Within the dark Forest of Menos, hundreds of mindless Gillians wandered aimlessly like ghosts beneath the tangled branches of colossal trees.
Without warning…
Three more Gillians at the rear of the herd quietly disappeared.
Meanwhile, the countless Gillians marching ahead remained completely unaware, continuing their slow and instinctive advance.
Half a month had already passed since Lin Huang parasitized Liotta Ekk and was swept into the Forest of Menos by the Sand Tide Storm.
During those fifteen days, the enormous herd that had originally numbered well over four hundred Gillians had been subjected to Lin Huang’s relentless hunting.
On average, seven or eight Gillians vanished every single day.
In only half a month, the herd had lost more than one hundred and fifty members.
Its size had visibly shrunk.
Meanwhile…
The spiritual pressure contained within Liotta Ekk’s restored body continued increasing at an astonishing rate.
The instant another Hollow mask completely dissolved inside him…
Lin Huang clearly felt the spiritual pressure within the parasitic body undergo another qualitative transformation.
Its spiritual pressure condensed once again before rapidly climbing to a completely new level.
Liotta Ekk’s body had fully recovered to the level of an Adjuchas.
More importantly…
Every increase in the parasitic body’s spiritual pressure continuously flowed back into Lin Huang’s true body hidden within Liotta Ekk’s Inner World.
Although Lin Huang’s original form remained a Giant Hollow…
He had yet to truly evolve into a Menos.
The quality of his own spiritual pressure had already reached the level of a genuine Adjuchas.
Such a phenomenon had likely never existed throughout the long history of Hueco Mundo.
Feeling the overwhelming spiritual pressure surging through his true body…
A faint smile appeared on Lin Huang’s face inside the Inner World.
However…
As someone who possessed memories from another world…
He didn’t become intoxicated by his own strength.
He understood perfectly well that even possessing Adjuchas-level spiritual pressure still left him insignificant before the true monsters of the Bleach world.
At best…
His current spiritual pressure could only be considered around the lower levels of captain candidates or the stronger lieutenants of the Gotei Thirteen.
Its quantity alone wasn’t enough to determine victory.
Even if an ordinary lower Adjuchas possessed comparable spiritual pressure…
It still couldn’t casually confront experienced Shinigami who had mastered Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, Kidō, and possessed a released Zanpakutō.
Those Hollows generally required becoming Arrancar before they could truly compete with officers of that level.
Even so…
Lin Huang wasn’t discouraged.
He had only spent several months inside Hueco Mundo.
Yet he had already reached this level.
At this point in history…
Nelliel, who would one day become one of Hueco Mundo’s greatest Vasto Lorde, hadn’t even evolved beyond the Giant Hollow stage.
That meant the current era still lay an extremely long time before the beginning of Bleach’s main story.
He still possessed abundant time to continue growing in secret.
With the nearly unreasonable ability called Demonic Fetus Parasitism…
He could continue collecting extraordinary abilities throughout Hueco Mundo while constantly strengthening himself.
By the time Aizen Sōsuke eventually entered Hueco Mundo…
Or when Yhwach’s Wandenreich launched its invasion years later…
He intended to possess enough strength not only to survive…
But also to seize every opportunity available.
Lin Huang felt increasingly confident about his future.
Without wasting another moment…
He resumed hunting.
This time…
Things became much simpler.
Liotta Ekk’s body had completely recovered to the Adjuchas level.
Against ordinary Gillians…
There was no longer any need for stealthy assassinations.
As expected…
The moment those mindless Gillians sensed the overwhelming pressure of an Adjuchas…
Their instincts completely suppressed any thought of resistance.
One after another…
They became helpless prey.
Within only two or three days…
The remaining two hundred Gillians were slaughtered until barely thirty or forty remained alive.
By this point…
The spiritual pressure contained within Liotta Ekk’s body had increased roughly threefold compared to when Lin Huang first entered the Forest of Menos.
Compared to before using Demonic Fetus Parasitism…
His current spiritual pressure had increased dozens of times over.
It had completely reached the peak of a lower Adjuchas.
Only now did Lin Huang truly understand the terrifying strength of an Adjuchas.
Looking back…
If he and Nelliel had fought Liotta Ekk while he remained completely healthy…
Neither of them would have survived.
Several more days quietly passed.
Lin Huang temporarily stopped hunting.
He had clearly noticed something.
No matter how many Gillian masks he consumed…
The spiritual pressure within Liotta Ekk’s body refused to increase any further.
It had reached its limit.
The potential of this body had been completely exhausted.
No additional amount of reishi could force it any higher.
Its period of explosive recovery had finally ended.
This parasitic body could no longer significantly strengthen Lin Huang.
Now…
Only two choices remained.
Either abandon Liotta Ekk’s body and return to his original form before searching for stronger prey…
Or locate another Menos possessing even greater potential and parasitize that body instead.
Even so…
Lin Huang chose not to immediately abandon Liotta Ekk.
After all…
This body essentially represented an additional life.
He could freely use it to explore the dangerous Forest of Menos.
Even if it were eventually destroyed…
His true body hidden within the Inner World would remain completely unharmed.
There was no real risk.
Thus…
He quietly continued following the remaining Gillians.
During more than twenty days of observation…
He had noticed something unusual.
These Gillians weren’t wandering randomly.
It seemed as though some mysterious call continuously guided them toward a fixed destination.
Lin Huang became curious.
He wanted to discover what waited at the end of that invisible path.
Eventually…
The surviving Gillians traveled into the deepest regions of the Forest of Menos.
They finally arrived beneath an enormous intersection where countless gigantic branches intertwined.
Resting atop those branches…
Was an enormous nest resembling that of a giant bird.
Just then…
A golden Hollow resembling a vulture slowly emerged from within it.
Its body measured roughly six meters tall.
Its wings stretched well over ten meters.
A Hollow mask covered its face.
Its Hollow Hole rested beneath its abdomen.
Most importantly…
The spiritual pressure it emitted clearly belonged to a lower Adjuchas.
Watching silently while remaining hidden through Stealth…
Lin Huang immediately understood everything.
This vulture-like Adjuchas was controlling the Gillian herd through some unknown ability.
“GAAAH!” The Vulture Hollow released an enraged shriek.
Originally…
It had commanded more than four hundred Gillians.
Now…
Only a few dozen remained.
How could it not be furious?
“Damn it!” “Who dared slaughter the subordinates of the great Karl Taylor?!” Hidden nearby…
Lin Huang quietly observed the furious Adjuchas.
A strong desire for battle slowly rose within him.
Since Liotta Ekk’s body had already reached its limit…
He might as well squeeze out the last remaining value it possessed.
By hunting another Adjuchas.
Without making the slightest sound…
Lin Huang activated Stealth once more.
His dark green body measuring roughly seven meters long instantly disappeared.
Even his spiritual pressure completely vanished.
The next moment…
Sonído.
His figure silently appeared behind the Vulture Hollow standing upon the enormous nest.
Whoosh!
Dark green claws suddenly emerged from empty space.
Wrapped in dense purple spiritual pressure and empowered by the threefold increase granted after leaving Stealth…
They violently pierced toward the back of the Vulture Hollow’s head.
Slash!
The sharp sound of flesh being torn apart echoed throughout the silent Forest of Menos.