Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

This composure, however, made Sasuke's heart sink slightly.

He didn't like this feeling, and his impression of this person wasn't very good either. There was no particular reason; it was simply because he couldn't see through the monk.

Aizen's danger is obvious, and the monk in front of him seems calm, but who knows what kind of terror is hidden within him.

His attitude may seem frivolous, but his actions are extremely steady.

He appears simple and honest, yet he possesses absolute control over the situation.

"Is that so? Very well." The monk waved his hand casually, reverting to his somewhat lazy demeanor. "Then I won't insist. Please come with me to see the Spirit King."

..........

Starting from this Lingfan Li Palace, it didn't take too long to reach the central Lingwang Palace.

The closer Sasuke got, the more he could feel an indescribable deathly stillness.

The enormous pillars were even more lifeless than the monks' palace.

There were no guards or attendants.

It was less a palace and more a huge, empty prison.

Outside the hall, the monk stopped in his tracks, his expression unusually solemn.

He gently waved his hand towards the entrance to the unfathomable hall and spoke to Sasuke and the others.

"You two go inside."

The door is open, or rather, there is no door frame.

Sasuke glanced back at Hyosube Ichibei.

The obese man simply stood obediently at the door, his head slightly lowered, his expression unreadable.

Sasuke and Aizen exchanged a glance, then without further hesitation, they started walking together.

The moment he stepped into the hall, the Yin Nine-Tails within Sasuke suddenly raised its head.

The enormous fox's body began to tremble uncontrollably, and every single hair on its body stood on end.

"Why does this place make me so uncomfortable?!" The Nine-Tails' roar exploded inside Sasuke's body. "What kind of hellish place have you ended up in, you brat?!"

Sasuke ignored its roar and followed the faint but powerful spiritual pressure, walking step by step into the depths of the hall.

Before long, he and Aizen finally met their ultimate goal—

King Ling.

A guy who has the title of "King" but has no kingly demeanor whatsoever.

A human stick, encased in something like amber, floats in the air.

It has a head and a torso, but its arms can be removed and only half of its thighs remain.

He had a handsome face, and beneath his double eyelids were pupils shaped like a cross.

There wasn't even a trace of life; only that unshakeable spiritual pressure proved his existence.

"I am coming."

Sasuke walked directly beneath the crystal, tilted his head back, and his voice echoed in the empty, deathly silent hall.

Inside the crystal, the creature known as the "Spirit King" did not give any response, not even the slightest reaction.

The eyes seem unable to see, the ears seem unable to hear, and the mouth seems unable to speak.

"Can you hear me?" Sasuke's voice became more forceful.

But there was only his own empty echo.

"Didn't he call us here?" Sasuke asked, his patience wearing thin, as the echo faded completely. "Why aren't you saying anything now?"

Aizen didn't answer immediately; his gaze fell on those tightly closed lips.

"It's not that he doesn't want to tell..."

"I can't say."

Sasuke suddenly turned his head to the side, his eyes filled with confusion.

Even in front of the Soul King, Aizen's words showed no respect, and he bluntly said, "Sasuke-kun, you should still remember the ancient history you saw in the Great Spirit Book Corridor, right?"

"The five noble families ambushed the Spirit King, turning him into a wedge to stabilize the Three Realms."

"They feared the Spirit King's rebellion, and dreaded his words that could overturn everything, so they tore his body apart and ripped out his internal organs..."

Aizen turned to face Sasuke and asked a perfectly obvious question:

"So do you think they will leave behind the Spirit King's tongue?"

Sasuke's breath hitched slightly, and he nodded thoughtfully: "That's definitely not the case. Those guys from the Five Noble Families are all hiding their crimes and wouldn't leave any loopholes."

"He is unable to speak or communicate with us in any way."

Aizen stepped forward and stood directly beneath the amber, somewhat puzzled. "In that case, how are we supposed to communicate with him?"

Sasuke didn't answer, closed his eyes, and then opened them again.

The Rinnegan fully unfolded at this moment, without any restraint, and its vast and pure ocular power surged out without any restraint.

He clearly sensed a spiritual pressure emanating from outside the amber.

Seemingly sensing Sasuke's probing, the faint spiritual pressure trembled slightly. Instead of dodging, it actively swam towards Sasuke.

Without Sasuke needing to use any means, it obediently landed in Sasuke's palm.

Aizen also sensed the spiritual pressure and his gaze was drawn to this sudden scene.

"Is this the Spirit King's spiritual pressure?" Sasuke lowered his head closer to the faint light, his nose twitching slightly. "Why does it feel so much like Ishida Uryu's spiritual pressure?"

Aizen sensed it as well, and casually answered Sasuke's question: "In fact, the relationship between the Soul King and the Quincy may be closer than the relationship between the Soul King and the Shinigami."

Sasuke ignored his speculation and focused intently on investigating the information contained within the spiritual pressure, trying to decipher the Soul King's true intentions.

There was no visual or auditory input.

There was only a pure will, a very simple will, consisting of only one sentence.

This statement is easy to understand, yet somewhat puzzling.

When the time is right, please kill me without hesitation. And please... do not stop me from dying.

"..."

Sasuke was stunned.

He almost thought his perception was wrong, but fortunately the spiritual pressure in his palm did not dissipate immediately. He used his pupil power more meticulously and probed again.

However, the result was still the same words, unchanged.

"..."

Aizen looked at Sasuke's incredibly complicated face and asked curiously, "What did the Soul King say to you?"

Sasuke raised his head and looked at the mangled body that resembled a human stump, a rare look of pity flashing in his eyes.

"He told me to wait for the right opportunity to kill him, and not to stop his death."

This "god" is seen by countless uninformed people as the supreme being of the Three Realms.

Was he ultimately seeking death?

Aizen, on the contrary, was not surprised. His face showed no sympathy as he readily accepted it, grinning and saying, "If I were tortured like this, I wouldn't be afraid to die as soon as possible."

"Ultimately, what difference is there between a so-called god and a caged animal once he loses his freedom and will?"

Aizen's gaze fell on the Soul King again, his tone clearly filled with regret: "It's a pity, we can't kill him now."

These words made Sasuke's eyes narrow slightly.

In fact, Aizen had hidden a small lie in what he had said to Hyosube Ichibei earlier.

It wasn't that he hadn't found a "new wedge" sufficient to replace the King of Souls.

In fact, a perfect substitute had already been quietly growing under his guidance and observation.

Ichigo Kurosaki.

That miraculous creation that combined the possibilities of Shinigami, Hollows, Quincy, and even humanity.

His potential even far exceeds his own.

Theoretically speaking, it is entirely feasible to place him here and let him replace the Spirit King as a "new wedge" to maintain the balance of the three realms.

Aizen even considered this as part of his backup plan and carefully analyzed it.

But in the end, he gave up.

Aizen looked at the dismembered Soul King and let out a soft sigh in his heart.

What's the point of replacing an old victim with a new one?

That's just repeating the original sin, built on betrayal and imprisonment, in a completely new way.

Apart from the change in the name of "Wedge," the essence of this world remains unchanged.

He, Aizen Sousuke, has always sought to destroy only the throne itself.

"The death of the Spirit King will leave the Three Realms without a wedge, and the balance will be completely broken."

Sasuke stepped forward, reached out his hand, and gently placed his palm on the cold amber crystal.

"Although for him, this may be a relief."

Sasuke's Rinnegan reflected the numb face in the crystal, and his voice became low, "But in the three realms, there are countless innocent humans, Shinigami, and even Hollows."

“It would be so unfair if they were to be buried alive with the dead for this reason.”

Aizen slowly extended his hand and placed his palm on the other side of Kohaku: "So, Sasuke-kun, have you found a solution?"

"..."

Sasuke did not answer immediately, but instead poured more of his eye power into the previous spiritual pressure.

“Ishida Uryu…” he murmured softly.

Sasuke's Rinnegan spun rapidly, dissecting the essence of that spiritual pressure.