Chapter 221: City of Bones, Ancestor Shiba!
"Xia Mu, you are dead too?"

Gosuke asked Natsuki in surprise.

Although he had been in hell for many years, just as he recognized the old captain Kenpachi Kuriyashiki the first time he arrived in hell, he also had a deep memory of Natsuki, who once served as his adjutant.

Even though Xia Mu looks more mature now than he did back then, his overall appearance has not changed much.

Natsuki did not answer Gosuke's question. After all, the fewer people who knew that he was a living person, the better.

Gosuke is a very passionate person, and even in hell, this character has not changed.

If he has any shortcomings, the biggest one should be his lack of strength.

If he had been strong enough back then, he would not have died at the hands of a guy like Gui Yancheng.

After recognizing Natsuki, Gosuke introduced Natsuki to Kenpachi Kuriyashiki who was standing beside him and told him about Natsuki.

Kenpachi Kuriyashiki suddenly remembered who Natsuki was.

Although that happened two hundred years ago, there is really not much to say about his experiences after falling into hell. Instead, he often recalls his experiences in his lifetime. For example, he is also very curious about what will happen to those guys in the 11th Division in the future.

When Gosuke came to hell, he met Gosuke and learned some things about the 11th Division from Gosuke.

Later, the guy named Gui Yancheng.

He originally planned to take good care of the other party in this hell because the other party was Kenpachi after all, but the other party was a fool, and Gosuke was also killed by him. In the end, Kuriyashiki didn't pay much attention to the other party.

On the contrary, it is not surprising that given his strength, he could become a village chief in the area governed by Lord Shiba.

Although he ignored Gosuke and Kiyomizu-shiro because they were idiots, after learning that Kiyomizu-shiro was dead and the village was likely to be out of control, he volunteered to come over as soon as possible.

Unexpectedly, the person who killed Gui Yancheng was Xia Mu.

"It turns out to be you."

"I never thought that you, the young man who was brought to Soul Society by Yuuji, would become the captain now. I also never thought that I would see you in Hell. If possible, I really don't want to see you old friends."

Kuriyashiki Kenpachi said to Natsuki.

Xia Mu said calmly: "But for me, it is a very happy thing to meet you familiar people here."

Kenpachi Kuriyashiki sighed.

What else could he say? Could it be that he didn't really like Hell?

His thoughts flashed, and he asked Xia Mu again: "So, can you tell me, which generation of Kenpachi are you?"

According to Gosuke, Natsuki was once his vice-captain and was a genius in the 11th Division at that time. So after Gosuke's death, as the vice-captain, it should be impossible for Natsuki to change teams. Now Natsuki is wearing the captain's haori, which means that the captain who can become Natsuki can only be the captain of the 11th Division, Kenpachi.

Xia Mu was a little surprised when he heard this question. So, didn't Gui Yancheng tell Kuriyashiki who killed him?
If you think about it carefully, it's normal.

Gui Yancheng is an arrogant fool, and of course he would never tell anyone about the ugly thing that happened to him.

"I am the eleventh generation Kenpachi!"

Facing the old senior, Kuriyashiki, Natsuki did not hide anything.

"Eleventh generation?"

After hearing what Natsuki said, Kuriyashiki was stunned for a moment, and then he asked Gosuke beside him, "Gosuke, if I remember correctly, you seem to be the ninth generation Kenpachi, right?"

Gosuke nodded, "Yes, and later Kiganjo defeated me, and he became the tenth Kenpachi."

"Not long after you came to this hell, Oni-Yaki Castle came into being, and that was nearly two hundred years ago." After a brief review, Kuriyashiki knew that Natsuki in front of him was the successor of Oni-Yaki Castle, the eleventh generation Kenpachi. He couldn't help but praise him, "Incredible, really incredible."

Even though Natsuki is still "dead" and has gone to hell, the fact that he has served as Kenpachi for nearly two hundred years is already remarkable.

You know, the name Kenpachi, while carrying corresponding honor, also has corresponding risks.

Because it is the position with the easiest succession method among all the captains of the Gotei 13.

So there are always some pretentious guys who want to challenge Kenpachi and get the position of captain.

Without sufficient strength, he would not be able to maintain the title of Kenpachi.

Not many years after Kuriyashiki came to hell, he met Gosuke and Kiganjo in hell one after another, which undoubtedly verified another point.

As for Kenpachi Zaraki who killed him, why didn't he come to hell?
He also learned the reason from Gosuke.

Because of committing a serious crime, Zelcheng was imprisoned in Hell.

This meant that Gosuke did not follow the tradition of the 11th Division at all to become Kenpachi.

Perhaps this is also the reason why Gosuke was killed by Oni Yancheng.

As his former vice-captain, Gosuke grew up under his watch, and he is very clear about Gosuke's level.

Perhaps because of Gosuke, the subsequent Kenpachi was not as strong as before, but Natsuki was able to serve as captain for such a long time, so he is definitely not a simple role.

Kenpachi Kuriyashiki couldn't wait to ask Natsuki about the current situation of the Gotei 13. If possible, he even wanted to have a sparring match with Natsuki. After all, fighting with the strong was one of his hobbies.

One regret he had before his death was that he had never fought against Kyōraku and Ukitake.

"So, can you tell me why you wanted to kill Gui Yancheng?"

After talking to Gosuke, Kuriyashiki Kenpachi asked Natsuki again.

He didn't mean to blame Xia Mu, he was just simply curious.

"I just simply couldn't stand that idiot Gui Yancheng." Xia Mu said calmly, "Back then, I had no interest in becoming the captain or Kenpachi, but Gui Yancheng was too stupid. He made the entire 11th Division a mess, so I had no choice but to kill him."

"After coming to hell, I saw this idiot again. He was just as stupid as he was back then. Naturally, I didn't mind chopping him off again."

It's a very simple and crude reason.

But Kenpachi Kuriyashiki believed it.

After all, Gui Yancheng's stupidity is no secret.

But who can blame him for being a captain in his lifetime?

There are not many death gods of this level in hell.

And those that happen to fall within the area under the jurisdiction of Lord Shiba are even fewer.

Although the ancestors of the five nobles established a new order in this Avici Hell, the relationship between the five people was not as harmonious as imagined. The five forces were competing against each other, and they were all recruiting strong people to serve them.

Sometimes, problems can't be solved just by not wanting to fight.

The situation will force you to fight.

The following time was spent reminiscing about the past.

Neither Kuriyashiki nor Gosuke investigated the death of Kiganjo in detail, as they didn't like Kiganjo very much in the first place.

The reason why I came here is just because Gui Yancheng is quite powerful and a strong man.

Now that we know that the one who killed Oni Yancheng was the eleventh generation Kenpachi, Natsuki, it is even more impossible to pursue the matter.

According to Kenpachi's tradition, Natsuki is more powerful than Onigashiro.

Perhaps, Xia Mu can replace Gui Yancheng and become the new manager here.

That’s what Kuriyashiki thought.

While reminiscing about the past with Natsuki, he learned a lot about the current situation of the Gotei 13.

Learned about the various changes in Soul Society.

This made Kuriyashiki and Gosuke amazed again.

There are sixteen hells in total.

Although Avici Hell is ruled by the god of death, it does not mean that all gods of death will come to this hell after death. After all, this is the hell for the strong. There are always some gods of death who fall into other hells after death and struggle in other hells.

After all, only a few can come here.

In the past hundred years or so, the death rate of Soul Society captains has been almost zero.

Therefore, these guys in Hell have no idea about the current situation in Soul Society.

Xia Mu's arrival filled these gaps.

"I never thought that Soul Society would become like this. I really want to see it with my own eyes and fight with those strong men." Kuriyashiki Kenpachi sighed and then looked at Natsuki in front of him.

Natsuki felt the gaze of Kenpachi Kuriyashiki and said, "When Kenpachi Kuriyashiki died, I had just joined the 11th Division. I knew you were very powerful, but I had never experienced it myself."

"I never thought that one day I would meet you in hell."

"It would be unreasonable if we don't have a fight."

Upon hearing this, Kenpachi Kuriyashiki smiled and said, "That's the truth."

Gosuke understood the meaning behind their words and had no intention of stopping them.

He had served as Kenpachi for a period of time, and knew what fighting meant to Kenpachi.

He retreated to the side, leaving a space.

Natsuki and Kenpachi Kuriyashiki stood up and drew their swords at the same time.

The next moment, they leaped out like lightning, swinging two knives.

A powerful shock wave erupted from the point where the two knives touched, and faint cracks appeared on the stone ground.

Gosuke had at least barely reached the level of captain.

Feeling this terrifying power, his expression became solemn.

"Xiamu!"

He knew the strength of his old captain, Kuriyashiki.

Captain Kuriyashiki was once known as the strongest Kenpachi. Even though Kenpachi Zaraki killed Captain Kuriyashiki later, Gosuke did not think that Captain Kuriyashiki was really weaker than Kenpachi Zaraki. After all, during the battle, Kenpachi Zaraki's methods were inevitably a bit despicable, and Captain Kuriyashiki had never used Bankai.

After arriving in hell, Captain Kuriyashiki's strength was not concealed by the environment of hell.

Even when facing those powerful men from an even older era, Captain Kuriyashiki was not inferior to them at all, but fought with them endlessly.

Today, Captain Kuriyashiki has become an extremely important confidant of Lord Shiba.

Although Natsuki is the eleventh Kenpachi, he has served as Kenpachi for many years.

But because of his own reasons, the subsequent Kenpachi was not as strong as the previous Kenpachi.

In Gosuke's opinion, Natsuki should not be a match for Captain Kuriyashiki.

But when the real fight starts, it’s a different story.

In the first collision, the two were in a confrontation.

And in the subsequent confrontation process.

The slashing techniques and instant steps displayed by Xia Mu were even slightly stronger than Captain Kuriyashiki's.

Although Gosuke's strength is not good, compared with some captains, he is actually a captain-level existence and has learned Bankai. Otherwise, he would not have been entrusted with such an important task by the Central Forty-six Room. After Kenpachi Zaraki was imprisoned, he served as the ninth generation Kenpachi.

He still has good eyesight.

He was horrified after discovering that Captain Kuriyashiki was suppressed.

Just as he was familiar with Kenpachi Kuriyashiki, he was also familiar with Natsuki.

During his time as captain, Xia Mu helped him a lot as his vice-captain.

He knew that Xia Mu had great potential and was an absolute genius back then.

But he never imagined that this genius had reached this level.

Xia Mu's strength made him feel unfamiliar.

Of course, Natsuki didn't know that the competition between him and Kenpachi Kuriyashiki caused Gosuke to sigh.

He was fighting seriously with Kenpachi Kuriyashiki.

Kenpachi Kuriyashiki is indeed a strong man of his generation.

The former Kirinji Tenshiro even took the initiative to come down to the mortal world and established a personal relationship with him. Although inviting him to join the Zero Squad was more of a joke, Kuriyashiki Kenpachi's strength was definitely one of the best among the Gotei 13 at that time.

Of course it's also stupid.

Faced with Kenpachi Zaraki who wanted to take his life, Kenpachi Kuriyashiki cared about the teammates around him and would rather die than activate his Bankai.

Is it great?
That's certainly great.

Precisely because it is too great, Xia Mu cannot do such a thing, so in Xia Mu's personal opinion, it is a very stupid act.

Natsuki, who had just joined the 11th Division that year, was an absolute rookie. He was fortunate enough to witness the duel between Kenpachi Kuriyashiki and Kenpachi Zaraki. However, because he had joined the division for too short a time at that time, he had never sparred with Kenpachi Kuriyashiki.

It was Kenpachi Zaraki, whom he had the honor to fight once afterwards.

Unlike Kenpachi Zaraki, who has extraordinary attainments in the way of the ghost because of the special ability of his Zanpakutō, Kenpachi Kuriyashiki's slashing techniques and flash step are unique. When confronting his simple slashing techniques, Natsuki felt a long-lost pleasure.

In this battle, he did not have the ability to use his Zanpakutō.

Likewise, Kenpachi Kuriyashiki did not use this type of ability.

I just don't know if the soul can still use Shikai and Bankai after coming to hell. This is mainly because Natsuki has encountered too few gods of death in hell.

Saito Furuobushi did not release his Zanpakuto, and Kiyomizu did not have the chance to release his Zanpakuto.

What is used here is not spiritual power. Although there is a knife, it is still questionable whether it can be used.

Of course, since Natsuki is not from hell, he can release his Zanpakutō.

After a moment.

Complex words came out of Kenpachi Kuriyashiki's mouth.

"I lost!"

"You, the younger generation, are really amazing."

He praised Xia Mu sincerely.

Kenpachi Kuriyashiki didn't care much about his defeat.

This is also the reason why he was willing to die at the hands of Kenpachi Zaraki.

To him, the name Kenpachi is far more important than his own life.

He sincerely hoped that his successor would be more powerful than himself.

This is also the reason why he felt uncomfortable after seeing Gosuke and Kiyomizu in hell.

But now it seems that Gosuke and Kiganjo becoming Kenpachi are just special cases.

The successor, Kenpachi, is worthy of the name Kenpachi and is powerful enough.

"team leader!"

After seeing Natsuki and Kuriyashiki stop, Gosuke quickly rushed over, and when he heard the captain's words of praise, he couldn't help but murmur softly.

He was raised under the care of Kuriyashiki and had been following Kuriyashiki since he was very young, so he knew what Captain Kuriyashiki was thinking.

Kuriyashiki ignored Gosuke and talked a lot with Natsuki, mostly small talk.

After witnessing Xia Mu's strength in person, he has already recognized Xia Mu. Now that this junior who bears the name of Kenpachi has come to hell, he, as a senior, must of course take care of him.

"I want to meet the ancestor of the Shiba family."

Natsuki expressed his demands in front of Kenpachi Kuriyashiki.

When Kenpachi Kuriyashiki heard what Natsuki said, he was stunned and said immediately, "It seems that you know a lot of things."

Xia Mu nodded and did not hide anything. "When I came to this level of hell, I met the first captain of the Sixth Division, Saito Fuuma, and learned some information about Avici Hell from her."

"Her!" Kuriyashiki Kenpachi obviously knew that Saito was immortal, "She is a respectable senior."

When Kuriyashiki came to hell, he also fought with Saito Fulaubushi.

However, he did not mention much about this senior in front of Xia Mu.

Back to Xia Mu's request.

"Since you know the situation in Avici Hell, I won't say much. I can only say that hell is hell after all. Although we have survived here, this illusion is destined to make it difficult for us to coexist peacefully with others."

"Even if they were both gods of death in life, they are not necessarily companions here. In order to survive, they are all enemies."

"The ancestors of the five noble families established order here. Although there are conflicts in our area, it is still a relatively peaceful place. However, the rest of the areas are not so peaceful..."

Kenpachi Kuriyashiki kept talking and said a lot to Natsuki.

As for many things, he only briefly mentioned them and did not tell Xia Mu directly, because rather than telling him about them himself, he hoped that Xia Mu would witness it himself. With Xia Mu's strength, it would not be difficult for him to survive in hell.

But which city among the five major cities to join is up to Xia Mu to decide for himself.

If possible, Kenpachi Kuriyashiki hopes that Natsuki can become his colleague.

He also told Xia Mu about the character of the ancestor of the Shiba family. According to his description, he was a kind and generous person with a very good personality. Although he was a very ancient and important figure, he did not have the airs of a superior.

He didn't know when the other party entered hell and built the city in hell.

All he knew was that when he arrived in hell, the city already existed.

……

The ancestors of the five great nobles personally deprived the Soul King of his power by dividing him a million years ago, and after that, the five great nobles served as the chiefs of all nobles, passing down the throne from generation to generation. Even today, in Soul Society, the five great nobles are still the families standing at the top. Well, now there should be only four great nobles, because earlier, the Tsunayashiro family was deprived of their status as a great noble.

Let’s not talk about the things happening in this world for now.

In this hell, when the ancestors of the five nobles came here, they immediately made great plans and created their own foundations just like they did in the Three Realms.

As followers of the Spirit King in the past, the five of them all possess terrifying power that can shake the Three Realms. Even though Hell has existed for a long time and existed during the Chaos World, being separated from it and representing the part of death, it is not an inviolable world for these five people.

At the beginning, they ignored hell because the world representing the living, that is, the Three Realms, is better. Wouldn’t it be great for them to be so powerful and domineering in the Three Realms?

Hell, this world full of death and despair, what is there to worry about?

But after they fell into hell for some reason, they could no longer return to the world of spirits. As a last resort, they could only transform hell to make it suitable for their own lives.

The huge city built of bones and stones stands in hell. It is extremely magnificent, and exudes a gloomy and terrifying feeling all over.

In hell, due to the scarcity of supplies, it is extremely difficult to build a city.

There was no other choice but to use stones and the bones found everywhere as building materials. After knowing these reasons, Xia Mu also expressed his understanding of why this city was so gloomy.

Compared with this city, he cares more about the people in it.

The buildings within the city were similar to those in the village where Xia Mu had lived before, and they were all houses built of stone.

The mansion where the ancestor of the Shiba family, who is also the lord of this city, lives is only slightly larger than ordinary houses, but other than that, there is nothing special about it.

After waiting in the house for a while, under the guidance of Kenpachi Kuriyashiki, a handsome middle-aged man appeared in Natsuki's eyes.

From the other party's appearance that was somewhat similar to Ichigo and Shiba Kaien, as well as the black hair, Natsuki knew that the other party was the ancestor of the Shiba family. However, the other party's hair was not short, but long, somewhat similar to Ichigo in the Moonless state.

"This should be the eleventh generation Kenpachi that Kuriyashiki mentioned, Natsuki Kenpachi!"

The ancestor of the Shiba family, upon seeing Natsuki, was the first to greet him.

Such an ancient figure who lived a million years ago did not put on airs when dealing with people.

(End of this chapter)