https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-605-Ascending-the-Palace-of-the-Soul-King-/12559994/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-607-The-Shaking-Hollow-World-and-Soul-Society-/12559997/
Chapter 606: The Tremors of the Soul King Palace!
Chapter 606: The Tremors of the Soul King Palace!
"This is it, the Soul King Palace."
Feng Ye stepped out of the folded space and landed on the path leading to the Soul King Palace, his hands clasped behind his back as he surveyed the entirety of the space before him with a calm gaze.
When he had created the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo with the Soul King, the Soul King Palace had not yet been established. But now, after traversing a million years, the Soul King Palace lay before him, veiled by countless layers of folded space, crafted by the Soul King himself.
Due to the excessive number of curved and folded layers of space, far exceeding the distance between Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society, even his Godly Eye could not directly peer into the depths of the Soul King Palace from the outside.
This was his first time stepping into the Soul King Palace.
And the first time he would behold its inner workings.
After a sweeping glance over the entire Soul King Palace, Feng Ye tilted his head back to gaze at the highest point, where the Soul King's inner sanctum hung in the sky. His gaze penetrated the surface structures, reaching the topmost layer, where he beheld a solemn palace. Within, he saw the Soul King's body, reduced to just a torso and head, encased in an amber-like substance.
After a million years, their gazes finally intersected once more!
"...”
Piercing through the structures and across space, Feng Ye and the Soul King locked eyes, a tinge of melancholy creeping into their expressions as they shook their heads gently.
Just as Feng Ye withdrew his gaze, five figures, led by Ichibei Hyosube, stepped onto the pathway of the Soul King Palace, approaching Feng Ye with measured strides.
Feng Ye turned his attention to Ichibei.
Ichibei, along with Nimaiya Oetsu, Kirio Hikifune, and the others, fixed their gazes upon Feng Ye.
Ichibei came to a halt about five meters in front of Feng Ye, his body slowly lowering into a kneeling position, even as the others mirrored his actions, their movements synchronized.
The members of the Zero Squad—
Knelt on one knee!
"Zero Squad, greeting the Hollow King, my lord!"
Ichibei and the others bowed their heads in reverence as they addressed Feng Ye, their voices filled with respect.
Feng Ye observed this scene with a detached calm, not entirely surprised, and simply replied, "He saw that I would come here and informed you, didn't he?"
Maintaining his kneeling posture, Ichibei responded respectfully, "The Soul King left a message about you long ago and instructed us to wait here for you. However, we became aware of your existence much earlier."
"Oh?" Feng Ye turned his gaze toward Ichibei.
Ichibei explained, "All Zanpakuto are forged by Nimaiya Oetsu, and he knows the whereabouts of every Zanpakuto and whose hands they fall into. So, when you obtained that Asauchi, Nimaiya Oetsu already knew of your existence."
Feng Ye smiled softly and said, "Then you must also be well aware of everything that transpired during my time in the Seireitei?"
"Not entirely," Ichibei lifted his head to meet Feng Ye's gaze. "We dared not overstep our bounds and pry too deeply into your affairs, my lord. However, due to my ability, I am somewhat informed."
Feng Ye stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes drifting over the members of the Zero Squad before him, and then spoke calmly, "It doesn't matter. All of you, rise."
"Thank you, my lord," Ichibei expressed his gratitude and slowly rose to his feet.
Nimaiya Oetsu, the blacksmith, knew the location of every Zanpakuto and to whom they belonged. Ichibei, on the other hand, was the namer of all things in the Soul Society, aware of the names of every life form within it. Together, their abilities allowed them to remain informed about many occurrences in the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, even while residing in the Soul King Palace.
Especially when they encountered an entity whose name Ichibei could not discern, whom he could not control, and who even startled Nimaiya Oetsu—their first thought turned to the message left by the Soul King.
The Hollow King!
A being who, a million years ago, had stood alongside the Soul King to create the Soul Society, his status equal to that of the Soul King himself—the true ruler of this world!
The duty of the Zero Squad was to safeguard the Soul King Palace and protect the King. Their allegiance and devotion were not solely to the Soul King but also to another ruler who stood tall alongside him—the Hollow King!
"Take me to him," Feng Ye requested, his gaze still fixed on the highest reaches of the Soul King's inner sanctum.
Ichibei bowed his head slightly and replied, "Yes, please follow me."
When others referred to the Soul King, including the Zero Squad, they appended the respectful title of 'Sovereign'. However, when Feng Ye spoke without any such title, it didn't feel out of place at all. This was because Feng Ye was an entity on par with the Soul King, one of the two rulers who had created this world.
Ichibei led the way, with Feng Ye trailing behind, his demeanor tranquil as his eyes casually swept over the previously unseen Zero Squad outposts.
Behind them, Shusuke Amagai, Senjumaru Shutara, and the others followed respectfully.
They didn't dare to scrutinize Feng Ye with overly bold gazes, instead opting to lower their heads slightly, their eyes casting a respectful glance at Feng Ye, an entity equal in status to the Soul King.
As members of the Zero Squad, they were largely aware of the Soul King's condition. After a million years, with the Soul Society having evolved to its current state, the Soul King's consciousness had long since faded like a flickering candle in the wind, and now, it was almost imperceptible.
But Feng Ye, the Hollow King, was different.
According to the message left by the Soul King, after creating the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, Feng Ye had crossed through a million years to arrive in the present!
Time itself could not hinder Feng Ye's progress, and this ability to traverse the river of time was a power that none could challenge—a privilege unique to the Hollow King.
"There's no need to be so restrained," Feng Ye spoke calmly into the silence. "While in the Seireitei, I even served as the vice-captain of the 2nd Division of the Gotei 13. There's no need to view me with such trepidation."
"512 years ago." Shutaro respectfully answered.
Feng Ye's expression turned thoughtful. Shutaro was the creator of the Soul Reaper uniform and held the title of Orikimi, but in his memory, she seemed to be acquainted with Mayuri Kurotsuchi, eliciting a mix of annoyance and helplessness in the latter. It seemed a bit early for her to have joined the Zero Squad over 500 years ago.
However, upon further reflection, it made sense. Members of the Zero Squad didn't completely sever ties with the Seireitei after their ascension; they would occasionally descend to convey instructions or fulfill other duties.
With that in mind, Feng Ye casually smiled and asked, "Did you invent the Soul Reaper uniform?"
"Yes," Shutaro replied.
Feng Ye nodded and said, "The design style of the captain's haori is quite nice. Why don't you design a set of clothes suitable for me as well?"
Shutaro was taken aback for a moment but quickly responded, "Of course, I understand. Are there any special requirements?"
"None," Feng Ye smiled at her and said, "As long as it suits me well."
The more vague the requirements, the more challenging the task. After all, it was difficult to discern Feng Ye's preferences and style, and one had to start from scratch. But Shutaro was the Soul Society's Orikimi, and despite the difficulty, she maintained a calm demeanor as she accepted the task.
After walking a few more steps, the group finally arrived at the main entrance of the Soul King Palace.
On either side of the entrance stood two towering Shinigami guards. Upon seeing Ichibei and the others, they immediately bowed respectfully.
"The Soul King is inside. Please go ahead. We have not received a summons from the Soul King, so we can only wait outside the palace," one of the guards said, addressing Ichibei.
Ichibei stopped at the palace door and bowed to Feng Ye, who was behind him.
"Mm," Feng Ye acknowledged calmly before stepping forward, ascending the palace steps, and making his way inside, heading towards the heart of the Soul King Palace.
After walking for a while, he arrived at a spacious and majestic palace. Outside the palace stood four people dressed as attendants, all of whom bowed respectfully to Feng Ye.
"Greetings, Hollow King," they said in unison.
"You may leave," Feng Ye said indifferently as he continued walking, stepping into the inner palace.
The entire inner palace was empty, except for a huge curtain that resembled butterfly wings spread wide, a translucent amber floating in the air, and the Soul King's body suspended within it.
The Soul King had neither arms nor legs, only a head and torso. His eyes emitted a faint light resembling a cross-shaped star as he gazed steadfastly forward.
"You really are..." Feng Ye stopped in front of the Soul King, shaking his head and sighing.
Concerned that his consciousness would dissipate and that the death of his physical body would cause the collapse of the Soul Society and the Hollow World, the Soul King had, while his consciousness still existed, removed his own limbs. Each limb contained a portion of his power, and he had dispersed them throughout the Soul Society.
This way, even if his physical body were destroyed, his power consumed or taken by others, the Soul Society would not immediately crumble. It could continue to persist, awaiting a turn of events.
This preparation was likely for Yhwach's sake.
As for why the Soul King had foreseen his arrival and made preparations for Yhwach as well, the reason was simple: the future he had foreseen was uncertain.
Just like Feng Ye's current situation, the future he saw was filled with countless branches and constantly changing unless it had already occurred and become the present.
Therefore, the Soul King had made two sets of preparations. One was for Feng Ye's arrival, and the other was for Yhwach's return a thousand years later to wage war against the Soul Society once more.
The preparation for Yhwach was to split his own body and power in advance. The preparation for Feng Ye was to leave behind a message.
"... "
Feng Ye raised his hand and gently touched the edge of the amber.
Sensing Feng Ye's power, an invisible wave of Reiryoku rippled through the air, causing the spiritual particles to glow and form the Soul King's silhouette, which floated before Feng Ye.
"You've come," the Soul King's apparition said. His eyes and tone carried an air of endless vicissitudes. "The fact that you're seeing this means I'm already gone. The next million years belong to you... I know what you desire. Take my power as you wish. I ask only one thing of you: do not let the world we created be destroyed."
A gentle smile appeared on his face as he continued, "Actually, there's no need for me to ask. I know you won't let that happen. It's a pity we won't have another chance to chat."
As his words trailed off, the Soul King's apparition dissipated into specks of Reiryoku.
Feng Ye stood there, watching the dissipating apparition, his gaze shifting to the Soul King within the amber. "Rest assured," he said softly. "I'll discipline those unruly children of yours, but... I won't remain here for the next million years."
Having said that, Feng Ye extended his hand towards the amber. As his hand made contact with its surface, countless cracks appeared, and in the final moment, the massive amber shattered!
Even the Soul King's figure within it transformed into a vast and boundless power.
Feng Ye reached out with his fingers, plunging them into that power. Like iron filings drawn to a magnet, the power rushed and flowed towards Feng Ye's body, pouring into him.
In just a short moment, the immense energy merged with Feng Ye, enveloping him entirely.
RUMBLE! ! !
The entire Soul King Palace began to tremble.
The Soul King Palace shook!
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
