Original God, but the Chat Group

Moreover, Aizen had indeed used Illusion on Li Yue. Yet what surprised Aizen was that Illusion seemed completely ineffective against Li Yue. While Li Yue spoke with Gin Ichimaru, the Gin standing beside him was entirely under control and unable to see Aizen, but Li Yue could clearly see him. As he narrated the story he had just made up to Gin Ichimaru, Li Yue kept shooting glances and flirtatious looks at Aizen. Gin Ichimaru, absorbed in Li Yue's fabricated tale, failed to notice, but Aizen saw it all perfectly clearly.

After finishing his conversation with Gin Ichimaru, Li Yue even raised an eyebrow at Aizen and flashed him a V-sign. Godfather, how was the story I just made up?

The meaning behind Li Yue's little gesture made Aizen's mouth twitch, while also making him realize that his Illusion had no effect on Li Yue whatsoever.

Was it Li Yue's innate trait, or some ability? Aizen's mind immediately began turning over countless possibilities. At once, he regarded Li Yue as a threat and considered how he might eliminate that threat.

Yet after a brief period of thought, Aizen abandoned the idea. In his view, someone like Li Yue was easy to understand. If something interested him, he would do it. And if others treated him well, he would treat them well in return. This much was clear from Li Yue's willingness to tell him that he could bring people across worlds; Li Yue had no intention of hiding it from him. Nor did he care about so-called justice or the bigger picture. Therefore, all Aizen needed to do was maintain a friendly relationship with Li Yue. In return, he could obtain immensely satisfying rewards from him. Once he understood that, Aizen's gaze toward Li Yue softened.

After flashing Aizen the V-sign, Li Yue and Gin Ichimaru decided to put on a little show. After all, their reason for coming out here was supposedly to spar and determine who was Aizen's most capable assistant. If there had been no movement in their Reiatsu at all, that would have been far too fake.

What Gin Ichimaru did not know was that Aizen was standing nearby, watching the two of them act.

Thus, with the intention of teaching him, Gin Ichimaru very politely sparred with Li Yue. According to Li Yue, the strongest remaining Bleach in the future would only be at Vice-Captain level. Coupled with Li Yue's youthful appearance, Gin Ichimaru assumed Li Yue was probably not much of a fighter.

And the facts proved that Li Yue truly was not much of a fighter. In Gin Ichimaru's eyes, Li Yue's Flash Step was passable, but he relied almost entirely on brute force when swinging his sword. He could not even cast Kido without incantations. The only thing worth seeing was his Zanpakuto's ability.

A Zanpakuto that could sever space was extraordinarily rare. To someone who did not understand Li Yue's abilities, this sword could easily pull off a first-meeting ambush kill. Even if he could not defeat an opponent in battle, he could use the Portal ability for a tactical retreat. No wonder Rangiku Matsumoto had chosen him and sent him into this era overflowing with monsters to change history.

With both sides merely fooling around, Gin Ichimaru easily gave Li Yue a lesson. Li Yue did not care. He knew that although he currently possessed Reiatsu at Kensei Muguruma's level, if he faced a Bleach captain of the same level and failed to secure victory with the opening move, he could easily lose in the ensuing battle.

But! Strength was temporary, while cool moves were eternal!

"Hmph! You can keep that title of most capable assistant for now, but one day, I will take it from you! I will prove who Godfather's number one general truly is!"

The moment the spar ended, Li Yue immediately changed faces and entered acting mode. He looked at Gin Ichimaru with disdain and spat out the kind of trash talk only that man deserved to say. Gin Ichimaru's mouth twitched, and he began to wonder whether future Rangiku Matsumoto had chosen Li Yue not because of his Zanpakuto's ability, but because of his talent for changing expressions.

"Then, Li Yue-kun, I'll be waiting for you."

Gin Ichimaru maintained his smile and showed great tolerance toward this junior from the future.

"Enough. Lord Aizen is still waiting for us. We should head back."

"Hmph, you don't need to tell me that!"

Putting on an annoyed expression, Li Yue finished his line and fled using Flash Step. Gin Ichimaru's eyelid twitched where he stood before he followed with Flash Step.

Aizen had already left after Li Yue declared that he would prove who was Aizen's number one general. After all, Aizen ought to have still been on the way to the laboratory, waiting for them.

"Godfather!"

With Gin Ichimaru deliberately going easy on him, Li Yue arrived before Aizen first.

"I am deeply sorry, Godfather. I disappointed you. I failed to take back the position of your most capable assistant from that squinty-eyed guy."

"It is all right, Li Yue-kun. You are still young and have plenty of room to grow. I believe that one day, you will become a powerhouse who surpasses even me."

Aizen kept his usual calm smile.

"Li Yue-kun really is quite petty. You were calling me Gin Ichimaru just now, but now you are directly calling me that squinty-eyed guy."

Gin Ichimaru arrived right after him and chimed in with a grin.

"Tch, squinty eyes! Godfather said that sooner or later, I'll surpass you!"

"Hehehe, then shouldn't I strike first before Li Yue-kun surpasses me?"

As he spoke, Gin Ichimaru began releasing killing intent toward Li Yue. His right hand even moved to his sword hilt, as though he intended to dispose of Li Yue before he could grow stronger.

"Enough, Gin. Li Yue is still young."

Aizen spoke, bringing the two men's acting contest to an end.

"Come. Since Li Yue-kun has made the trip, we might as well take him to our new laboratory."

"You are taking Li Yue-kun directly to the new laboratory? It seems Captain Aizen trusts Li Yue-kun greatly."

"Ah, Gin, I can tell you this."

Aizen's eyes narrowed slightly behind his black-rimmed glasses.

"My trust in Li Yue-kun exceeds even my trust in you."

"It seems Li Yue-kun is truly an extraordinary threat to me in Captain Aizen's eyes."

Gin Ichimaru deliberately established an antagonistic stance against Li Yue.

"Come. My new research should yield results today."

Gin Ichimaru had never visited the research laboratory Aizen had newly established outside the Seireitei. This was his first time here, because the laboratory was not researching the Hollowfication of Bleach as before, nor the Shinigami Transformation of Hollows in Hueco Mundo. It was researching the Elemental Power from the world of Teyvat.

"Li Yue-kun, I separately mixed the three elements you gave me into Test Souls, and the results have been very interesting."

"Oh? What kinds of effects did they have?"

Gin Ichimaru, standing nearby, was filled with curiosity at Li Yue's question. Three elements? What elements? Could they be elements Li Yue had brought back from the future? Yet neither Li Yue nor Aizen would possibly explain it to him, so he could only imagine for himself.

"I fused the Elemental Power you gave me into souls, successfully granting them the traits of their corresponding elements. Through the conversion of spirit particles, they can continuously generate Elemental Power from their own spirit particles. The stronger their Reiatsu, the stronger the Elemental Power they produce."

"In other words!"

Delight appeared on Li Yue's face, and Aizen nodded slightly.

"Yes. Those souls can now use Elemental Power."

Sacrifice Zhongli, Become a Happy Anemo Boy

"First was the Geo Element. After I fused it into a soul, the soul developed a resilient trait, much like an Arrancar's Hierro. Yet I did not Hollowfy that soul. Its skin passively developed an effect similar to Hierro, greatly enhancing its defense. My tests found that its skin contained a large amount of Geo Element."

"Next was the Anemo element. After it was fused into a soul, the soul awakened the power of wind. Wind constantly stirred around it, though because it is still in the experimental phase, the soul cannot move freely. Thus, I cannot yet determine the exact properties of that wind."

"Lastly came the Dendro element. The limbs of the soul implanted with Dendro element began to take on plantlike qualities, and its body underwent varying degrees of fibrous transformation. Yet it remained alive. Furthermore, the activity of spirit particles around it increased considerably, affecting the surrounding environment as well."

As Aizen explained the changes caused by fusing the three elements into souls, he led Li Yue into the laboratory he had built in Soul Society.

Three massive glass cylinders contained three artificial souls floating inside. Each was a faceless white humanoid figure, but Li Yue could see the manifestations of their distinct elements. The artificial soul fused with Geo Element gleamed with golden light, and parts of its skin seemed to be covered in metal. The one fused with Anemo element had barely changed at all, but green ripples continuously whirled through the air around it. The changes in the one fused with Dendro element were the greatest: its limbs looked like branches, as though it had become a treant.

"Unfortunately, Li Yue-kun, the reserves of Elemental Power you supplied were still insufficient. With the quantity you provided, this is all I can currently achieve in my research. But since Li Yue-kun is here now, research into Elemental Power should become much easier from here on."

Aizen adjusted his glasses and looked at Li Yue excitedly. Originally, obtaining Elemental Power aggregates required Li Yue to send them through the Chat Group. But now that Li Yue could bring people across worlds, acquiring Elemental Power had suddenly become far simpler!

According to Li Yue's introduction, the Teyvat continent was a world filled with Elemental Power. As long as Li Yue opened a door to the Teyvat continent, Aizen could draw vast amounts of Elemental Power from it for research.

Li Yue kept nodding as he looked at the three artificial souls. As expected of Aizen. He had only been given a little Elemental Power aggregate, yet he had already produced results like these.

"To achieve this much after only coming into contact with Elemental Power, Godfather, you are already the strongest researcher I have ever seen."

"Especially when it comes to producing Elemental Power. As far as I understand it, Elemental Power is energy that exists in nature. Humans need external organs like Visions to draw natural energy and convert it into Elemental Power they can use. But these souls can directly use their own spirit particles to convert them into corresponding Elemental Power. That means they can still use elemental energy even in environments without Elemental Power."

"The unfortunate thing is that apart from Anemo element, the other two are really rather ugly after fusion."

Although Li Yue had already obtained the powers of a Bleach, he still had ideas about Elemental Power. Since Zhongli was too stingy to give him a Vision, if Aizen could help him gain Elemental Power, he certainly wanted it. Unfortunately, the results of fusing it were truly a little ugly.

"That is because the method I am researching differs from the method of using Elemental Power you described, Li Yue-kun."

Aizen's method for researching Elemental Power was to fuse it into the soul. This was also what scientists in the Bleach world were best at: modifying and studying souls. The Original Gods of Teyvat used Elemental Power through external magical organs called Visions, rather than by embedding it in their souls.

For Li Yue, Aizen's method of acquiring Elemental Power was more convenient. The Elemental Power driven by a Vision was essentially borrowed from the world of Teyvat, whereas Aizen's method of fusing it into the soul and then converting spirit particles into Elemental Power relied on oneself to obtain that power. This method of generating energy internally was undoubtedly more suitable for use in other worlds.

Venti and Nahida could still use Elemental Power in the world of road people because they were Demon Gods themselves and inherently contained enormous amounts of Elemental Power. But Original Gods who used Visions were different, and Li Yue naturally did not want such a weakness.

That was right. Aizen's method of modifying souls to possess and generate Elemental Power was closer to directly turning someone into a Demon God. The only difference was that such Demon Gods would be relatively weak, and compared to the Demon Gods of the Teyvat continent, they lacked corresponding authorities. This was far better than becoming an Original God dependent on a Vision.

But appearance was combat power! Li Yue wanted power, but he also wanted good looks! As he had said, whether one was strong or not was temporary, but being handsome lasted a lifetime!

"If only they could look better."

Li Yue's obsession with appearances left Aizen quite helpless. When Li Yue had spoiled the future in the Chat Group before, he had complained that Aizen looked too ugly after evolving into a moth. Now he was demanding that forms fused with Elemental Power look good too.

"Li Yue-kun, the Elemental Power you gave me consists only of the most basic elemental aggregates. They have no inherent tendency toward any particular appearance. Thus, after I fuse them into souls, the traits they display can only be the most fundamental traits of those elements."

Li Yue understood Aizen's words. On the Teyvat continent, the most basic representations of Geo Element were two things. One was a Geo Slime. Small Slimes were fine; they were simply living stone balls. But large Geo Slimes possessed rocky shields. The other was the Geo Vishap. Whether large or small, Geo Vishaps were covered in protrusions of Geo Element material. Both Geo Slimes and Geo Vishaps resembled the soul before him, with all sorts of metallic substances glinting over their skin. This was how Geo Element manifested.

The same was true for Dendro element. Only Anemo element was an exception, because wind was formless. Thus, after fusing with Anemo element, a soul's outward appearance changed relatively little.

If Li Yue wanted to gain Elemental Power now without becoming ugly, perhaps his only option was to fuse Anemo element into his own soul and become a new, low-spec Anemo Demon God.

"So my only option now is to sacrifice a friend and become an Anemo boy?"

Li Yue recalled the Anemo boys of Teyvat. Every one of them had lost a friend, and each had a tragic, burdened backstory. But it had to be said that while Anemo did not offer the same easy security as Zhongli's shield, it really was incredibly stylish.

Aside from a certain Anemo Archon who could not even swirl bombs, the remaining Anemo boys were each cooler than the last: the plunging Adepti, the high-jumping Heavenly Emperor, the one-punch detective, the flying fool. Every one of them was graceful and flashy. That sense of flowing freedom differed from a Bleach using Spirit Path Creation to walk through the sky. They were genuinely flying, while a Bleach's spirit-particle path was fundamentally just running through the air. In terms of sheer style, running through the sky as a Bleach was rather low-tier.

It might not have a shield, but it was still pretty good. But who should he sacrifice? Among the people in Teyvat who could be considered his friends... Hu Tao? No, that would not do. Xiangling? Absolutely not. Xingqiu? What a joke, this was Lord Hydro Archon! It seemed he could only sacrifice Zhongli! Zhongli needed to fake his death anyway. At worst, he could let Zhongli's mortal incarnation die one more time.

"Zhongli, perhaps this is another form of erosion for me. Don't worry, I will remember you!"

Just as Li Yue was considering how to trick Zhongli into dying once more after returning, Aizen spoke again.

"Li Yue-kun, if you insist on appearances, I do have another method that would let you gain Elemental Power without undergoing such external changes."

"Hm? There is another way?"

"That is right. Li Yue-kun should understand what kind of research I am best at, correct?"

Li Yue immediately understood what Aizen meant.

"Hollowfication!"

Target: A Young Single Mother

"Aizen Sousuke, captain of Soul Society's Fifth Division and king of Hueco Mundo, was best at researching Hollowfication!"

"Through the experiments of fusing Elemental Power into souls, we can confirm that fusing Elemental Power into a soul is not difficult. However, at present, all I possess are the elemental aggregates Li Yue-kun gave me, so I can only achieve this much. If Li Yue-kun wants to possess Elemental Power without his appearance changing due to elemental traits, you can entirely use Hollowfication as a reference for the fusion process."

Aizen adjusted his glasses.

"According to Li Yue-kun, people with Elemental Power all rely on external organs such as Visions to wield it. But there are also individuals who can naturally use Elemental Power, are there not?"

Demon Gods!

On the Teyvat continent, there were beings born with mastery over Elemental Power, able to wield it freely without external organs like Visions.

"As long as we find those who can naturally use Elemental Power, acquire their souls, and fuse those souls into yours through a Hollowfication-like process, Li Yue-kun, you can master the power held by that Demon God in the form of Hollowfication. And it will not affect your personal appearance."

"But they aren't Hollows. Can they still be fused?"

Li Yue looked at Aizen in surprise. He knew Aizen excelled at Hollowfication research and had even personally shoved a super-powered Hollow into his dear son, Ichigo Kurosaki, causing Ulquiorra, his subordinate, to be brutally cut down by the Hollow within Ichigo. But Demon Gods and Hollows were entirely different things.

"A Bleach's Hollowfication is, in essence, merely a conflict between different powers within the soul. Therefore, it does not have to be a Hollow that is inserted into a Bleach's soul. Other souls can work just as well."

Aizen was utterly certain.

"A Bleach who undergoes Hollowfication gains a Hollow's abilities. Specifically, the Bleach gains a Hollow mask, as well as the basic abilities Hollows possess: Cero and Sonido. The Hollow's Reiatsu is also added to the Bleach's Reiatsu, strengthening it. After fusing with an elemental soul, the Bleach will awaken the abilities possessed by the soul that was fused in, such as the corresponding elemental affinity and perhaps special authorities it possesses."

"However, just like Hollowfication, the prerequisite for gaining that power is to defeat the soul you fuse in within your Inner World, making it submit. Or you must use some other means to ensure that you hold the dominant position, rather than allowing the other party to dominate your body."

"So as long as I find a soul with Elemental Power, I can gain Elemental Power by fusing with it? And I do not have to worry about becoming ugly?"

"That is correct. And it is not merely that."

Aizen smiled and pointed at the Test Souls beside him.

"When I fused Elemental Power into these souls, I also discovered that souls do not reject Elemental Power. Li Yue-kun, do you know what that means? It means that if you wish, you can fuse with multiple souls that possess Elemental Power and obtain multiple elemental powers, as long as you can suppress those souls in your Inner World."

Li Yue's eyes lit up. Multiple souls meant multiple elements. In other words, just like the Traveler, Li Yue could directly wield multiple elements, even apply elements himself and trigger reactions himself.

And this way, he could spare Zhongli! Zhongli: ?

"This is wonderful. Let me think, who is available?"

On the Teyvat continent, Li Yue knew of several Demon God souls.

There was a Boreas in Mondstadt. As a Demon God, he wielded both Cryo and Anemo elements. Though Li Yue did not know what his authority was, someone who controlled two elements could not possibly be weak. Especially that ability to summon a Pack of Wolves. If Li Yue inherited it, he could even cosplay the Number One Espada, Stark, and shout: "Chase him, Pack of Wolves!"

Li Yue was currently in Mondstadt anyway, and the wolf's location was not far away. He could pay it a visit. All that remained of Boreas was a remnant soul, as most of his power had already been poured into the land. The current wolf was merely the leader of Wolvendom's wolf pack, while also providing trials to people.

Most importantly, the wolf was cool! Though Boreas was admittedly weak as a weekly boss in the game, he was genuinely handsome! Keeping a majestic giant wolf in his soul space—now that was the feeling!

Excellent. It was decided. He would go back shortly and capture Boreas!

There were no Demon God souls worth mentioning in Liyue, because when Zhongli fought in the past, he sealed enemy Demon Gods whenever possible. If he truly could not, he killed them outright and had the plunging Adepti tirelessly clean up the Karmic Debt they left behind.

As for Inazuma, the great serpent that had been slain had already scattered into nothing but resentment. However, on Narukami Island, there was a remnant soul of a Demon God.

Within Raiden Ei's Dream of One Heart was hidden Makoto Raiden's remnant soul. Directly taking Makoto Raiden's remnant soul from Raiden Ei was certainly impossible, but there was another claim: that the Sacred Sakura Tree also concealed the remnant soul of Inazuma's first Electro Archon, Makoto Raiden. Makoto Raiden's remnant soul had transformed into the Sacred Sakura Tree alongside the seed Raiden Ei planted, protecting Inazuma.

He could investigate it when the time came. Compared to Boreas, Makoto Raiden's combat ability might be weaker, but she still commanded the authority of lightning. More importantly, Makoto Raiden was easy to talk to!

Subduing Boreas would definitely require a fight, but subduing Makoto Raiden would not. He only needed to tell her about Inazuma's current miserable state. She would absolutely be willing to live in Li Yue's soul space and lend him her power, so he could go smack Raiden Ei's ass!

Then there was Sumeru. Of Sumeru's three gods, the God of Flowers was a troublemaker, King Deshret was a simp, and both had died so completely that not even fragments of their souls remained. Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's remnant soul, however, still existed within the World Tree. Like Makoto Raiden, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's soul would be easy to subdue. What she worried about most was the World Tree being contaminated by Forbidden Knowledge, so she was determined to die alongside it. As long as Forbidden Knowledge was stripped from the World Tree, she would no longer need to die.

Especially since Li Yue had Nahida by his side now. With just a little persuasion, would Greater Lord Rukkhadevata not be easy to obtain? This was called holding the princess hostage to command the queen!

As for how to strip away Forbidden Knowledge, that was far too easy for Li Yue.

This humble one happened to possess Enma's Blade, capable of separating even concepts. With a single slash, he could sever Forbidden Knowledge directly from the World Tree!