User blog comment:Xilinoc/Ch. 604 - REVITALIZE/@comment-3230060-20141107145024/@comment-4822693-20141108065249

If I remember correctly, in Japanese Buddhist mythology there are "hells" that souls can be sent to temporarily to atone for their sins. Afterwards they return to the normal cycle. Bleach hell is probably something like that, and not the same thing at all as biblical hell. Also I really doubt that the number of souls thing is true. I bet it's something that was made up by the Soul King to fool all the shinigami. After all how would he be able to give the royal guard oken, when it was said that the creation of one required 100,000 souls. He probably has the ability to spontaneously make souls and is just playing with the entire Bleach Universe. It would explain why Aizen hated him so much; nothing would irritate him more than being a pawn in someone else's game.