World's Dangerous Lands!

Chapter 31: A Dangerous Place in the World!

Kurosaki House.

"How boring. Kurosaki Ichigo ran off as soon as summer vacation started, and Brother Biao has disappeared somewhere too. Suddenly, the house feels so dull!" Yuzu Kurosaki sighed as she set the freshly prepared dishes on the table.

"As for Brother Biao, he must have gone off to fight somewhere!" Shyarly Kurosaki, who was sitting in a chair reading a newspaper nearby, looked up and said. With that annoying idiot suddenly gone, the house actually felt a bit lonely.

Clearly, Wu Biao's departure had left Shyarly and Yuzu feeling like they were missing out on a lot of fun. Upon realizing this, even Shyarly couldn't help but offer a wry smile.

"Yo, why don't we all sleep in Dad's bed tonight!" Kurosaki Isshin suddenly popped up in front of Shyarly, calling out with an expectant look on his face.

Veins bulged on Shyarly's forehead. She rolled up the newspaper in her hand and shoved it directly into Isshin's mouth, cursing angrily: "Are you kidding me? How could we possibly fit in there!"

"Indeed, just imagining it feels very uncomfortable," Yuzu chimed in.

One hundred meters beneath the Urahara Shop.

The surroundings were desolate. Despite being underground, the area was bathed in a bright light, though the source of this glow was unknown. Standing under this barren expanse were several figures of various sizes, gathered around the edge of a pit one hundred meters deep. Inside the pit were two figures: one with his arms bound, and the other sitting to the side, hands forming an unknown seal.

Urahara Kisuke, standing above the deep pit, walked forward with a grim expression: "Once you are at the bottom of the Pit of Despair, you have only 72 hours—three days—until the process of self-erosion is complete."

"Before that time is up, please become a Soul Reaper and climb out of that hole. Otherwise, once you turn into a Hollow," Urahara Kisuke's face flashed with a hint of severity, his voice turning somber as he continued, "I will have no choice but to eliminate you!"

Kurosaki Ichigo, bound within the pit, changed his expression upon hearing this: "You bastard... are you trying to kill me, Urahara Kisuke?"

"That's right, if you choose to give up!"

After school, on the way home.

"Sado Yasutora, Inoue Orihime—it should be you two." A deep, gruff male voice suddenly reached the ears of Orihime and Sado as they walked together.

"Who's there?" Sado looked around.

"Down here, big guy," the voice spoke again. "You'll see me if you look down."

Sado lowered his head slightly, only to see a black cat at his feet, feeling a wave of confusion. Just then, the black cat raised a paw and waved: "Yo, hello."

"A cat...!"

Sado blinked, only then realizing: "The cat just talked?"

"Idiot, what's the big deal about a cat talking?" the black cat said, looking at him as if he were making a fuss over nothing.

"No..." Sado looked at the cat and said, "Although it's hard to accept, may I ask what business you have with me, Mr. Cat?"

"Of course. And it's not just you." As it spoke, the black cat jumped onto a nearby railing and looked at Orihime beside him: "It's you, too. I have something to discuss with both of you."

"Something to discuss? With me and Inoue?" Sado looked at the cat, his heart full of doubt.

"So cute, the cat can actually talk."

Orihime also reacted, then excitedly stepped forward to hug Yoruichi, rubbing her face against the cat. If Yoruichi were truly a man as the voice suggested, he might have enjoyed it!

However, Yoruichi clearly had no interest in that. With a slight leap, she jumped out of Orihime's arms and looked at the two of them: "Ichigo has already told you about the Kuchiki situation. You must understand that the Soul Society is the headquarters of the Soul Reapers, and there are countless Soul Reapers there. Ichigo needs companions. I wonder if you are willing to go with him?"

"Of course we're willing, but..." Orihime looked at Yoruichi: "Sado's body is so strong, he can naturally help Ichigo, but what can I do to help him?"

"You seem to have forgotten the power you possess," Yoruichi said, taking an elegant cat-step. "Orihime, the Shun Shun Rikka you used at school. And Sado, the power in your right arm—have you forgotten them?"

"I've tried that too, but I can't use it at all," Sado said. "No matter how I try, it's the same."

Orihime nodded as well: "I tried too, but they just wouldn't appear."

"That is exactly why I am here!"

Soul Society, 6th Division temporary prison.

"How can this be? Captain Kuchiki... you... what did you just say?" Renji gripped the prison bars tightly, looking at Byakuya Kuchiki in front of him in disbelief, unable to believe what he had just heard.

"Exactly as you heard..." Byakuya Kuchiki tucked the order into his robes, his face as cold and heartless as ever. "For a first-degree felony, Kuchiki Rukia will be transferred to the Senzaikyu as a death row inmate, and she will be executed at the Sokyoku Hill in twenty-five days. This is the final decision of the Central 46!"

Renji swallowed hard, his gaze toward Byakuya Kuchiki filled with anger and regret. If he had known Rukia would be sentenced to such a fate, he would never have chosen to capture her in the Human World and bring her back to the Soul Society!

Rukia blinked slightly, her eyes filled with dead silence. She was not surprised by this outcome, nor had she ever thought that her brother Byakuya would fight for a stay of execution for her!

Because in the forty years since she had been adopted, this man before her had never once looked at her with genuine regard!

"This should be the last conversation I have with you!" Byakuya Kuchiki turned and walked toward the exit of the temporary prison, his flat voice echoing through the cell: "Rukia, the next time we meet will be at the Sokyoku Hill."

In a mountain forest in Karakura Town.

The azure-blue spirit particles were dazzling even in the daylight. Standing in a clearing, Uryu Ishida slowly retracted his spirit bow from his arm, his handsome face filled with joy.

"Good! It's finished!"

Looking at the sleeve connected to the glove on his right arm, a look of nostalgia appeared in his eyes: "Thank you... Master."

Somewhere in the world, in a desolate mountain range far from any city.

Even under the bright sunlight, the deep forest appeared incredibly dark, looking like an abyss from afar.

The soil here was grayish-black, resembling solidified ash, and the air was permeated with a pungent odor. The bark of the trees was a dark brown.

The roots were tangled and knotted, the trunks resembled giant pythons, and the branches twisted and extended outward; in terms of their form, if one were to say that ordinary trees are "standing," then the trees in this forest were "dancing wildly."

Moreover, they were dancing wildly in a windless state. There were no birds or beasts calling in the deep forest; there was only a deathly silence, an indescribable, deathly silence.

But if a visitor possessed spirit vision, a different scene would enter their field of vision: dark gray mist drifted within the deep forest, making it impossible to see the scene inside from the outside.

The originally deathly silent forest became filled with shrill sounds, and strange roars followed one after another.

Far away outside the mountain range, a helicopter gradually approached, but it did not enter the jungle, stopping instead in the high sky outside the mountains. As the helicopter cabin door opened, two people stood at the threshold, gazing into the distance.

These two were none other than Kanonji and Wu Biao, who had been flying for two days and two nights!

"This is the Ancient Mountain Range, known as the 'world's most terrifying unsolved danger zone' (purely fictional)!" Kanonji pointed at the mountains below, his expression appearing extremely heavy. "Anyone who has entered this mountain range, or even passed through the airspace above this area, has never... appeared again!"

"Whoa, sounds pretty badass, Master Kanonji!" Wu Biao, standing to the side, was filled with excitement. He twitched his nose and continued, "Just as you said, there's the scent of many good things here!"

"Hehe!" Kanonji gave a smug smile. "I came here once before, but at that time I didn't know about the existence of creatures like Hollows. It wasn't until I met you guys that I learned Hollows existed in this world. So, when you called me asking where there were many Hollows, this was the first place I thought of!"

"Because it takes two days to get here, that means you can only spend 13 days here. After 13 days, we have to start our journey back!"

"Yeah!" Wu Biao nodded heavily and turned to look in the direction they had come from. His family was still waiting for him to protect them there. He must... no, he would, no matter what, make himself stronger in these thirteen days!

Stronger than anyone else, to protect all the family and friends he cherished!!!

"Remember, your primary mission must be to keep yourself alive. Our Kanonji Style only has you as a successor!" Kanonji said, looking at Wu Biao with a heavy tone.

"Don't worry, Master Kanonji, I will definitely come back!"

"Biaozi!"

"Master Kanonji, I will prove it to you... I will definitely become stronger than anyone else and be able to defeat all enemies!"

"I believe in you! The moment I first saw you, the goal for the second half of my life changed. I want to cultivate you into a great spirit detective. I... all the ultimate techniques of the Kanonji Style will be inherited by you!"

"Master!" Wu Biao was covered in tears.

"Biaozi!" Kanonji was covered in tears.

The master and disciple embraced and wept, the scene incredibly moving.

At least, apart from this pair, the only other person there, the helicopter pilot, was crying...

Damn it, two lunatics. Why the hell did I accept this flight mission!!!

"By the way, Master Kanonji, you should still call me Brother Biao. 'Biaozi' sounds too ugly!"

"It does sound ugly! Go on then, Brother Biao!"

"Yeah!"

The pilot to the side had his mouth twitching uncontrollably. As expected... these two were truly abnormal. What kind of titles were these...

Wu Biao and the others did not know just how dangerous this mountain range in the distance was.

This place could also be called a high-spirit ground, but it was different from the high-spirit ground in Karakura Town; this was entirely the territory of Hollows.

Because if one were to view Hueco Mundo and the Human World as two layers, one would discover that the orientation of this mountain range corresponding to Hueco Mundo was... the Forest of Menos!

That was why it was shrouded in ominous spiritual power. Fortunately, there were no cities nearby, so no one would come here. Plus, since everyone who entered had died, even explorers would not choose to come here.

"I'm going now, Master Kanonji!"

"Go! Come out when the food is gone. I bought enough food to fill the entire storage hold; it's definitely enough for you to eat!"

After saying goodbye, Wu Biao jumped straight down from the high altitude. The pilot, who witnessed this, was nearly scared to death because he hadn't seen a parachute on that kid at all!

Before he could think too much, he leaned out to look down, his face filled with horror.

Because that madman who had just jumped from the plane was acting as if nothing had happened, carrying a storage bag twice his height filled with food, and walking toward that terrifying danger zone as if he were strolling through a market!

Kurosaki Ichigo, Sado Yasutora, Inoue, Uryu Ishida, Wu Biao, and the others, although not together, were all training hard, preparing for the invasion of the Soul Society.

Time often slips away unnoticed. Seventeen days is neither short nor long, and in the blink of an eye, the day of departure arrived!

On this day, the twilight faded, and the night descended.

The lights of the Urahara Shop were brighter than ever before...

--

My new book is third on the 2D contract author list, only 400 points away from second place. Brothers, I'm asking for recommendation votes; let's help Xiao Jiao kick his ass!

By the way, my reader group: The Group of the King of Hiatus: 87664372. Welcome to come and chat together!

(End of chapter)