Encountering Hollowfication Fragments Again

Soi Fon didn't say much. Now that everyone was present, after checking their belongings and mission objectives, the four figures quietly left the Second Division's barracks.

The group used their Shunpo to rush towards the West Rukongai outside the Seireitei.

Soi Fon took the lead, followed closely by Sugimoto and Kawasaki, while Wang Xun brought up the rear.

The group's Shunpo technique was extremely efficient, maintaining a very fast speed with relatively low Reiatsu consumption.

This is precisely the standard Shunpo movement technique used by the Punishment Force, and it is also the result of Wang Xun's training over this period of time.

As the group moved forward using Shunpo, fragments fell from time to time, and Wang Xun's Shunpo experience steadily improved.

After a long time, they arrived at their target area.

This is the edge of the West Rukongai District 32, a relatively desolate area with only a few scattered houses and sparse woods.

The last contact signal sent by the members of the Tenth Division was from this vicinity.

Soi Fon raised her hand to signal the group to stop, and the four of them quickly disappeared into the shadows behind a broken wall.

"Spirit Threads Sensing."

Soi Fon gave a low command, and an invisible spiritual sense began to spread in all directions. Sugimoto and Kawasaki immediately complied.

Wang Xun also focused his attention on sensing, but just as the intelligence had said, this area was unusually quiet.

A gentle breeze rustled through the air, carrying the faint chirping of insects.

In the distance, the Reiryoku fluctuations of scattered souls wove together into a swaying Spirit Threads, but no Spirit Threads or Reiatsu fluctuations of the Soul Reaper or Hollow were detected.

Even the faint but widespread Spirit Threads fluctuations of the Rukongai residents were quite sparse in this small area.

"No abnormalities were found, but it's uncertain whether someone is concealing their Reiryoku in the shadows."

Sugimoto spoke first, his brows slightly furrowed.

"It's too calm; it seems abnormal. How could Soul Reaper simply vanish without a trace, without making a sound?"

"Remain vigilant and begin the search."

Soi Fon gave the order.

"Two people per group, Sugimoto and Kawasaki to the left, Wang Xun and I to the right."

"Using this point as the center, carefully examine any suspicious traces. If anything unusual is found, immediately warn others and do not take any action without authorization."

"Yes!"

The four split into two groups and quietly dispersed.

This incident is very strange, and Soi Fon's eyes were quite serious.

She already had a vague sense that this incident was going to be tricky.

Soi Fon looked at Wang Xun and found that he was slightly lowering his head, his gaze seemingly unfocused on the ground not far away, and his brows were slightly furrowed.

"Wang Xun, have you found anything?"

Soi Fon spoke up, her tone questioning.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xun raised his head, his expression unchanged. After a moment's thought, he shook his head slightly.

"Not yet, but it just feels... a bit strange."

Soi Fon glanced at Wang Xun's appearance, her eyes flickering.

"You'll be working with me. Report back immediately if you discover anything."

Wang Xun nodded and looked in the direction he had just been.

He did make a discovery.

But he didn't know how to explain it.

In his field of vision, this area was filled with floating, gathered Reiryoku Fragment that only he could see.

These fragments are being absorbed by his automatic pickup ability.

[Gained gathering of Reiryoku Fragment, Spiritual Might Experience +450]

[Gained gathering of Reiryoku Fragment, Spiritual Might Experience +670]

[Spiritual Might: Rank 7 (Experience: 2250/12000)]

This was the first time Wang Xun had ever seen fragments appear in this clustered form.

He didn't know why these fragments were gathering, but he could vaguely sense something was wrong.

But this experience of gaining a large amount of experience in a single instance reminded him of the large amount of experience he had gained when he was killing Void Spirits in the World of the Living.

Could it be...?

"Soi Fon, perhaps... we can look in this direction."

Wang Xun pointed in a direction, the direction from which the fragments had fallen.

"Reason?"

"Intuition."

Upon hearing this, Soi Fon gave Wang Xun a deep look.

Seeing the serious look in Wang Xun's eyes, she didn't press him for details, but her heart tightened a little.

Soi Fon finally nodded and decided to search the side that Wang Xun had pointed to first.

The two moved quickly, darting through the woods.

Wang Xun around, his attention focused on the scattered fragments that appeared from time to time.

The large clusters of debris disappeared, but as the investigation deepened, scattered fragments could be seen from time to time, and he adjusted his direction accordingly.

Soi Fon followed beside Wang Xun, also observing their surroundings.

Scattered fragments continued to appear, causing Wang Xun's unease to rise and fall.

Suddenly, a dark red fragment was drawn to it.

[Gained Hollowfication Fragment, Hollowfication Experience +10]

Wang Xun suddenly stopped in his tracks, his pupils shrinking sharply.

Hollow Reiatsu?

"What's wrong?"

Soi Fon immediately noticed his unusual behavior, flashed to his side, and asked in a low voice, her hand already on the Zanpakuto at her waist.

"No... it's nothing."

Wang Xun looked around, then shook his head.

However, Soi Fon's gaze did not leave him; she stared intently at Wang Xun's unusually cautious profile in the night.

"Wang Xun, have you discovered something?"

I can't quite put my finger on it, but something just feels off.

Soi Fon frowned, but she didn't press the matter further.

He simply heightened his perception to the extreme, his gaze sweeping over every shadow around him like a hawk's.

The search continued in silence.

Apart from the sounds of the wind and insects, there was no other noise around.

As more and more Hollowfication Fragment were collected, the chill in Wang Xun's heart grew stronger.

He had a vague sense of something.

It's been so long since we last met that he almost forgot about it.

Aizen's actions never ceased.

Before long, just as they approached an empty house in the woods that looked like it had been uninhabited for a long time, Wang Xun stopped again.

[Gained 10 Hollowfication Fragment, Hollowfication Experience +100]

[Hollowfication: lv1 (Experience: 780/1000)]

There were no more traces of debris around.

This time, Soi Fon sensed it too, not through Reiatsu, but through an almost instinctive intuition of danger.

The two stared at the dark, empty doorway of the room, both feeling a sense of unease.

It seems this is the place.

Soi Fon gestured for Wang Xun watch on the rear, while she herself slowly stepped forward, preparing to enter and investigate.

The next moment, Soi Fon stopped abruptly and retreated without hesitation to stand shoulder to shoulder with Wang Xun.

A sudden surge of Reiatsu, growing stronger as it approached, entered their perception range.

The number of people who came was small, but their Reiatsu was concentrated and they were well-trained.

They moved extremely fast, and their direction was exactly where Wang Xun and Soi Fon were.

"Hidden."

Soi Fon acted decisively, and the two instantly separated, hiding in the shadows of the forest. They concealed their auras to the extreme, suppressing their Reiatsu to the point of being almost imperceptible.

A few breaths later, several figures appeared here.

They were all dressed in Shinigami robes, with Zanpakuto at their waists, and their auras were refined.

The leader was a burly man with dark skin, a flamboyant hairstyle, and wore a white trench coat over his Shinigami uniform. He also wore a strange mask on his face.

Soi Fon stared at him for a moment, then recognized him.

This person is Kaname Tōsen, the Fifth Seat of the Ninth Division. He is said to be blind, and judging from the way he observes his surroundings, this is indeed the case.

It seems these Soul Reaper are all members of the Ninth Division.

Soi Fon frowned slightly.

But how did the Ninth Division end up here?