Encore Hell's Kitchen
No one knows what lies at the bottom of the Niflheim Abyss.
It exists on the other side of the material world, behind a still, ice-like crystalline wall, where there is a dark temple with flowing golden energy lines.
People call it the underworld, the kingdom of the dead, and a pure land of eternal peace and tranquility.
[TD· Shinto City] and [RSH·The Hill Where the Red Star Is Located] are very close to this Sea of Death, so the concentration of Spirit Calamity in the coastal areas is naturally high, making them dangerous areas unsuitable for human habitation.
If your memory serves you well, you should be able to recall Maddes, the salary king.
--His spiritual power [Icon] in this special area can temporarily separate people's souls from their bodies and call back the dead from the underworld.
According to historical records in the Arcane Library, many mediums and shamans throughout history have used various rituals to attempt to enter Helheim through spirits in order to observe and record it.
The bloodletting near-death method refers to an individual with psychic Inspiration using bloodletting to lower various bodily indicators, actively approaching the Gate of Death state, coming to the vicinity of Niflheim to call upon the spirit's power, and using some invigorating incense and items that can maintain spiritual power to keep the spirit in a healthy and sustainable state.
As the spirit travels further and further into the dark ocean, the Morpho Butterflies, with their extremely long range, can enter Helheim, pass through the wall that blocks all matter, and enter the realm of the dead in the form of spiritual energy.
The Arcane Library's conjectures about the Earth's core were derived from the spiritual experiments of these pioneers.
The matter that constitutes all living things is composed of the primordial matter of Mother Earth.
Psychic energy is closely related to the Earth's magnetic field, and [souls/ghosts] are like the dead limbs of Mother Earth. However, this incredibly huge creature mistakenly believes that this part of the body is still alive and constantly releases neural signals, allowing people to remain in the human world temporarily in the form of spirits.
[Soul Power] has also been defined as a kind of ghost, but it came to the human world early. Before people died naturally, it ran out of their bodies and released all kinds of supernatural powers.
The investigation into Hel has never stopped; it is a project that could take anywhere from a few hundred to a thousand years.
Compared to other fundamental forces and basic physics, if Homo sapiens could fully master psionic energy, the powerful metaphysical engine would become a scientific paradigm, leading humankind out of the cradle of Earth and into the far reaches of deep space.
Despite the BOSS's repeated orders prohibiting individuals or private groups from researching psychic energy, and requiring any psychic experiments to be reported to the capital of each block, and classifying the potential disasters of the experiments according to different levels of Spirit Calamity concentration, it is like a nuclear bomb. Countries without nuclear weapons desire nuclear proliferation, while countries with nuclear weapons fear nuclear proliferation.
The common people in the underworld still have a limited understanding of psychic powers, limited to various kinds of superpowers and all sorts of cult monsters—it's like a magic trick, without clear logic or reason.
Aside from the pressure changes and sudden drops in temperature caused by the psionic tides, psionic energy is far too distant for ordinary Homo sapiens with limited Inspiration awareness. The only way to universalize it and apply it to large-scale machine production is for beings like the Lords of Cinder to defy the boss's prohibition and achieve this cruel feat.
Back to the main question, what exactly is in Helheim?
People from different regions, influenced by different cultures, and with different mythologies and folk tales have various opinions.
The earliest record of Hel is a diary letter from Qing Ba Tu Lu during World War II. This young shaman priest used the Beast Blessing Method to perform a spirit communication ritual with his powerful Beast companions and arrived at the other side of Hel.
They called that wall the [Dream Curtain] --
--Before people gradually drift off to sleep and begin to dream, their optic nerves are not completely asleep; snowflakes and all sorts of strange and unusual patches of color form this [dream curtain].
If you have seen this curtain, it means that you have been awake and entered a dream state, where you were clearly aware that you were dreaming.
Having traversed the dreamlike realm of Helheim, this Qing Ba Tu Lu meticulously described the appearance of the underworld in his logbook.
Countless spirits wandered across a boundless plain. They seemed to have little consciousness; after shedding their physical bodies, the remnants of energy they left behind maintained their basic outlines from before their death.
In this vast and expansive space, the shaman saw a sky without clouds or sun. Light sources shone from all directions, yet they were not dazzling at all. The shadows on the ground would sometimes solidify into one, and sometimes transform into countless illusory images.
By carefully observing the patterns of behavior of other spirits, shamans can derive some rudimentary theorems.
--When other spirits begin to actively observe another target, these shadows will appear along with [cognitive action].
The form of the spirit was also very abnormal in Helheim. This shaman's soul was like a jelly-like substance. When he stepped on the ground, his feet would sink deep into the mud and sand, merging with the strange plants on the ground whose species were unknown and whose true nature was difficult to discern.
Their forms are constantly changing, seemingly altering according to the shaman's understanding; one moment they become bright red spider lilies, the next slender woman's fingers, and then they turn green, transforming into lush, verdant grassland.
It was as if Mother Earth was constantly observing the shaman's thoughts, conveying information according to the shaman's will and the inner landscape of the spirit.
With each step he took, the shaman struggled to move, as a powerful force from his physical body held him tightly, unlike any other spirit.
Unlike him, the masses wandering on this plain walked quickly and steadily. With each step, their lower limbs transformed into flexible, bud-like tendrils. When they lifted their legs, these tendrils stretched out completely off the ground, then immediately snapped back into the shape of legs and feet, stepping onto the earth again. Their flesh clumps together, compressed into a gourd shape.
This is the earliest log record about Helheim. This Qing Ba Tu Lu was unable to speak for three months after completing the ritual, lost consciousness every sixteen minutes, and suffered from bioelectrical disorders for six months. It took more than eight months for him to fully recover.
Another psychic from the West is the dean of the Galahad Magic Academy two years ago.
The bloodletting method for near-death was proposed by this old abbot. Regarding the records of the Qing Ba Tu Lu, the old abbot had many doubts and questions. He was a Christian and found it difficult to understand the words in the log, especially the story of the "Sky Eagle" mentioned by Qing Ba Tu Lu.
--In Helheim, a divine eagle roams the land, guiding the dead to the afterlife.
This devastated the old dean. If this were true, all scholars studying the topic of psychic energy would have to change their understanding and immediately abstain from their religion to join the shamanistic school of thought to study these phenomena.
So the old hospital director decided to take a look himself. He prepared an extracorporeal blood circulation system for himself, with a professional medical team to control his blood pressure and heart rate, gradually erase vital signs, and use hormone drugs to maintain his consciousness.
When the old dean crossed the [dream curtain], he felt that it was all nonsense.
What greeted him was not a curtain, but a two-story staircase with sixteen and eighteen steps.
A total of thirty-four staircases, plus the last two decorative thresholds, these pure white stone steps and golden handrails form the entrance to the Gates of Heaven.
As he climbed upwards, he heard the sacred words of Ezekiel and the Gospel of John. Before the sacred bells and chimes, everything seemed to become clean and clear, and his soul was cleansed, truly ready to enter heaven.
After he pushed open the door, he saw the Throne Angel, representing the moon, appear before him as an Asian woman with dark brown hair. However, in his perception, the angel had a pair of green eyes and seemed to be an illusion of Ming De.
He was led by the Throne Angel to the Heavenly Corridor, across the Heavenly Court Gardens, where plants grew that he could not recognize. Even though he was one of the founders of potion-making and primal theory, and his knowledge of psychic energy ranked among the top five in the entire Underworld, he was still bound by the cognitive trap, just like that Qing Ba Tu Lu, and was completely unable to recognize these plants that were changing all the time.
In the old dean's eyes, opposite the sky corridor were two classrooms and a church, one large and one small. Souls whose good deeds and sins had not been weighed by the scales of justice would remain here to be tortured by the cherubim. The plants in the garden were drawn by him with precise strokes in his journal.
The sunflower opens and closes continuously, its golden edges resembling fingers. The sunflower's body opens and closes rhythmically, like the breathing behavior of a living organism. The brownish-yellow part is like the white of the eye, while the darker core area is the pupil.
These sunflowers undergo dramatic deformation when they look into his eyes; their seeds shine like scales, forming a dark mirror that reflects the old dean's memories.
He arrived at the confessional and saw sixteen halos on the left and right sides, similar to the winged, multi-halo structure of the Flash Butterfly. They seemed to be subordinate angels of lower rank. In the very center, at the main position, was an oval energy body radiating blinding light, composed of pure, intense light.
It gradually darkened, slowly transforming into a human shape, and finally, the thin, golden-red ribbons became its wings.
The old dean immediately concluded that it must be the highest-ranking Seraphim, a divine servant attending to the true God. At this very moment, a powerful pull sent him back to the real world.
He recorded all of this, turning it into words and images.
This is the second record of Helheim, and the BOSS even gave a thoughtful comment, using very warm and comforting words.
[Judging from the moment he started bleeding himself out, deliberately entering a state of Gate of Death, and then taking thirteen injections of morphine as a cardiac stimulant, anyone who believes this is brain-dead.]
Although it's different from what Qing Ba Tu Lu saw, at least one thing is certain—
--Those who accept different mythological origins and have religious beliefs will see completely different things when they come into contact with Hel.
If we were to observe Niflheim from the perspective of Homo sapiens, we might never be able to discern its true form.
Mother Earth's positive feedback behavior resulted in each observer going to a different, even vastly different, [underworld].
Later, Mr. Luo Ping'an, whom we are quite familiar with, also went to Helheim.
In 1943--
--The Red Star Hill frontline base welcomed this mysterious man from the East.
Mr. Ping An sculpted a clay figure and set off from the seabed. Instead of taking the waterway, he used underwater drilling to reach Helheim.
According to the description in the log, he believed that he had arrived at one of the three places: Yingzhou, Penglai, or Fangzhang, but he could not accurately describe the specific location.
It was a market resembling those of the old days, the Republic of China era or even earlier. People came and went at the street corner, and the shouts of wine vendors filled the air. On the other side were two archways supported by blue-faced stone lions. The archways were inscribed with the words "[Banbuduo]", which should be a place where ghosts lingered in mythology, a human resources center and logistics hub in the underworld.
Further inside, there were underworld officials from the Five Ghosts Bureau conducting a census, but their equipment was very modern, unlike those of ancient people who had switched to firearms. They looked more like police officers in military uniforms.
Luo Ping'an, an unregistered resident, was taken by the underworld messengers of the Five Ghosts Division to the Wangxiang Pavilion to register with the judge. Ping'an, being a talkative and outgoing person, took the opportunity to ask the boatman at the ferry for two cigarettes and learn about the basic situation in the underworld.
Heading towards the other side of the River Styx, there are three forks in the road. In the middle stands a locust tree, whose leaves, in Ping An's eyes, have transformed into hands, as if beckoning and calling out.
He met the head of the Five Ghosts Bureau, the two Yin generals, and the Ox-Head and Horse-Face, like a day trip to the underworld. In the end, he stopped before the Bridge of Helplessness, almost heading towards the world's number one internet celebrity spot to check in and be reincarnated at the Well of Reincarnation.
What brought him back to his senses was one of the inner demons he usually found difficult to fight.
A young woman stood in front of the soup stall; that must be Meng Po, draped in a black veil that covered her face—but she had a very good figure.
The fact that she had a great figure immediately brought Ping An to his senses, because most of the beautiful women he had ever seen were dangerous and would bring disaster.
Finally, amidst the curses and swears of the two underworld officials, they dragged him out of the house and kicked him back to the human world.
These stories are buried in the bookshelves of the Arcane Library, but we still have to go to the real Helheim in person.
Right now, at this very moment.
The moment Jiang Xueming transformed back into the Big Sister--
--Glory, who was waiting in Helheim, has logged back in, changing from a [dead] state to [alive].
Do not move the camera away yet. Deep within the dark temple, in the orange abyss near the mantle volcanic belt, the shadow of hell still lingers in the eyes of the Big Sister.
That is the nameless merit forest.
A top-tier hotel, nestled against a volcano, rises majestically. The iron-nickel core of Mother Earth forms its sturdy and reliable structure, representing that Mother Earth is also a pure and joyful goddess.
Our VIP area is already occupied by some familiar faces. They've prepared a top-tier lava sauna package for the most heinous criminals.
The presidential suite on the 18th basement level features a sauna with a temperature of 1,800 degrees Celsius.
It was filled with cultists and criminals killed by nameless people, and incorrigible villains and butchers were executed here.
The things Thumb Mana once saw, the psychic tides he witnessed on Big Sister, and the wails of vengeful spirits he heard all originated from here.
The VIP room within the VIP room is a complex barbecue room made of intricate steel knives and molten iron. The people here are not fighting alone; several chefs are working together to cook.
The first person to enter the room was Mr. Kang Que Johnny, who had fair skin and a frail physique. He still maintained a youthful and energetic appearance, wearing only a bath towel. When he arrived at the kitchen, his expression immediately turned terrified.
The next second, the bright red combination blades tore him apart piece by piece, and the thermometer in the kitchen, used to measure the room temperature, turned into a string of cold numbers.
--From 314,622 people to 314,621 people.
This is the crime that Kang Que Connor committed in his lifetime; he ruined so many lives that he deserves to die just as many times.
The people queuing behind were all cadres and leaders of the Madness Butterfly Sect.
Everyone was punished one by one according to their number; if any mischievous child disobeyed—
"--No, I refuse." Mary Stuart clutched her towel tightly, her skin charred black from the fire and bullets, her hair all gone.
Lawrence Madison said in a low voice, "You are a renowned figure in the Madness Butterfly Sect, a dragon among men. How can you be content to obediently serve your sentence in a place like this? We need to find a way to escape."
Mary rolled her eyes, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Lawrence's ugly body, which had died from torture.
"When Glory returns, I'm going to tell my Demon King every single word of your nonsense!"
"I can't wait! Well done, Lawrence! You did a great job!"
"She'll definitely reward me! ~ She'll whip me hard! ~"