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

Chapter 529: Breaking Through the Spirit King Palace and Sasuke's Move.

Looking at Aizen, whose chest was open and whose Hogyoku was exposed.

Bane looked him up and down with great curiosity, especially noticing his somewhat trendy hairstyle, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Where have you been?"

Aizen, looking slightly embarrassed, pointed to his chest and said, "I went and got a ball."

"Is this the Hogyoku?" Bane examined the sphere with interest, and after a moment said, "Your spiritual pressure has become stronger; have you broken through your limits?"

"That's right. I feel like I have unlimited potential to grow now, and I might catch up with you soon, Master," Aizen said with a hint of anticipation.

"Hahaha, I'm really looking forward to it! Aizen, run a few more steps and catch up as soon as possible!" Bane laughed heartily.

On the other side, Yamamoto Genryusai listened to Orochimaru and Urahara Kisuke's report with a serious expression.

"To steal Bankai?" Yamamoto Genryusai asked, his brows furrowed.

"Yes, the moment we activate our Bankai, they use a peculiar tool called the 'Star Emblem' to steal our Bankai," Orochimaru said weakly.

Kisuke Urahara added from the side, "But it seems that when they use the Bankai power of us Shinigami, they are unable to fully unleash the power of the Quincy themselves."

"Did they acquire this power during the centuries they hid it back then, before they even had it?" Yamamoto Genryusai pondered.

"Captain-Commander," Aizen Sousuke began, "The moment the Seireitei showed signs of disturbance, the 8th and 12th Divisions conducted a full-scale surveillance. Currently, we can roughly determine that this unfamiliar city covering the entire Seireitei gradually manifested from the shadows. Based on our conversations with the Quincy, it seems they have been lurking in the shadows of Seireitei since their defeat, building what is known as the 'Hanged Empire.' This is why the Quincy have such a deep understanding of our Seireitei. I believe this ability to steal Bankai using Star Signs evolved during this period."

"Shadow. Just as expected, a rat in the gutter." Yamamoto Genryusai sneered, then looked towards Chojiro Sasakibe.

Just then, Chojiro Sasaki put away a peculiar wind chime, looked up at Genryusai Yamamoto, and shook his head, saying, "Lord Genryusai, we cannot contact Squad Zero."

The Zero Division of the Soul King Palace has always maintained a certain level of contact with Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai.

Any matters would be communicated to the Gotei 13 or the Seireitei through Yamamoto Genryusai.

The tool they used to communicate was the wind chime that Chojiro had just put away, which clearly indicated that they had lost contact with the Spirit King Palace.

"Aren't those guys in the Zero Division all supposed to be monsters? Yhwach might not be able to win, right?" Kyoraku Shunsui seemed to see Yamamoto Genryusai's worries and gently comforted him.

"Yes, only those as strong as Captain Kiryu, Kenpachi Kuruyashiki, and Captain Shutora can catch the eye of the Spirit King's Palace. I've heard that they become even stronger after entering. Perhaps," Jushiro Ukitake added.

"Captain Shudoro just killed a Vasto Lorde-class Hollow without breaking a sweat. With her and Kenpachi Kuruyashiki going to support us, there shouldn't be any problems!" Yoruichi Shihouin encouraged her.

Although they said these things, their expressions were all quite serious.

Yamamoto Genryusai gazed at the sky above the Ice Palace, remaining silent for a moment.

It was Bane who spoke up then, saying, "If you're worried, why don't you go up and take a look?"

Yamamoto Genryusai? ? ?

He abruptly turned to Bane and asked, "You have the King Key?"

He certainly wanted to go up, but since the passage had been repaired, he had no clue how. Although Yamamoto Genryusai was powerful, he was not yet capable of easily breaking through the seventy-two barriers and forcibly opening the Spirit King Palace.

Or, if he were to really go all out and do that, he might not be able to control the force and end up burning down the Spirit King's Palace.

"How could that be?" Bane retorted. "If I had that kind of thing, I'd be going to chat with the Spirit King every day."

After a brief pause, Bane said in a deep voice, "It's nothing more than breaking through that barrier. It wouldn't have been very polite to do this before, but now, in this emergency, we have to act expediently. I'm doing this for the rescue, aren't I?"

As he spoke, Bane placed his hand on the Heart Ferry at his waist, and ripples of spiritual pressure spread out from beneath his feet, like a pebble being thrown into a calm lake.

Clearly, he intends to travel from Seireitei through the Soul King's Palace!

However, just as Bane was about to draw his sword, Orochimaru spoke up: "There's no need for that. Our Twelfth Division's research lab is covered by this area manifested by the Shadow Dimension. If you, Spirit Lord, can restore this place to its original state, then we can directly open the Spirit King's Palace."

"Your Twelfth Division has the King's Key?" Bane asked in surprise.

"No, we broke through those seventy-two barriers." Orochimaru grinned, revealing a smug smile.

It's strange that he's still laughing so arrogantly despite his miserable appearance.

Bane was quite interested in the King Key and had always wanted to collect one.

Upon hearing that Orochimaru didn't have the King's Key, he immediately lost interest and waved his hand, saying, "Too much trouble, I'll just fight my way through."

The moment the words left his mouth, Bane drew the Heart Crossing from its sheath. He raised it with one hand, the tip pointing towards the ice palace, and whispered, "Pierce it, Heart Crossing."

As Bane whispered, a sphere of spiritual energy, like a phantom flash, condensed on the tip of the Heart-Crossing Blade, emitting dark ripples.

After a brief moment of charging, the ball of light burst forth, transforming into a dark pillar of light that shot into the sky. In an instant, it shattered the Soul-Shielding Membrane covering the Seireitei and disappeared into the sky, like a drop of black ink in a pool of clear water, quickly spreading across the air.

Just as everyone was watching this strange sight, a loud explosion rang out, and the passage connecting to the Spirit King Palace appeared. It was then pierced through seventy-two barriers by a dark pillar of light, revealing a huge hole.

"As expected of a teacher." Aizen Sousuke couldn't help but sigh as he watched this scene.

He and Orochimaru had been fighting for so long, but in the end, it was all for nothing. His own teacher simply broke through the Spirit King Palace with brute force.

Although he could barely manage to do this in his current state of fusion with the Hogyoku, it was absolutely impossible for him to do it as easily and effortlessly as his teacher.

"What are you all standing there for? Let's go and see what's going on at the Spirit King's Palace. Come to think of it, I've been in Soul Society for so long and I've never been to the Spirit King's Palace before. I'm quite curious about it," Bane called out.

Not only was he curious, but everyone present, including the veteran Yamamoto Genryusai, had never been to the Spirit King Palace.

Everyone has a strong curiosity about the Spirit King Palace.

As usual, those with spiritual pressure below the captain level stayed behind in Seireitei, while the rest, at Yamamoto Genryusai's command, all flew towards the void in the sky.

As for Orochimaru and Kisuke Urahara, even though they were severely injured, they insisted on going inside. After all, it was the Spirit King's Palace. At this point, as scientists, could they suppress their curiosity? Let alone being seriously injured, they would rather die inside the Spirit King's Palace.

On the other hand, let's push the timeline forward a little.

Before Bane, Yamamoto Genryusai, and the others returned to Soul Society.

Shutara Senjumaru and Kuruyashiki Kenpachi were the first to arrive at the Spirit King Palace.

"This is bad, the barrier has been sealed off." As soon as Kenpachi Kuruyashiki stood firm, he watched the empty space in the barrier instantly merge, and his eyes darkened.

At the very moment the barrier passage disappeared, the intense spiritual pressure within the Spirit King Palace enveloped Kenpachi Kuruyashiki and Shutara Senjumaru.

"What's this?" Kenpachi Kurosashi felt a sudden heaviness on his body, then raised his hand to touch the air, his eyes showing a hint of surprise. "No wonder the Zero Division members are so strong; the spiritual particle concentration here is even more terrifying than in Hueco Mundo."

It's quite interesting that, in the Three Realms, if we categorize them according to the concentration of spiritual particles...

The most superficial level is obvious; only the spiritual particle concentration of the Greater Spiritual Lands can barely compete with Hueco Mundo and Soul Society.

While Soul Society, the stronghold of the Shinigami, is more prosperous and developed, its spiritual particle concentration is actually far inferior to that of Hueco Mundo.

Many scholars believe that this may be one of the reasons why naturally born Vastod-class and Adjuchas-class Hollows are stronger than ordinary Captain-class Hollows.

Their living environment is more "superior".

The concentration of spiritual particles in the Spirit King Palace is clearly the most terrifying.

Just like at this moment, behind Kenpachi Kuruyashiki, several Shinigami from the Eleventh Division, whose spiritual pressure was barely at the captain level, were kneeling on one knee, suppressed by the heavy spiritual energy, unable to get up.

However, it is clear that Shutara Senjumaru and Kuruyashiki Kenpachi did not lose their composure in this way; they are both still very strong.

Glancing at the situation behind him, Shutara Senjumaru said, "The concentration of spiritual particles here is far too high, almost transforming into substantial spiritual pressure. Walking here is no less than being constantly under the spiritual pressure emitted by the Captain-Commander in a fit of rage."

Yamamoto Genryusai, with his fiery temper, would unconsciously unleash his spiritual pressure whenever he got angry, intimidating everyone.

In situations like this, even those at the vice-captain level wouldn't be able to stand up; they would be directly forced to the ground.

Shutara Senjumaru felt that the concentration of spiritual particles in the Spirit King Palace was about the same as this, which showed how "superior" the environment was.

After a few breaths, I had completely adapted to the environment of the Spirit King Palace.

Before any observation or judgment could be made, in the far distance, a building that was suspended in the air like a long shuttle suddenly exploded with a cloud of smoke from its middle, and then several figures rushed out from the smoke.

Clearly, Kenpachi Kuruyashiki and Shutara Senjumaru, who knew nothing about the Soul King Palace, could not recognize that place as the core of the Soul King Palace, the inner palace, where the Soul King resided.

"Isn't that Nimaiya Oetsu? It seems those guys fighting him are Quincy. Let's go help!" Kuruyashiki Kenpachi recognized the figure who rushed out of the explosion and was fighting with some people at a glance.

But before Kenpachi Kuruyashiki could even take a step forward, he frowned and said, "It seems we don't need to run that far."

As he finished speaking, several figures flashed onto the steps in front of him.

They were all dressed in pure white knightly uniforms, with arrogant eyes, as if they didn't care about anyone.

"Just the few of you? Lord Hasward is indeed too cautious. I can handle this small group by myself. I don't need your help!" said a beautiful girl wearing a military cap.

"Bambi, don't talk big," a man with a mohawk mocked.

These two guys are Bambietta Bastabayen and Bazby.

"It seems like I've been underestimated," Kenpachi Kuruyashiki said with a hearty smile.

However, Shutara Senjumaru didn't even look at the Quincy blocking his way; instead, he was observing the 'long shuttle' floating in the air.

Clearly, she had no interest in these Quincy; she only wanted to find Yhwach.

At that moment, Bambieta launched the first attack, leaping up and charging towards Kenpachi Kuruyashiki, a beam of spiritual energy emanating from her hand, faintly exuding terrifying power.

"Critical hit!!!" Bambieta roared.

Her ability is critical strike; every move she makes can unleash terrifying explosive damage, making her quite formidable.

With a thunderous punch, a rapid explosion spread out in the blink of an eye, and the billowing smoke seemed to obscure everyone's vision.

However, after the wind blew away the dust, Bambieta looked at the situation with a slightly serious expression.

A massive spiritual pressure aura materialized, resembling a martial god, blocking her fist. Within it was a very handsome young man.

"Captain, leave this to us," Sasuke Uchiha said softly.

At this moment, his Mangekyou Sharingan is circulating. (The reason I'm asking why it's not the Rinnegan is because I think the Mangekyou Sharingan is cooler than the Rinnegan, haha.)

"Oh, Sasuke-kun, then I'll leave it to you." Kenpachi Kuruyashiki laughed and, without delay, immediately set off with Shutara Senjumaru into the distance.

Upon seeing this, Bazzby immediately prepared to stop him, but before he could even form the Flying Leg technique, a jet of black flame instantly ignited the spot where he was about to land, startling him so much that he quickly took a step back.

That was Sasuke's Amaterasu!

(End of this chapter)