Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero

Chapter 79 The Real Goal

Without hesitation, he moved swiftly, like a meteor falling to earth, following the "road signs" 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, special kind of 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. Beneath our feet lies soft, damp "ground," and the air is thick with moisture, along with the spiritual pressure of countless Hollows mixed together.

The most striking feature 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, labyrinthine maze of paths.

In the air, one could hear the occasional hissing 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, but instead of aiming the muzzle at Liu Chuan, he casually pointed it at the surrounding quartz forest: "The Great Void Forest is a complex environment with chaotic spiritual particles and Void swarms all around."

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 has 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: "Before we begin, I have a question."

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 a preemptive 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 it's just 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 before he spoke: "As a member of the Zero Division, you don't even know what the most important thing about yourself is?"

""

Liu Chuan's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. What was most important to him? His identity as a member of 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 Askin's teasing, Yugraan Hasward continued in his emotionless tone, "Based on the intelligence we've gathered over the past millennium, we can confirm:"

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 remodeling."

Instead of settling permanently in the Soul 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 at the risk of exposure and with some price, as long as we can obtain this living King Key," it's all worth it.

Ashkin chimed in, his tone relaxed, as if discussing an interesting gamble: "If we catch him and get the King's Key," the gates of the Spirit King's Palace would open for us.

At that time, His Majesty's great undertakings after his return will be unimpeded; 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."

"Indeed, he is, after all, the captain of our personal guard." Askin shrugged, but there was little worry in his eyes. "With the power of Lizard's All-Encompassing Maneuvering, even the Death God of the Zero Division would probably be no match for him."

Yugran Hasworth's tone carried an absolute certainty: "Lijie Barrow was the first Quincy to be granted the power of the Holy Script by His Majesty. He boasted that he was His Majesty's most perfect creation, the man closest to the realm of gods. The essence of his power has long surpassed the scope that ordinary Shinigami can comprehend, and his opponent—"

"—She'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."