Entering the Secret Passage into Las Noches

The white Desert stretched into the distance under the moonlight, and the majestic Las Noches was now close at hand. The group stood on a sand dune, gazing at the vast white complex ahead, their hearts filled with complex emotions—their companions whom they wanted to save, and the enemies they had to face.

Pesche Kadishe squinted and observed for a moment before speaking, "There should be a guardian here. I think his name is Nunigangka. This guy is huge, and although his combat strength isn't very high, his abilities are quite troublesome."

Liu Hao nodded. "I know that guy. He exists in the form of sand. Taking him down... isn't difficult."

"Where is he hiding now?" Renji Abarai gripped the Zabimaru tightly, his eyes scanning the surrounding sand warily.

Liu Hao didn't answer immediately. He took a few steps forward, stood at the edge of the dune, and scanned the seemingly peaceful Desert before him. After a moment, he turned to the others and said, "It should be in the sand ahead. You wait here, I'll go lure that guy out."

Having said that, he walked forward alone. The sand beneath his feet made a soft rustling sound, and each step left a deep footprint. The moonlight cast a long shadow of him, leaving a black trail on the white sand.

Everyone held their breath, watching his retreating figure with bated breath.

Liu Hao walked about fifty meters when the sand beneath his feet suddenly began to shift.

It wasn't just ordinary sand and dust; the entire ground was spinning. Centered on Liu Hao, the sand began to form a huge vortex, spinning faster and faster, sinking deeper and deeper. The sand beneath Liu Hao's feet rapidly collapsed, forming a huge sand pit tens of meters in diameter.

Liu Hao pushed off with his feet and leaped backward, trying to escape the sandpit.

But just as he leaped into the air, a giant arm suddenly stretched out from the center of the sandpit—completely formed of sand, with its five fingers spread wide, reaching straight for Liu Hao in mid-air.

The arm moved with astonishing speed, closing in on Liu Hao's back in the blink of an eye.

Liu Hao didn't turn his head, forming a hand seal with one hand. "Bakudō Number Thirty-Nine - Enkōsen."

A fan-shaped shield of Reishi instantly unfolded behind him, blocking the path of the giant sand hand. The giant hand struck the shield with a dull thud.

But just when Liu Hao thought he had successfully defended himself, the giant hand suddenly dispersed, turning into countless tiny grains of sand that bypassed the defensive range of the Enkōsen and attacked him again.

Liu Hao frowned slightly. With nowhere to gain leverage in mid-air, he could only lightly touch his toes, and a stream of blue Reishi instantly condensed beneath his feet. Using this power, he leaped upwards again, dodging the attack of those sand grains.

At the same time, he pointed to the sandpit below and shouted, "Hadō #63: Raikōhō - Thunder Roar Cannon!"

A massive beam of yellow light shot from his fingertips, crackling with electricity, like a thunderclap, striking the center of the sandpit.

Boom--!

The deafening explosion was deafening. The Thunder Roar Cannon struck the center of the sandpit, unleashing a blinding flash of light and kicking up clouds of dust. Sand was blasted everywhere, obscuring everyone's vision.

Liu Hao adjusted his body in mid-air and slowly landed on the edge of the sandpit. Under the moonlight, his figure was as still as a sculpture, quietly waiting for the dust to dissipate.

As the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, the center of the sandpit was completely transformed. The original vortex had vanished, replaced by a huge, bottomless pit.

But Liu Hao knew that guy was still alive.

He stood quietly at the edge of the sandpit, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather. "Come out. This level of attack can't hurt you."

All around was silent, save for the mournful sound of the wind whistling through the sand dunes.

One minute, two minutes, five minutes.

There was no movement.

Liu Hao sighed and slowly drew the Imperial Sword from his waist. The blade reflected a cold light in the moonlight, and he said softly, "Since you won't come out, then I won't be polite."

He plunged the Imperial Sword into the sand in front of him. The moment the sword disappeared into the sand, a strange wave spread outwards.

"Imperial Flame—Endless Sea of Fire"

The moment the words left his lips, the sand that touched the Imperial Sword began to change. The originally white sand grains quickly turned red, like metal scorched by flames. The red color spread in all directions, and wherever it passed, the sand turned into scalding magma. The magma bubbled and emitted astonishingly high temperatures as it flowed towards the bottom of the sand pit.

Where the lava flowed, the sand was continuously melted, and new lava was constantly generated. Bubbles pushed open the surface of the lava, revealing an even more intensely red interior. The entire sandpit gradually transformed into a sea of fire, and the air was filled with the Heat.

The magma continued to approach the bottom of the sand pit.

Finally, there was movement at the bottom of the sandpit.

A huge figure emerged from the depths of the sandpit.

It was a giant made entirely of sand, as large as a small mountain. Its head was covered by a hollow mask, and it had a huge Hollow Hole in its chest. Its two arms hung down from its shoulders to the ground, each one thick enough to crush any enemy who dared to approach. Its lower body was connected to the sand on the ground, as if it had grown out of the sand.

Liu Hao looked at the giant who had emerged and asked calmly, "You are Nunigangka?"

Nunigangka looked down at the tiny Grim Soul Reaper, her eyes beneath the mask flashing with rage. "Who are you?"

"Who I am is unimportant." Liu Hao shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the giant's body, which was entirely composed of sand. "Since the entire body is made of sand, attacking only a part of it is indeed difficult to kill it."

These words completely enraged Nunigangka. It raised its massive fist and slammed it down on Liu Hao: "Kill me?! You underestimate me! I am a guard of Las Noches appointed by Lord Aizen!"

The fist slammed down with a whistling sound, enough to crush any creature into mincemeat.

Liu Hao remained standing in place, not even looking up at the descending fist. He simply murmured, "Imperial Flame—Flame Pillar."

The moment the words left his mouth, a massive pillar of fire shot into the sky from beneath Nunigangka.

The flames were not ordinary red, but a blazing white, hot enough to melt everything. The pillar of flames completely engulfed Nunigangka, burning him from head to toe, inside and out.

Nunigangka didn't even have time to scream before his body turned to ashes in the flames. The sand was melted by the high temperature and then instantly vaporized, leaving nothing behind.

The pillar of flame lasted for several seconds before dissipating.

On the ground, all that remained was the enormous sand pit and the bubbling lava at its bottom.

Liu Hao bent down and pulled the Imperial Sword from the sand. The moment he pulled the sword out, the bubbling magma rapidly cooled and solidified, eventually turning into a smooth, Ruri substance that reflected an eerie light under the moonlight.

Liu Hao turned around and walked back to the group. He sheathed his Imperial Sword and said in a relaxed tone, "Alright, it's over. If this guy doesn't use wide-range attacks, it's easy to stall him."

Everyone stared at him, speechless for a moment. The battle just now, from start to finish, lasted only a few minutes. And that so-called "troublesome" guardian was dealt with so easily.

Renji Abarai swallowed hard, unable to resist asking, "Liu Hao... just how strong are you?"

Liu Hao glanced at him, but didn't answer; he simply continued walking forward.

The group exchanged glances and quickly followed.

The group arrived at the foot of Las Noches and looked up at the enormous white palace. The towering walls pierced the clouds, without any doors or windows, only the smooth surface reflecting a cold, hard light under the moonlight.

Ichigo Kurosaki looked around, puzzled, and asked, "Liu Shu, there's no door here, how do we get in?"

Liu Hao turned around and looked at him, his eyes like he was looking at an idiot.

"We're here to rescue people," Liu Hao said, emphasizing each word. "Do we still need to go through a door?"

After saying that, he turned around and punched the wall in front of him.

The fist slammed into the wall, producing a dull thud. The wall trembled slightly, but only a shallow fist mark remained on its surface—not even a fist mark, just a dent.

Seeing this, Ichigo Kurosaki couldn't help but laugh, "Liu Shu, how about I do it? Trying to break down the wall..."

Before he could finish speaking, he witnessed an unbelievable scene.

Around the shallow dent, fine cracks began to appear. The cracks spread outwards from the center of the fist mark, becoming more and more numerous and denser, like a spider web crawling all over the entire wall.

Then--

Boom!

The wall began to collapse. Not just ordinary cracks, but starting from the fist-shaped indentation, the entire wall caved inward, forming a perfect arch. Debris fell inward but did not scatter outward, as if controlled by some invisible force.

After the smoke cleared, an arched opening, large enough for three people to walk side by side, appeared before them. The edges of the opening were smooth and neat, like a meticulously sculpted work of art.

Ichigo Kurosaki his mouth wide, the words he hadn't finished saying stuck in his throat, turning into an unconscious swallow.

Liu Hao turned to look at him, his tone carrying a hint of instruction. "That's why I said all you know is brute force."

Ichigo Kurosaki scratched his head, his eyes darting around, completely at a loss for words.

Renji Abarai forward, breaking the awkward silence. "Let's go."

The group nodded and filed into the cave.

The cave was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Liu Hao raised his right hand, and a blue Reishi orb condensed in his palm. The sphere floated in his palm, emitting a soft light that illuminated the surrounding passage.

The passageway was flanked by smooth stone walls, devoid of any decoration or branching paths. Beneath one's feet were sloping steps that descended into the unseen depths.

The group moved forward in silence, their footsteps echoing through the passage.

No one spoke. Because they all knew that the real battle had only just begun.

Deep within the Las Noches, in a massive conference room.

Ten figures sat on either side of the long conference table. Each figure exuded a powerful Reiatsu, and each figure was Aizen's most powerful fighting force— the Espada.

Sōsuke Aizen entered through a side door with Kaname Tōsen and Gin Ichimaru. He walked slowly to the head of the conference table, sat down, and wore his signature gentle smile.

"Good morning, Espada." Aizen's voice echoed in the hall, gentle and composed. "The enemy has arrived. Let's have a cup of tea and see what happens."

He Kaname Tōsen.

Kaname Tōsen understood and raised his hand to open a light screen above the conference table. The screen displayed real-time surveillance footage of the interior of Las Noches — Liu Hao and the others were advancing through a dark passage.

Aizen looked at the light screen, his tone as relaxed as if he were introducing today's guests. "There are nine intruders. They are Uryū Ishida, Yasutora Sado, Ichigo Kurosaki, Renji Abarai, Rukia Kuchiki, Liu Hao, and former No. 3 Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck and her two Fracción."

Upon hearing the name "Ichigo Kurosaki," Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez's body jolted. He stared at the orange-haired boy on the screen, his eyes burning with barely suppressed fighting spirit. His hands gripped the conference table, his knuckles turning white from the force, as if he were about to rush out and fight the man who had cost him his number 6 position to the death.

When Aizen mentioned "Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck", another person's expression changed.

Nnoitra Gilgar—the Fifth Espada —smirked cruelly. He licked his chapped lips, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust. But when his gaze fell upon Nelliel, still in her infant form on the screen, his excitement instantly turned to disappointment.

"Tch," he spat in dissatisfaction, "Still the same brat-like appearance."

Aaroniero Elurueri—the 9th Espada —looked at the young faces on the screen and laughed disdainfully, "A bunch of brats."

Baraggan Ruisenbon—the 2nd Espada, the oldest of the Espada —reclined back in his chair, his tone laced with undisguised contempt. "What? Heard the enemy was coming, thought they were some big shots. Turns out it's just a bunch of brats?"

Szayelaporro Granz—the 8th Espada —elegantly adjusted his sleeves, a knowing smile playing on his lips, "Oh dear, it doesn't arouse my desire at all."

Aizen listened quietly to their discussion, his smile remaining unchanged. He picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and then put it down.