuto, they seized the opportunity presented by the Quincy's disarray and launched a full-scale counterattack.

Seeing a huge gap appear in the Quincy's position, a cold glint flashed in Shihouin Sennatsu's eyes, and his figure instantly disappeared from the spot.

"Whoosh—!"

The sound of Shunpo rang out, and he appeared like a ghost in the vacuum zone of the Quincy army.

He didn't draw his Zanpakuto, but relied solely on his unparalleled Hakuda (hand-to-hand combat) to move freely among the Quincy as if they were nothing.

The covertly mobile team followed closely behind, surging into the breach like a black tide, rapidly cutting through the Quincy's formation, dividing them into isolated small pieces, and annihilating them one by one.

"Well done!"

Saito, who was immortal, shouted excitedly and suddenly drew his Zanpakuto from his waist.

With the boost from the purple lightning, Saito leaped into the Quincy army, his purple hair dancing wildly in the wind as he wielded his sword to harvest Quincy.

Like a purple lightning bolt, she darted through and reaped the Quincy. Each swing of her sword was accompanied by crackling arcs of electricity. The Quincy who were struck were not only torn apart by the blade, but also paralyzed by the powerful electric current, dying in agony.

With a bright and maniacal smile on his lips, Saito swung his Purple Lightning Zanpakuto faster and faster, slaying the Quincy who were trying to fill the vacuum zone one by one.

Hisameni Ente also let out a sinister laugh, carrying his Zanpakuto—or rather, mace—which had been unleashed at some unknown time, and plunged it into the center of the Quincy army through the vacuum zone torn apart by Gen.

The halberd-shaped Zanpakuto in his hand was incredibly heavy, each swing accompanied by a whistling sound. He smashed the skull of a Quincy with a single blow, splattering red and white matter all over his face, but he didn't care. He wiped his face, revealing a ferocious smile, and continued charging towards his next target.

Hisami Ente's fighting style was brutal and bloody, with each strike carrying destructive power, causing Quincy to tremble in fear and flee in all directions.

The Quincy's arrow barrage was briefly interrupted, allowing the Shinigami to follow their captain's lead and advance the battle line.

Xuan's record was too dazzling. The number of Quincy he killed in this one strike even exceeded the total number of kills by other captain-level Shinigami in this battle.

Many elite Quincy turned their gazes to him, their eyes filled with killing intent. Spirit arrows continued to be fired at Xuan's location from afar, but they were all blocked or dodged.

At the edge of the battlefield, Yhwach remained calmly seated on his black horse, gazing at the chaotic scene before him, his face expressionless. Only John Saidlitz and Nikita Deslock remained of his personal guard.

Nikita Deslock raised a hand to smooth her blue-green highlights in her hair, her bright gold high ponytail swaying gently in the wind. Her gaze fell on Xuan, a hint of murderous intent flashing in her cold eyes.

Nikita Deslock bowed slightly to Yhwach, her voice cold and devoid of warmth.

"Leave it to me."