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The Tenchūren let out a deafening roar, and the exaggerated fluctuations gradually returned to calm.
The pillar gate slowly opened, and an air of Reishi, even denser than that of the Seireitei, surged out like a wave.
With such a high concentration of Reishi, a normal Vice-Captain-class Shinigami arriving here would likely be overwhelmed and unable to breathe.
However, for Aozaki Reiji, it brought an unprecedented sense of comfort and refreshment, as if every cell in his body was cheering.
He couldn't help but take a deep breath, fully enjoying the wonderful feeling this mysterious world brought.
Looking up, the first thing Aozaki Reiji saw was the enormous cylindrical building floating in the air.
It was like a 'Divine Needle' reaching to the sky, giving an undeniable sense of presence.
This building was so massive that one couldn't help but marvel at its grandeur.
Just gazing at it from afar, one could feel the profound sense of history it contained, as if it had witnessed the vicissitudes of countless years.
And surrounding this giant cylinder, five equally enormous circular basins were suspended, also astonishing in their size.
According to Aozaki Reiji's estimation, these basins were about two hundred kilometers in diameter.
This scale was no less than any super-metropolitan area in the Human World.
At the bottom of this area, a vast network of streets and buildings could be seen.
They were scattered in an orderly fashion, forming a magnificent picture.
"It's quite a shock, isn't it? I was just like you the first time I saw it."
Hikifune Kirio looked at the scene before her and smiled as she spoke to Aozaki Reiji.
"The center is the residence of the Soul King—the Soul King Greater Palace."
"Those five beside it are our Zero Division Palaces, which are our 'Castles'."
She pointed to the distant, magnificent palaces and the surrounding buildings, explaining.
"The buildings in the 'Castle' and the streets below are the living quarters for the Divine Soldier Corps."
Aozaki Reiji followed the direction of her finger.
Hikifune Kirio put an arm around his shoulder and said enthusiastically:
"Every Zero Division member has a Zero Division Palace, and if you can join the Zero Division in the future, it'll be the same for you too."
The two stepped out of the Tenchūren hand in hand, standing on the ground of the Soul King Palace.
"Here he comes, here he comes, finally! Are you the kid the Soul King personally summoned?"
A sudden shout entered his ears.
Aozaki Reiji subconsciously turned his head to look.
A large bald man appeared before him.
He walked over swaggering, with his arms crossed.
Behind him, two other men followed.
One had a pompadour, carrying a long wooden oar on his shoulder, and a large banner embroidered with a Daphne flower pattern, which was the Zero Division's squad flower.
The other had neck-length black punk curly hair, wore large sunglasses, and had dark skin.
These three were the other three members of the Zero Division.
The leader of the Zero Division, Ichibei Hyosube, 'Eye Monk'.
The Eastern Divine General of the Zero Division, Tenjiro Kirinji, 'Spring Hot Spring Demon'.
The Western Divine General of the Zero Division, Ōetsu Nimaiya, 'Sword God'.
And at some unknown point, Shutara Senjumaru had also joined this strange group.
She even used the skeletal arms behind her to take out several instruments and play music.
Aozaki Reiji looked at the four with an expression that seemed to say, "Are you kidding me?"
The next second.
Tenjiro Kirinji's figure blurred into a phantom, appearing behind Aozaki Reiji in the blink of an eye.
He stretched his long neck, brought his head close to the side of Aozaki Reiji's face, and scrutinized him with a menacing expression.
"Yo... kid, you're Yamamoto's new disciple, aren't you?"
"I heard you also have a good relationship with Unohana."
"But it's not good to be so impolite to your seniors."
"What, don't you like the welcome ceremony we've been rehearsing for so long?"
Before he finished speaking, the pompadour man suddenly froze, and his vision flashed.
Aozaki Reiji, who should have been in front of him, had suddenly vanished without a trace, as if he had never appeared.
Just as he felt puzzled, Aozaki Reiji's voice came from behind:
"Excuse me, I don't particularly like strange men standing behind me. It makes me feel very uncomfortable."
Hearing the unfamiliar voice from behind, the pompadour man grinned, revealing a menacing smile.
"Oh? You can actually keep up with my speed."
"As expected, you have some skill. You're worthy of being the one that woman took a liking to, interesting."
After speaking, his figure once again disappeared from his original spot, rushing towards Aozaki Reiji's back at an even more astonishing speed.
However, when he stopped again, there was still no one in front of him.
Aozaki Reiji's figure was no longer within his line of sight.
Tenjiro Kirinji's heart jolted, and his expression subtly changed.
It should be known that before he joined the Zero Division, he already held the title of "Lightning Tenjiro."
This was a recognition of his speed.
At that time, within the entire Seireitei, no one could compare to him in terms of speed.
What's more, now that he had become a Royal Special Forces member of the Zero Division, his Reiatsu had been strengthened by the Lingwang's power, breaking through the Shinigami dimension.
Even if his footwork hadn't improved for centuries, his speed was even swifter than before!
Yet at this moment, this kid could actually keep up with his Shunpo!
This truly astonished him.
Moreover, looking at Aozaki Reiji's footwork, it didn't seem to be ordinary Shunpo.
It was somewhat like the Utsusemi of the Shihōin Family, possibly mixed with Hirenkyaku and other footwork techniques.
This kid is truly not simple!
Aozaki Reiji's lips curved slightly, revealing a faint smile.
He naturally hadn't forgotten the Old Man Yamamoto's instructions.
But since it was the Lingwang himself who ordered him to come up, then whether or not to conceal his strength was no longer important.
After all, in this world, what could escape his eyes?
However, just to be safe, he still held back, not using light-form movement, but instead using his self-developed Shunpo.
Seeing this, Tenjiro Kirinji couldn't help but grin, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
His body lowered slightly, and all his muscles tensed, without the slightest relaxation, clearly preparing to continue this speed competition.
It had been many years since he had encountered something so interesting!
But in the blink of an eye, a thick hand wrapped around Tenjiro Kirinji's shoulder.
Tenjiro Kirinji looked sideways with some confusion.
He saw a bald head with thick eyebrows and large eyes appear beside him.
This bald head let out a hearty laugh, then said loudly to him:
"Forget it, forget it, don't get angry with a child."
"It's been a long time since a newcomer ascended to the Soul King Palace, this is something to be happy about."
After speaking, he seemed to remember something and spoke again:
"You should have already learned about me from Yamamoto, right? Yes, I am Hyosube Ichibe'e, 'Eye Monk'."
"Although I don't know what he told you, it certainly wasn't anything good, was it?"
"Knowing I don't like people calling my name, yet deliberately saying it, don't you trust me that much?"
"It's really troublesome, isn't this blatant intimidation!"
"Hmm... although I have a lot to say, let's save it for the banquet."
As he spoke, he turned his head to look at Aozaki Reiji.
Aozaki Reiji felt his gaze and also turned to look, their eyes meeting.
The big bald man grinned, revealing a mouthful of pearly white teeth, and at the same time let out a hearty laugh.
He said with a laugh:
"The Soul King's guest, come with us, we've been preparing for a long time this time, you'll definitely like it, hahaha!"
His voice was bold and powerful, carrying an irresistible enthusiasm.
Although his aura had a strong sense of oppression, there was no hint of hostility in his smile and tone.
On the contrary, his friendly attitude made one inexplicably feel a misconception.
As if he was full of goodwill towards his new guest.
However, Aozaki Reiji knew in his heart that all of this was merely superficial.
This big bald man was definitely not as he appeared.
If you peeled him open, his insides would surely be darker than those of his two senior brothers.
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