Preparing for Secluded Cultivation

"Is this the Forest of Menos?" Ye Yang looked ahead and saw a huge underground world. The surrounding area was full of trees, but like the trees on the ground, they had no leaves and looked like dead trees.

Looking up at the tree, you'll see that its branches reach all the way to the top. Ye Yang suddenly remembered the trees on the ground and said, "So the books on the ground actually grew from here."

Ulquiorra respectfully replied, "Yes, Lord Ye Yang, these trees are everywhere in the Forest of Menos; some are so tall they reach the ground."

"So, wherever there are trees on the ground, there's Forest of Menos underneath?" Ye Yang asked.

Yes, all of them.

"I remember we passed through many places with trees on the way, can't we get off there?"

"The rock layers in other areas are quite hard, and it takes a lot of effort to open them. This area is all soft sand, and the entrance can be opened with just a light tap," Ulquiorra explained.

Ye Yang nodded, his brows furrowed. Unbeknownst to him, a few Hollows had gathered around them. Not far away, a Gillian legion was approaching. Upon seeing this, Ulquiorra pointed directly at the Menos Grande legion and unleashed a Cero, annihilating dozens of Gillian. At the same time, he released his own Vasto-class Menos Grande aura. As a Vasto-class Menos Grande, being provoked by Gillian and even ordinary Hollows, he naturally couldn't stand it and taught them a lesson.

As expected, the Hollows around Ulquiorra were immediately startled when he released his aura, and then transformed into birds and beasts and fled in all directions, fearing that this Vasto-class Menos Grande was going to kill them.

"Lord Ye Yang, this way please. That's a cave where I used to live; it should be very suitable for your cultivation." With that, Ulquiorra led Ye Yang on a stroll through the Forest of Menos. At this moment, all the Hollows in front of them made way for them, since Menos Grande of Vasto Lorde's level were beyond their reach.

Before long, the two arrived at the entrance of a cave. This place was relatively quiet, as there were relatively few Menos Grande lurking here.

Ulquiorra got to work, setting up a barrier at the cave entrance. Ye Yang said, "I'll handle the barrier myself."

"No, Lord Ye Yang, my barrier isn't a defensive barrier; it's just an ordinary one. However, it exudes an aura unique to Vasto-class Menos Grande. This is why they dare not approach this place. Vasto-class Menos Grande beings are mostly quite eccentric, and no one would dare to provoke them."

Ye Yang nodded to indicate that he understood. Ulquiorra then said, "My barrier can only serve as a warning. If you are still worried, you can set up another barrier yourself to prevent anyone from disturbing you."

This is good, as it can prevent many petty people from coming to harass me. I can set up another layer inside this barrier to prevent many reckless Menos Grande cultivators from breaking in at a crucial moment in my cultivation. Wouldn't I be devastated? It would be better if all my previous efforts were wasted, or worse, if something went wrong, I would be seriously injured even if I didn't die.

If I were to die at the hands of Adjuchas- class Menos Grande, my lifelong reputation would be ruined. I thought, even the King of Hueco Mundo couldn't do anything to me, so wouldn't it be a great injustice to die at the hands of Adjuchas for no reason?

Ye Yang suddenly asked, "Ul, are you very familiar with the power distribution in Hueco Mundo? Could you tell me about the current situation in Hueco Mundo?"

As Ulquiorra set up his barrier, he said, "When it comes to power, only Baraggan calls himself the Emperor, with many Menos Grande following him. He calls himself Las Noches, and only they acknowledge Baraggan's title as King of Hueco Mundo. It's undeniable that Baraggan is very strong; at least I can't contend with him right now. But that doesn't mean he's the strongest in Hueco Mundo. He might be one of the strongest, that's about it."

Ye Yang: "So, there are still a few Vasto Lordes who can rival him? And his so-called title of King of Hueco Mundo hasn't gained widespread recognition?"

"That's right. We Vasto Lorde are all proud, and no one will submit to someone else. So he doesn't have any Vasto-class Menos Grande under his command, not even top-tier Adjuchas. There are definitely no fewer than ten such forces in the Forest of Menos, but we all tacitly accept his existence because of his personal strength."

"You said there's someone even more powerful than Baraggan, do you know where he is?"

The barrier had been set up by then, Ulquiorra stepped aside. "I don't know. I've only heard of them. What I can confirm is that there are definitely no fewer than five Vasto Lordes in Hueco Mundo. They're usually very elusive, so finding them is quite difficult."

Ye Yang then said, "Ul, if you have time, keep an eye on them. If possible, it would be best to bring them over to our side."

"Yes, Lord Ye Yang!"

"And another thing, I'm asking you why Baraggan is so persistent in pursuing you?"

When this was mentioned, Ulquiorra's usually unchanging expression flickered slightly. After all, that dark aura had tormented him for so long, and he couldn't help but feel some resentment. "Because Baraggan didn't have a single strong fighter among his subordinates. Since he wanted to become the King of Hueco Mundo, he wanted to strengthen his own power. At that time, I had just advanced to Vasto Lorde and my strength was still unstable. He somehow found out about this and ambushed me when I just left the Forest of Menos, trying to subdue me. After fighting him, things turned out like this."

"So that's how it is. I couldn't help you during my seclusion. If you were to encounter him alone again, what would your chances of winning be?" Ye Yang couldn't help but ask.

"I have no chance of winning. Even now, I'm still no match for him. His abilities are too overpowered. But if I want to escape, he can't stop me either." Ulquiorra was still very confident in his speed.

He wasn't the type of Hollow who relied on sheer strength to win. Back when he was Adjuchas, he was smaller, but incredibly agile. With his incredible speed and nimble body, he still managed to reach the top.

Ye Yang: "Actually, there's no need to worry about that. At least in the near future, he's unlikely to achieve anything significant."

"Why?" Ulquiorra asked, wondering why Ye Yang was so certain.

"I've already fought him. He should be recuperating somewhere now. It'll take him several years to recover," Ye Yang said with a smile, as if he were talking about something trivial.

"What!" Even Ulquiorra, with his cold demeanor, couldn't help but be surprised. "Lord Ye Yang, you defeated him?"

Ye Yang thought for a moment and said, "It wouldn't be considered a defeat, but rather a forced retreat."

Ulquiorra looked at Ye Yang strangely, and had to reassess his strength. He originally thought that Ye Yang's strength was about the same as his own at his peak, or slightly stronger, but Ye Yang's direct defeat of Baraggan changed Ulquiorra's opinion of him. At present, he could only come up with four words to describe Ye Yang - unfathomable!

Ulquiorra's estimation was actually quite accurate. Ye Yang's strength was indeed slightly greater than his, just as he had anticipated. Had Ye Yang not awakened a new ability in his Zanpakuto during his battle with Baraggan, he would have been utterly defeated. However, now that Ye Yang had mastered the power of time, his strength had reached an even higher level.

Ye Yang said, "Alright, Ul, you've worked hard too. I'll be going into seclusion soon. Keep an eye on things outside, and don't forget the mission I gave you. Aizen isn't a simple person, so make sure you're fully prepared."

"It's Lord Ye Yang! If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."

"Mm," Ye Yang nodded in reply.

Inside an unnamed cave, surrounded by a number of Adjuchas- class Menos Grande, a voice rang out, "Have you heard? We have two newcomers here, one of whom is a Vasto-class Menos Grande. What do you think?"

"Vasto-class Menos Grande? What's he doing here? This place is meaningless to him."

He found a cave here, seemingly to go into seclusion and cultivate.

What's the basis for this?

He set up a barrier at the cave entrance.

"It seems so."

"That... that Vasto Lorde, I've seen him before."

"What? You've seen it? Tell me quickly!"

"He used to be Menos Grande here too, but it seems he left after advancing to the Vasto Lorde rank. Now, I don't know why he's back."

What's his name?

"Ulquiorra is a loner, extremely eccentric, unsociable, and incredibly powerful in combat."

"Then what do we do?"

"Since his goal is cultivation, he probably won't pay attention to us. We'd better not disturb him; he'll leave naturally when he's finished cultivating."

"Yes, this is the safest option right now. Isn't there another one? Any news on that?"

"No, it looks like one of his entourage. Anyway, we should stay away from that place."

"That's fine then..."

On the ground, in the vast desert, a group of people were moving quickly. Judging from their clothes, they should be Death Gods rather than Hollows. There were about seventy or eighty of them. They supported each other and ran as fast as they could.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed the Expeditionary Force. They now had less than a hundred men left, almost all of them wounded to varying degrees. Several legion commanders led the way, while Shusuke Amagai carried the unconscious old legion commander close behind.

Finally, they ran for what seemed like forever, until they could no longer feel the void, and then they stopped. Every member of the team was moved to tears; they had survived. Only after experiencing life and death can one truly understand the preciousness of life.

The team members cheered wildly, celebrating their hard-won lives. Several legion commanders and deputy commanders stood by, tears streaming down their faces, not in celebration, but in deep sorrow, wondering what had become of Ye Yang. Ye Yang had chosen to stay without hesitation to save them, and now they were all silently praying for him... praying that Ye Yang would return, just like before...

(Please add to your favorites and recommend!)