Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 328 White Snake Immortal: Spirit Lord, you are the Spirit Lord!

More than an hour later, in a small private room inside the barbecue restaurant.

Robin and the others have all returned, but Bane is still missing.

However, everyone was already discussing some of the basic information they had obtained.

"We're currently in a small village in the central part of the Land of Rivers. There's nothing special about it. This is the map I just bought. If we go east, we'll reach the Land of Fire, and if we go west, we'll reach the Land of Wind," Nami said, spreading a brand-new map on the table.

"The Uchiha clan, which Bane previously instructed us to keep a close eye on, was wiped out a few years ago. This isn't exactly confidential information; anyone with even a little knowledge of Konoha knows about it, and even fruit vendors can talk about it," Robin said.

"Recently, there's been a lot of news circulating: Konoha Village in the Land of Fire will be holding a new round of Chunin Exams soon, and it's being co-hosted with Sunagakure Village in the Land of Wind. It seems that quite a few other ninja villages from smaller countries will also be participating," Waver said, sharing the information he had gathered.

Ain held a calendar in her hand and said, "According to my investigation, the current calendar in this world is based on Konoha, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Before the Senju and Uchiha clans established Konoha, that era was usually called the 'Warring States Period,' a very chaotic period where the main conflict was the fighting between various ninja clans. The year that the Senju and Uchiha clans cooperated to establish Konoha was considered the end of the Warring States Period and was commonly known as 'Konoha Year 1.' Subsequently, various ninja villages were established one after another, but they all adopted Konoha Year 1 as their calendar. This year is Konoha Year 60."

At this point, Ain paused slightly and said, "February."

Upon hearing this, Waver said, "That Chunin Exams are going to be held in Konoha in July, so there are still five months to go."

"It's not a particularly secret. The Sand Village of the Land of Wind will be sending Jinchuriki, who are tailed beasts, to participate in this Chunin Exam. According to what Bane said before, the Leaf Village of the Land of Fire will be gathering at least two Jinchuriki this time, namely the One-Tailed and the Nine-Tailed." Fubuki picked up a glass of juice from the table, took a sip, and said.

After exchanging this information, Nami looked up and asked, "Where's Bane? Why hasn't he come back yet?"

"I don't know, but it should be fine. This is the Land of Rivers, a very ordinary small country. Theoretically, there are no strong individuals who can threaten it," Robin said calmly.

"Didn't we already confirm that the Den Den Mushi works? Let's contact them and see," Zoro suggested.

Hearing this, Ain, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately took out a Den Den Mushi, fiddled with it a couple of times, and made a signal.

I have to say, Den Den Mushi (snail phone) is really convenient. With a mobile phone, you have to consider whether there are corresponding facilities and signal networks to use it properly.

However, Den Den Mushi are different. They communicate using their own biological signal waves as the basis for communication. As long as there are multiple Den Den Mushi, it is enough for them to communicate with each other. Even if they go to another world, it will not prevent them from using it.

Before they even came down the mountain, the first thing they checked with each other was whether the Den Den Mushi (snail phone) was working.

Soon, the signal wave that Ain dialed was picked up, and Bane's voice came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi: "It's me."

"Young Master, we've all met up with Sauron. We noticed you haven't arrived yet, so we wanted to ask where you are." Ain immediately asked.

After a moment of silence on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Bane said in a strange tone, "To my shame, it seems I've lost my way again on the path of life."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zoro was the first to react, and immediately retorted sarcastically, "You have the nerve to say I have no sense of direction and that you're afraid I'll get lost, but it turns out you're the one who loves getting lost the most. From now on, I'll do things like that."

Zoro was being sarcastic, but the others were puzzled. Fubuki asked in surprise, "What do you mean by 'lost'? We've explored the village; it's not big. Even with just Observation Haki, we shouldn't have gotten lost."

It's an ordinary little village, with a population that probably doesn't even reach ten thousand. It's only a half-hour walk from the westernmost point to the easternmost point of the village, and there aren't any complicated roads. Logically speaking, there's no way Bane could have gotten lost!

Meanwhile, on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Bane stood in a desolate wilderness, watching the mist gradually dissipate before him. His expression was one of bewilderment as he said, "Normally, this is impossible, but if nothing unexpected happens, I might have encountered an accident. Just now, after I parted ways with Robin on the east side of the village, I hadn't even taken two steps when I was enveloped by a mysteriously appearing mist. I even felt fluctuations in spacetime."

As a time traveler, Bane was quite sensitive to space and time. In addition, he immediately checked his own condition and found that his soul did not leave his body as before. Therefore, he was certain that he was not "summoned" but was very likely "teleported".

"Is the situation dangerous?" Fubuki's expression turned serious upon hearing this, and she immediately asked.

At this moment, the fog in front of Bane had dissipated. The fog was not dangerous, and he could see the scene in front of him.

There was a barren, yellowish-brown mountain, and on the cliff face directly opposite him was a cave that connected to the ground. The cave looked irregular and random, as if it had been dug out by a wild animal. But strangely, a very grand and imposing plaque hung above it. At the same time, on one side of the cave stood a little girl with a bun hairstyle, dressed in palace attire and surrounded by ribbons.

Looking at the plaque with the three characters "Ryuchi Cave" hanging above the cave, Bane sighed and said, "There shouldn't be any danger. I'm standing at the entrance of Ryuchi Cave that I mentioned to you before. Perhaps the owner of this place wants to see me. Anyway, don't worry. You guys proceed with the plan. I want to see what Ryuchi Cave wants from me."

After hanging up the Den Den Mushi and putting it away, the little girl standing in front of the Ryuchi Cave gave a slight bow and greeted them gently, saying, "I apologize for the intrusion in inviting you, my esteemed guest. My name is Ichikishima-hime, and I am an elder of Ryuchi Cave. The White Snake Sage ordered me to welcome you here. Please be sure to come with me into Ryuchi Cave. We have prepared a banquet to welcome you."

Although the little girl was beautiful and adorable, Bane could tell at a glance that she wasn't human.

She was a giant snake that had cultivated for countless years!

He is also a hermit from Ryuchi Cave!

Although he didn't know why the White Snake Immortal had suddenly led him here and was even inviting him into the cave in such a respectful manner, Bane was already very interested in this mysterious Dragon Cave. Even if they didn't ask him to come here, he would come to them later, since this was a place where he could obtain immortal techniques and natural energy for cultivation.

With confidence in his own abilities, Bane calmly nodded and said, "I have long admired the name of the White Snake Immortal. It is an honor to be invited. Please lead the way."

Princess Ichikishima visibly breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Bane's agreement.

She was an old snake spirit who had cultivated for hundreds or even thousands of years, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call herself an immortal. She was usually quite confident in her strength, but just now, when the mist cleared and Bane walked out of it, she felt a terrifying pressure, as if the man in front of her could crush her with a flick of his wrist.

What alarmed her even more was that it wasn't the sense of oppression from a difference in strength, but rather the sense of oppression from an ecological niche, or rather, a difference in the level of life.

The man before them seemed like a real dragon!

As Bane approached the cave of Ryuchi Cave, Princess Ichikishima felt the dragon's aura emanating from him becoming increasingly clear.

However, what puzzled her a little was that, perhaps it was just her imagination, but the dragon's aura seemed to be coming from the sword hanging at the man's waist.

It's weird!

But Princess Ichikishima didn't dare to observe too much, or even say anything. She respectfully led the way, bowing slightly as she guided Ban into Ryuchi Cave.

The cave is quite large, after all, countless towering snakes live here, and they naturally need a facade that matches their size to enter and exit. The cave is very damp, giving people a dark and humid feeling. The paths along the way are intricate and complicated, which seems quite eerie, and you can hear the hissing of snakes from time to time.

Before long, guided by Princess Ichikishima, Bane arrived at the deepest part of Ryuchi Cave.

Emerging from the cave passage, a vast open space unfolds before you, resembling an enormous underground cavern. The entire cavern is decorated in an antique style, exuding a mysterious and majestic aura. A colossal white-scaled serpent, nearly filling the cavern and measuring countless meters in length, coils in a reclining posture, resting against a massive dragon-shaped couch.

It has long orange hair, a jade-green spirit pearl hanging around its neck, and an exquisite pipe in its mouth. Its snake eyes look somewhat weathered, and its demeanor carries an inexplicable sense of ancient creatures amidst its majesty.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

Without needing an introduction, Bane knew the other person's identity at first glance.

The White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave!

Almost the instant Bane and the White Serpent Sage locked eyes, the enormous white-scaled serpent's body rapidly transformed. In a moment, a kind-looking old woman replaced the serpent on the bed.

"Spirit Lord." The White Snake Immortal, disguised as a little old lady, greeted Bane with great politeness and even respect.

Bane?

What is the title of the Spirit Lord?

"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand what you mean, White Serpent Sage." Bane responded with this at first, and then immediately said, "Speaking of which, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Bane, Cantilever Bane."

"Worldly fame is nothing to worry about, Spirit Lord," said the White Snake Immortal.

Just like the elders such as Princess Ichikishima have 'names', the White Snake Sage doesn't have any such so-called 'names'; she's simply called 'White Snake Sage'.

At this moment, she seemed to stubbornly believe that Bane, like her, did not need these "worldly titles," so she insisted on calling him "Spiritual Lord."

Before Bane could speak again, the White Snake Immortal continued, "I was asleep when I sensed your majesty in the mortal world. It was the aura of a dragon and a god. I suppose the Spirit Lord has already transformed into a dragon? Although I call myself the Lord of Dragon Cave, I have never crossed the Dragon Gate in the past thousand years. In my excitement, I have been somewhat impolite and abruptly invited you to Dragon Cave. I hope the Spirit Lord will forgive me."

Dragons and Gods?

Bane fell into deep thought upon hearing this, his gaze also falling on the Heart Crossing at his waist.

It seems like there might be some misunderstanding?

The dragon's aura must refer to Xin Du, right? And that divine... hiss? Could it be from my encounter in the Pure Land?

But thinking about it carefully, Xin Du and I are soulmates, so it doesn't seem wrong for me to call myself a "dragon," right?

"It's alright. I've just returned from the Pure Land and have nothing urgent to attend to. It's an honor to be invited to Ryuchi Cave as a guest," Bane replied politely.

At least from what we can see now, it seems that Ryūchi-dō doesn't have any ill intentions towards him, and even seems to respect him.

"The Pure Land? I see." Upon hearing this, the White Snake Immortal seemed to have misunderstood something, and a look of understanding appeared in his eyes.

However, it was clear that Bane had no intention of explaining to her.

After a slight pause, the White Snake Immortal's eyes gleamed with eagerness, and her voice trembled with excitement as she said, "I have cultivated for a thousand years, yet I have never transformed into a dragon. Today, I am fortunate to meet the Spirit Lord. I hope the Spirit Lord will display his divine powers and allow me to witness the true form of a dragon, thus settling my long-held obsession."

(End of this chapter)