Chapter 1 Niflheim

When Heimdall fell, the rainbow bridge connecting the Nine Realms was solidified into a chain. The first link—the one closest to the external space—was Asgard, which Hao Ren used as a breakthrough point. Midgard was seventh in the spatial chain, while the eighth and ninth realms had terrible reputations, sounding oppressively bleak: Nibelheim, the land of the dead, and Niflheim, the realm of eternal night.

"In fact, Nibelheim and Niflheim can be regarded as one," Vivian said, standing on the shattered steps of the rainbow bridge, looking at the murky, pale-purple sky and the crumbling, corrupted earth beneath her feet. "Even if Heimdall died and the rainbow bridge system was rearranged, these two realms would always be connected because the most important branches of Yggdrasil bifurcate in these two spaces. According to the information we have, this should be the location of the 'First Born's' brain core and important nerve ganglia. The First Born's powerful mental power has substantially merged these two spaces, causing parts of Nibelheim and Niflheim to overlap directly across the spatial gate. The border between these two realms is an area called the 'Mist Gate,' a dense fog where the two realms overlap."

A bright flash of lightning split the sky, but strangely, the awe-inspiring lightning was silent. It left a blinding crack in the sky, eventually dividing into hundreds of pale-purple streams of light that fell to the horizon. The entire Nibelheim was silent, as if even the air itself had died.

"This used to be Hela's domain. She was a very powerful necromancer in her time. It is said that the dead would first fall into the land of the dead, becoming residents of Nibelheim. As their souls dissipated, they would become wandering ghosts drifting in Nibelheim, gradually approaching the 'Mist Gate.' Once they entered the dense fog, the dead would completely lose their memories of their past lives and be irreversibly absorbed by Niflheim as dark elements, eventually becoming energy in Hela's palace. But Nibelheim and Niflheim are not only ruled by Hela; another powerful creature occupies half of this place..."

"The black dragon Nidhogg," Hao Ren nodded, looking at the distant, broken end of the earth, where a ring of mountains was faintly visible.

The group was currently located in Nibelheim, the land of the dead, and they were looking towards the boundary of Niflheim.

This place had also been ravaged by the mana storm. The murky, pale-purple sky was filled with toxic gases and radioactive dust that could kill instantly, and the rotten, twisted earth was covered with surging toxic sludge and disgusting hot springs. All the mountains were barren, and all the rivers had dried up, but compared to the other alien realms, Nibelheim was even more extremely desolate: because even before Ragnarok, this was not a good place.

It used to be the center for the Aesir gods' necromantic magic research and a bio-chemical base, where Hela created viral weapons and undead legions.

Ragnarok only amplified the corruption of this plague-ridden land.

"The black dragon Nidhogg constantly gnawed at the roots of the World Tree, eventually leading to the complete corruption of the World Tree, the withering and breaking of the branches supporting the Nine Realms, and the collapse of all worlds..." Hao Ren muttered the sentences recorded in Norse mythology as he walked down the rainbow bridge along the vines of the World Tree, stepping onto the severely corrupted dark earth. "Nidhogg eventually fell on the border mountains of Nibelheim, which was also its original nest, the place where it constantly gnawed at the roots of the World Tree. The source of the corruption is here... In theory, the key to solving the corruption is also here."

Elizabeth struggled to keep up with the group, skipping forward and shouting loudly, "Uncle Ren, do you really think that old man locked in crystal for two thousand years wasn't hallucinating or something?"

"Better safe than sorry, and I think Odin's mind is so normal that he wouldn't hallucinate about something like this," Hao Ren turned his head to look at the little demon girl, his eyebrows twitching slightly. "By the way, how long are you going to carry that leg?"

Elizabeth carried a mechanical spider leg on her shoulder that was several times bigger than her. Although she staggered as she walked, her face was flushed with excitement, "Of course I'm going to carry it back! This will be enough for me to take apart for a long time!"

That's right, that was the mechanical arm disassembled from the steam spider manufactured by the Steam Six! Little Elizabeth used a screwdriver and a pair of pliers to take it off, and then the little girl carried it all the way here!

Hao Ren's eyes twitched, "Then I said I'd put it in my portable space..."

The little demon almost jumped up, with crackling sparks coming from the little horns on her forehead: "No!! Uncle Ren, let me carry it for a while, just for a while, I want to lick it..."

Everyone: "..."

"Big Guy, keep an eye on your daughter. She really dares to lick that thing, look at the oil on the corner of her mouth," Vivian shook her head, covering her forehead, and then casually conjured a small bat and threw it out, "I've found six larger tentacles, they're indeed as Odin described, the lesions are very serious."

Hao Ren clicked his tongue, looking incredulous, "I never thought that Yggdrasil would actually have corruption..."

He couldn't help but recall the suggestion Odin had given them before their departure, as well as the large amount of important information he had provided at the same time.

The former King of the Norse Gods had said this: "...If you want to fundamentally save this place, perhaps you can take a look at the condition of Yggdrasil. Although I don't know what exactly happened there, the corruption process of the World Tree is full of suspicious points...

"I once heard a voice in several abnormal, dreamlike sleeps. That voice possessed a terrifying power, but it was struggling in pain. I believe the source of the voice is Yggdrasil, because in some chaotic dreams, I saw huge vines that continuously ran through all the realms. Those vines were painfully twisted together, with a heart that was constantly being dyed black wrapped in the middle.

"The corruption of Yggdrasil seems incredible to me. I know the legends of the human world say that the black dragon Nidhogg caused the World Tree to wither and die, but I know that the black dragon could not possibly pollute the World Tree. The World Tree is a powerful creature far beyond our imagination, it is incorruptible, at least not corruptible by ordinary creatures—yes, I learned this before you came here, I still have this level of exploratory spirit...

"I confirm the authenticity of those dreams. I am an Aesir god... an Aesir, we have a very deep understanding of our spiritual world, especially in the realm of dreams, we don't make mistakes. A powerful creature used its mental power to invade my dreams—of course, it may not have been an active invasion, but rather the mental disturbance it emitted in its struggle interfered with my thoughts, but in any case, I believe that is Yggdrasil."

That was the information Odin provided. Although it was vague, it contained an astonishing amount of information and ultimately prompted Hao Ren and his group to travel to Nibelheim to investigate: according to the information recorded by the Aesir, the corruption started here.

Just as Odin had said before, Yggdrasil theoretically would not be corrupted, and that was also Hao Ren's view. Although the myths and legends said that Nidhogg gnawing at the roots of the World Tree caused the corruption, according to Hao Ren's understanding of the "First Born," the process should be the other way around: the powerful First Born's unconsciously leaked mumbling attracted Nidhogg, and Nidhogg came into contact with the First Born's bodily fluids in a confused state, so it was contaminated and went mad. Throughout the entire process, Yggdrasil did not have any so-called "corrupting infection." This was also confirmed by their previous observation of the First Born's tentacles in Asgard: the tentacles on the border of Asgard looked healthy and strong, with no signs of corruption.

But Odin indicated that there was evidence that Yggdrasil was indeed undergoing lesions, which was truly beyond Hao Ren's expectations.

Something strange must be afoot, Hao Ren couldn't help but think of the strange state of Yggdrasil that Mimir had mentioned before.

And if Yggdrasil really had a series of strange behaviors because of lesions, then Hao Ren and his group had a third alternative plan:

Investigate the cause of the lesions, try to treat the First Born, and finally use his power.

The mana radiation entrenched in Midgard was an insurmountable natural disaster for ordinary races, and a huge trouble for Hao Ren and his group—not because the inspector's power could not resist this radiation, but because clearing it required professional equipment and a team, and it would take a relatively long time. But if they could awaken the First Born and get the other party's help, this radiation might be easily cleared: the First Born's huge body spanning the Nine Realms was the best purification tool, and one breath from him could probably change the atmospheric structure of all the alien realms.

Even if this plan was not successful, treating the First Born was still necessary: if the First Born could avoid going mad, then Hao Ren and his group could boldly move the Dusk Capital or build a second layer of the Dusk Barrier.