Hell, impacted by the Royal Palace, was torn apart.
Sora wanted to shatter Hell completely and use it as a foundation to reforge the Three Worlds.
If he could craft a Lynchpin of the Three Worlds using Hell, while retaining some of Hell's characteristics, the endless stream of souls would become part of the Lynchpin, counteracting the wear and tear of time.
At that point, the reforged Three Worlds would be even more stable.
But he couldn't do it right now, and neither could anyone else in the Three Worlds, so he had to put that idea aside for the time being.
However, his Path to Transcendence was not over yet. Guiding Ichigo Kurosaki along that path was part of the mission itself, and through it, his own power could continue to rise, preserving the chance to reforge the Three Worlds.
"If that doesn't work, I need a backup plan," Sora thought to himself.
He couldn't be sure how much completing the 'Path of Transcendence' would improve him, or if he would possess the ability to reforge the Three Worlds by then, so he had to consider the issue of a backup plan.
After all, the Lynchpin of the Three Worlds made from Pernida, the Soul King's Left Arm, could only support the Three Worlds for twenty years. If he didn't prepare in advance, it would be too late later.
"The source of this Reishi storm is the Soul King's dissipated Reishi. If I collect it, it shouldn't be difficult to create another Lynchpin."
Sora reached out and intercepted some Reishi from the storm. Under the compression of his powerful Spiritual Pressure, these particles condensed into a blue Reishi crystal in his palm.
Collecting the Soul King's Reishi from the storm to recreate the Lynchpin had high feasibility.
However, the range of the Reishi storm was too vast; collecting the Soul King's Reishi from it wouldn't be easy.
Moreover, the power of the Reishi storm was too great. Only he could enter the storm's interior for a long time, so this job could only be done by him.
"There is no trend of it stopping at all. This matter can only be done slowly."
Sora left Hell and returned to the Soul Society.
"Captain Katori is back!"
Everyone was waiting for his return.
The disciples found their backbone and breathed a sigh of relief.
The crashing of the Royal Palace was too shocking. Anyone could guess that the Three Worlds would undergo drastic changes, but right now everyone was confused, not knowing what had happened up there.
Sora explained the cause and effect to everyone: "Yhwach killed the Soul King in the Royal Palace. Although I have slain him, the death of the Soul King is irreversible..."
After listening to Sora's narrative, everyone's expressions varied.
Some newly promoted Captains didn't know about the Lynchpin of the Three Worlds, while other Captains who knew the inside story looked extremely grim.
The death of the Soul King meant that there was a problem with the Lynchpin, and the crisis had not yet been resolved!
"To think Yhwach actually succeeded!" Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto frowned deeply. He also had no way to solve the Lynchpin problem.
"We were all played by Yhwach, but he was eventually defeated by Professor!" Yoruichi paused, then voiced the imminent problem. "Without the support of the Lynchpin, the World of the Living, Hueco Mundo, and the Soul Society will soon cease to exist. We must find a way to solve this problem now!"
"The Soul King's power sank into Hell along with the Royal Palace. If we can collect it, we should be able to reforge the Lynchpin." Sora proposed the backup plan he had thought of. "However, this will take some time. Currently, only I can enter the Reishi storm in Hell."
"I need a more efficient way to collect Reishi." Sora turned to look at his deputy and asked, "That Reishi storm is enough to easily tear apart a Captain-class Shinigami's spirit body. Do you have a way to collect the Reishi within the storm?"
After swallowing things in Hell, the Reishi storm covered almost the entire Hell. It wasn't easy to collect all the Reishi relying solely on Sora, so he wanted to brainstorm and see if there was a more labor-saving way.
"Hoh, even a Captain-class Shinigami's spirit body can't withstand it? I've never seen such a powerful Reishi storm. In that case, equipment made of ordinary materials won't be able to withstand such a storm either. We need to use sturdier materials..." Mayuri Kurotsuchi scratched his face with his fingernails, which were over ten centimeters long. "However, I do know a material that is even harder than a Captain-class Shinigami's spirit body."
"I slightly modified Ashisogi Jizō before. To make Ashisogi Jizō sturdier, I spent some effort figuring out the production method of Zanpakutō..."
Mayuri Kurotsuchi drew his Zanpakutō and swiped it lightly across his hand, easily cutting open the skin of his palm.
"Even for a Captain-class Shinigami, the spirit body is far less hard than a Zanpakutō!"
"I just don't know if this hardness can withstand the Reishi storm in Hell?"
"Making Reishi collection equipment using the method of creating Zanpakutō..." Sora thought for a moment and felt this plan seemed feasible. "We can try it."
The hardness of a Zanpakutō varied according to the Spiritual Pressure provided by the Shinigami. If Sora provided the Spiritual Pressure, the Reishi collection equipment could enter the Reishi storm.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto quietly watched Sora Katori discussing with everyone. A different kind of emotion suddenly rose in his heart. He felt somewhat lost; as the Head Captain commanding the Gotei 13, he hadn't played much of a role during the Soul Society's crisis. But apart from the sense of loss, he was also somewhat gratified—gratified because Sora Katori could fully assume the responsibilities of the Head Captain.
"Everyone." Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto spoke suddenly, interrupting everyone's exchange.
Everyone looked at Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto. He continued: "This old man will step down from the position of Head Captain of the Gotei 13. Effective immediately, the position of Head Captain will be assumed by Sora Katori."
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's words surprised everyone, but given Sora Katori's battle record and achievements, no one raised any objections.
"Old Man Yama is actually stepping down voluntarily? I thought you were going to work in this position for the rest of your life!"
Shunsui Kyōraku looked amazed. He didn't expect the stubborn Old Man Yama to be willing to admit his age and hand over the Head Captain's responsibilities to a young man.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto glanced at Shunsui Kyōraku with an unkind look.
"You are hale and hearty, why not work for a few more years?"
Shunsui Kyōraku suddenly remembered something. If Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto had free time, the unlucky one might be him!
"The Head Captain of the Gotei 13 must, of course, be served by the strongest Shinigami in the Gotei 13. This old man could serve as Head Captain for nearly a thousand years because, in the past, the strongest Shinigami was this old man!" Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto stated unquestioningly. "Now that Sora Katori's strength has surpassed this old man's, it is only right for him to take over the position of Head Captain!"
Shunsui Kyōraku wanted to flee the Soul Society overnight. If he continued to stay in the Soul Society, he would definitely be hit by Old Man Yama's iron fist frequently!