Chapter 148 : All are ineffective, Ichibei's method!
Kuchiki Kyo's hand, gripping his Zanpakutō, tightened slightly, and the blade hummed as it merged into the palace floor.
The next second, countless pale pink cherry blossoms drifted out from spatial rifts, like spring snow, swirling and falling in the air, rendering the solemn council hall beautiful, tragic, and dreamlike.
Many female Shinigami's eyes sparkled, and they couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"Wow! Is this Kuchiki Kyo's Bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi? It's so cool!"
"Kuchiki Kyo! I want to bear your children!"
The sky full of cherry blossoms was actually fragments of spirit particles from his shattered Zanpakutō. Kuchiki Kyo concentrated, and the fragments instantly contracted, condensing into billions of transparent surgical blades, each thinner than a strand of hair.
Each one shimmered with sharp spirit particle light, precisely suspended in front of Li Yu's Cosmo.
He held his breath, his fingertips moving slightly, as the surgical blades slowly probed towards the golden speck of light in the center, their movements as gentle as touching fragile glass.
However, upon contact, that wisp of golden energy erupted with astonishing tenacity and fusion capability.
Not only was the Zanpakutō unable to cut into it, but it was also instantly assimilated and devoured by the Cosmo power contained within the energy, like ice and snow meeting a scorching sun, leaving not even a trace of spirit particle fluctuation.
Kuchiki Kyo's expression changed drastically, and he quickly halted his Bankai. The recalled Zanpakutō blade surprisingly showed fine cracks, as if it had been crushed by an invisible force.
"The power of you four all originates from me, like a mother-child relationship. Attacking me is like a stream flowing into the ocean; it cannot cause any impact."
Li Yu's calm voice rang out, instantly silencing the hall.
When the four Shinigami ancestors were born, Li Yu first froze their souls, and then Ade applied the power of stasis and progression.
Fundamentally, their power was indeed of the same origin as Li Yu's.
The speaker had no intention, but the listeners took it to heart.
The surrounding Shinigami's eyes widened, their faces filled with shock.
"What? The power of the four great ancestors all originates from Lord God? No wonder their spiritual pressure levels are so high!"
A tide of discussion surged, and their gazes towards Li Yu held a hint of awe.
Shihouin Yoru Hana, who had been deep in thought, suddenly had her eyes light up. She was in charge of spiritual tool manufacturing and was currently overseeing the development of artificial bodies.
These containers capable of housing souls allowed Shinigami to interact with humans in physical form, and even bear offspring. Children born from Shinigami and humans possessed powerful spiritual power from birth, which was also the reason for the surge in new-generation Shinigami.
She stepped forward, her voice filled with excitement.
"Your Excellency Li Yu, perhaps we can create a powerful and pure container to guide and transfer the imprint!"
Li Yu's gaze shifted slightly. This was indeed a viable direction.
If he could create a clone, perhaps he could transfer the true spirit imprint.
Although the Bleach World made it difficult to create an artificial body comparable to a Gold Saint, he only needed to transfer a portion of his spiritual body. He could then seek more powerful containers in other reincarnation worlds.
However, reality once again poured cold water on their hopes. Whether it was specially made spiritual tools or high-level artificial bodies personally crafted by Ade, the golden imprint was like a vine growing on the soul, firmly attached to the core of the spiritual body, not moving an inch.
This imprint had long since merged with his soul; peeling it away would harm his foundation.
"What about the power of stasis and progression… These systems derived from Quincy Power, their core lies in absolute control and extreme compression of spirit particles."
Hyosube Ichibei stroked his beard, his eyes gleaming.
"Perhaps we can reverse-engineer it to simulate an internal sealing or internal refining environment within Lord God?"
Oetsu Nimaiya picked up a blade blank, a fanatic glint in his eyes.
"Lord God, what if you could summon the true spirit's true name and release it as a Zanpakutō in Bankai form? This might be the strongest divine-type Zanpakutō in history!"
It must be said that the Shinigami's proposals were full of ingenious ideas, many of which made Li Yu's eyes light up.
But soon, they encountered an insurmountable chasm.
Li Yu's Cosmo, fused with the power of lightning, Kryptonian Bloodline, and the Eighth Sense Cosmo, had energy purity and intensity far exceeding the Shinigami's spiritual pressure theoretical system.
The models they constructed instantly collapsed and disintegrated under the impact of Li Yu's Cosmo.
Time passed bit by bit, and the atmosphere in the hall became increasingly oppressive. The initial enthusiasm and determination gradually gave way to powerlessness and frustration.
Some Shinigami even suggested "using the Hollow's devouring characteristic to devour the true spirit."
But this immediately drew a chorus of eye-rolls.
"Let a Hollow attack Lord God? Not to mention it's impossible to succeed, but if it did, how powerful would that Hollow become? How would we survive? Are you out of your mind?"
Li Yu's eyes were slightly closed; he had long anticipated this.
His soul and body had almost reached the divine realm. Ordinary soul spells were useless against him, like trying to cut a diamond with a wooden knife or extinguish stellar fire with clear water.
And the true spirit imprint was precisely parasitic in the deepest part of the diamond and fire. If the power level was insufficient, even the most exquisite method was useless.
Ade clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms. Seeing Li Yu's consistently calm face, his heart was burning with anxiety.
Could it be that even the wisdom of an entire world could not solve his master's hidden danger?
Li Yu took in everyone's emotions.
Athena's true spirit imprint could bind generations of Gold Saints to their deaths; its essence was far too profound to be easily resolved.
But these attempts were not without meaning. They ruled out conventional paths and also gave him a more subtle perception of the fusion state of his soul and the imprint.
Just as the atmosphere dropped to freezing point, a subtle glint flashed in the eyes of Hyosube Ichibei, who had been deep in thought.
He looked up at Ade, who stood by his side, his lips moving slightly as if to say something, but in the end, it only turned into an almost inaudible sigh, and he lowered his eyelids once more.
This fleeting abnormality was keenly caught by Li Yu.
His heart stirred: What did this bald monk think of?
Could it be that the solution, in the end, could not bypass Ade?
Could it not bypass the power of stasis and progression on him, which was of the same origin as the world?
Li Yu slowly stood up, and the Cosmo around him formed an invisible aura, instantly suppressing the Shinigami's frustration.
"Everyone, I have seen your efforts. Solving this matter is not the work of a single day; it is extremely difficult and cannot be resolved in the short term. This is not your fault."
Ade wanted to say something more, but Li Yu interrupted him.
"You are also tired. Go rest first. We will consider it tomorrow."
After everyone had dispersed, Li Yu's figure slowly vanished from the hall.
Upon returning to his residence, Ichibei suddenly trembled violently.
Unbeknownst to him, Li Yu had appeared before him. Though he released no pressure, cold sweat instantly broke out on Ichibei's forehead, as if he had been targeted by a tiger in the forest, and an alarm blared in his heart.
"Ichibei, speak your mind."
Li Yu stood with his back to Ichibei, his voice carrying an undeniable authority.
Ichibei's facial muscles twisted violently. After struggling for a moment, he dropped to his knees with a thud, lowering his head, not daring to look at Li Yu.
"Lord God, to remove your hidden danger, Your Excellency Ade… must take that step!"
Li Yu's dark eyes narrowed slightly.
He instantly understood that the step Hyosube Ichibei spoke of likely meant Ade becoming the Soul King, who supported the world. Only then would Ade have the ability and strength to remove the true spirit's hidden danger.