Chapter 634: The Hive and the Sea of Consciousness

The evening wind blew silently, carrying away the lingering warmth from over two hundred corpses, and with it, the warmth from the demon king's smile.

Luo Yan stood high above, his gaze sweeping over the sea of corpses to land on the face of the old man—seemingly benevolent, yet utterly insane.

"What should I call you?"

A faint curve tugged at his lips; his voice was calm, betraying no emotion.

"Are you the graveyard keeper of Silent Hills, the shadow behind King Lein, or perhaps—Lord Ma Lusi—the Hand of the Late King?"

The old man's smile did not falter as he clapped his hands gracefully, as if applauding the accuracy of the information.

"No wonder you're the Demon King, a great figure from Hell. It seems your intelligence network runs deeper than I imagined… I was right about you after all."

The amusement on Luo Yan's lips did not fade.

Being right is fine.

He realized his disguise had another use: it served as a touchstone to test how deeply his opponent understood him.

If he still used the name "Luo Kexi Colin," then this man truly understood nothing—merely speculating based on limited clues.

But he had to admit, his guess was remarkably accurate.

This man was also a master strategist.

Seeing the Demon King on high make no denial, Ma Lusi smiled faintly, glanced at the corpses beneath his feet, and continued in a voice like a leaky whistle.

"As for these… consider them a modest gift of introduction. Only the dead keep secrets, and only the dead won't betray tonight's conversation to the bookish fools of the Scholarate."

"Aren't you afraid the Scholarate will punish you?"

"Ha, Your Highness, you jest," Ma Lusi chuckled lightly, as if hearing a delightful joke. "You've been to the Scholarate yourself—surely you know what status their apprentices hold?"

True enough.

The old peasants of the Aus Empire, the Scholarate's magic apprentices, the goblins of Hell… strictly speaking, they occupy the same ecological niche.

Luo Yan wasn't surprised by Ma Lusi's answer, but seeing that cold-blooded smile, he felt a flicker of awe.

His tone was as casual as brushing dust from a sleeve.

This man was truly ruthless. The people of Lein were cursed beyond measure to have such a transcendent among them.

The Demon King was also ruthless—but unless someone was utterly irredeemable or actively seeking death, he usually just laughed and let them go, never stooping to quarrel with those weaker than himself.

Such a talent was missed by Hell, and now he's chasing after the Fifth Chaos… no wonder Hell declines day by day.

"Why do you think I'm the Demon King?" Luo Yan asked calmly, his tone tinged with mild curiosity. "Just because I have a few non-human subordinates?"

"That's one reason, but not enough to confirm my theory. After all, many nobles have sold their souls to demons and command hellish minions… what truly confirmed my suspicion was you yourself."

"Me?"

"Yes."

Ma Lusi stepped over a corpse, moving as lightly as a ghost. His face wore its usual warm smile as he spoke softly.

"I don't understand Hell, but I understand the nobility of the Empire. Those arrogant fools fixate only on the power of Shengcheng and the gold of the New Continent. From what I know of them, the entire eastern Old Continent combined means less to them than a single Huangtong Pass… they've long abandoned sacred light and faith."

The old man halted, his gaze fixed intently on Colin standing above, and continued.

"Only the demons of Hell would care for the 'barbarians' living here. For you, even ants have value to be squeezed… don't they?"

"That's an interesting theory," Luo Yan's lips curled slightly. "But it's all just your speculation."

"Yet my speculation is reasonable, isn't it?" Ma Lusi smiled. "The Campbell family defeated the Demon King—that's the fairy tale the world wants to believe. But in my view, the other side of the story fits reality better…"

He studied Colin with the admiration of a peer, like an experienced hunter spotting another skilled predator in the forest.

His voice deepened, tinged with a twisted admiration.

"You corrupted Campbell."

"You didn't choose slaughter like lesser demons—you chose a more refined conquest. You wove a vast honey trap with power, wealth, and pleasures mortals couldn't refuse, turning that young, arrogant duke, the naive, brave princess, and the citizens who thought they controlled their own fates—all into your puppets."

In Ma Lusi's mind, the Demon King of Leimeng County ruled like he ruled Lein's king—hidden behind the scenes, poisoning the entire duchy with sweet venom. Aaron Campbell appeared to have won everything, but had lost it all.

It sounded exactly like looking into a mirror.

Sara's face showed surprise, then grew solemn.

The Saint Scar Organization had always believed the graveyard keeper was the dagger beneath the Lein king's sleeve—yet they never imagined this venomous snake, raised by the king's own hand, had now coiled around the king's wrist?!

This was… beyond her expectations.

Luo Yan's expression turned curious; he made no effort to refute this "unique misunderstanding," simply finding it amusing.

Because force always acts reciprocally.

The Demon King doesn't always dominate Elin's decisions; sometimes, she takes the initiative, and together they make choices neither had envisioned.

That's the other meaning of mutual benefit—Luo Yan understood this perfectly. He was merely an expert at pretending ignorance, not actually ignorant.

Two hands clasped together gradually fused; to speak of one's influence on the other was like a tyrant reflecting on his own thoughts.

One must admit: though feudal tyrants always refused to acknowledge they too were shaped by their serfs, that was merely their refusal to look in the mirror.

The coldest physical laws never bend to anyone's will—they too obey the iron rule that force acts reciprocally.

To treat people as fools always ends with a crowd of fools fooling one great fool, then holding hands and jumping into the cesspool together.

Today's Roland City is much the same—even if their king told them the sky was green, they'd only realize with shock—

Holy shit, am I colorblind?

"I don't deny your claims—but is that all you have to say?"

"Of course not."

Ma Lusi shook his head gently; his springlike eyes no longer concealed their hunger, revealing a glint of greedy madness.

"Since we are the same kind, why should we fight over a bunch of mortals? We could join hands and cooperate."

"Cooperate?"

"Yes. Joint development."

Ma Lusi turned his gaze northward—toward the Lein Kingdom—and his warm voice grew tinged with distaste.

"Lein's 'mines' are exhausted. Those peasants may look human, but their souls are as weak as autumn grass, as worthless as river sand."

"They're either illogical lunatics or self-deluded illiterates… though the Scholarate's mages say it's fine, I still worry—long-term extraction of soul essence from such trash will make our nobles as dull as they are."

This concern wasn't baseless; after all, human-to-human rejection is minimal, and some are slowly becoming less human.

Luo Yan smiled faintly, asking knowingly.

"Oh? Then how did these people of yours become this way?"

"Many reasons, but none matter. What matters is we need more quality raw material," Ma Lusi brushed the question aside as easily as swatting a fly.

He turned his head, his gaze falling on the southern edge of Wanren Mountains—the lower reaches of the Benliu River, toward the Campbell Duchy.

"The Campbell Duchy is different."

"Thanks to your careful cultivation, its people are spirited, their souls pure, brimming with hope and vitality… I have no doubt their essence rivals even the citizens of Shengcheng—top-tier material. We could jointly exploit this untouched rich vein."

As he spoke, he drew a deep breath, as if already smelling the soul's fragrance drifting from hundreds of kilometers away.

The grotesque expression sent a chill even through Arakdo, whose legs beneath him shifted uneasily. Had the Demon King not restrained him, he'd have fled long ago!

Luo Yan sighed softly.

"Shengxi above, this is blasphemy."

"But for a Demon King, it's perfect, isn't it?"

Believing his olive branch had been accepted, Ma Lusi smiled and added more stakes to the table.

"Think it over. I could even 'persuade' our king to cede the Dusk Province to you. When needed, we could stage a few wars to eliminate those useless burdens."

"And as for what you care about most—the Holy Water—I can persuade the Scholarate to let you join, granting you a thirty percent share! Don't underestimate this thirty percent—it could make you as strong as me, even elevate you to demi-god status!"

Ma Lusi was confident in his proposal; offering a thirty percent stake to a latecomer was a highly sincere gesture.

As for the interests he might sacrifice, he felt no regret. If he could bring the Campbell Duchy onto his wagon, they'd gain not only an untouched soul mine, but also eliminate the southern threat.

Previously, they'd had to operate secretly within Wanren Mountains, Bugantaimingmuzhangdan. But if everyone around them was an ally, they could jointly seal the news, kick out the rats, and even place soul-refining Fashita in the Dusk Province—and even in Roland and Leimeng Cities!

This looked like an extremely profitable deal.

After all, breeding conditions in rat holes could never match those of cities suited for human habitation.

Facing Ma Lusi's olive branch, Luo Yan raised an eyebrow slightly. He wasn't interested in the proposal itself—he'd gleaned something far more intriguing from its subtext.

"Lord Ma Lusi, your vision is indeed grand—demons themselves would praise your efficiency. Yet as a Demon King, I must think further ahead… if you exploit without restraint, and populations dwindle and souls are exhausted, won't we become rootless driftwood? After all, mines always run dry."

"Exhausted? No, Demon King. It seems your studies at the Scholarate never reached its most secret doctrines."

Hearing this "peasant mentality" concern, Ma Lusi chuckled lightly, though his gentle smile remained unchanged.

"If souls were eternal and unchanging, every race would have bred every child possible in the past thousand years—where would there be room for us to waste?"

He wasn't surprised Colin thought this way—it was the classic myth of the First Era: souls are eternal.

But that's not true.

They are inexhaustible.

Before the Demon King could ask, Ma Lusi raised his hand, his withered finger pointing toward the glittering night sky, as if grasping all the stars.

"Souls are not crops grown from the earth—they are projections of countless stars, gifts from the boundless sea of stars!"

Luo Yan's face showed surprise; he mused aloud.

"That's quite an interesting theory."

Ma Lusi smiled faintly.

"Not a theory. In the Scholarate, their mages call it the 'Hive' theory and the 'Sea of Consciousness' theory."

Luo Yan was slightly startled.

"Oh? I'd like to hear more."

Ma Lusi spoke calmly.

"Beyond the earth lies the 'Sea of Consciousness'—the fundamental material of consciousness is inexhaustible, like endless stars!"

"And the ground beneath our feet is a hive that absorbs all rivers and seas!"

"Whenever a new physical vessel is born, the tiny specks of light drifting in the Sea of Consciousness flow toward it like bees returning to their hive, filling the flesh and forming what we call 'Soul Substance'!"

"This is why, since the Underworld fell, most mortals cannot enter reincarnation—yet our world still has an endless stream of souls."

Ma Lusi did not conceal it; in his view, these broad theories were nothing significant, just like the two hundred corpses at his feet.

The true core secret was the method of crafting Holy Water.

Yet Luo Yan was greatly shocked after hearing his account—he had never imagined that the seemingly generous Scholar Domain was in fact stingy, and the real treasures had never been placed in the library he visited every day.

The 'Hive' theory and the 'Sea of Consciousness' theory fully explained the question he had pondered for so long but could never solve—

Namely, where did the souls that did not reincarnate go?

If this planet is likened to a hive, everything becomes easy to understand.

The fleshly body is like a cell within the hive.

Whenever a new life is born, an anchor point ignites in the Sea of Consciousness, drawing nearby 'Consciousness Particles' to coalesce into 'Soul Substance,' or attracting 'Soul Substance' already held nearby by the 'Reincarnation System.'

When the newborn cries out at birth and opens its eyes, establishing connection with the material world below, the specks of light from the cosmos swell like sponges absorbing water.

And that swelling portion is precisely the 'Spirit Substance!'

Spirit Substance and Soul Substance together form the soul.

When the human body perishes, Spirit Substance naturally dissipates, returning its nourishment to the earth beneath, but Soul Substance does not vanish.

They either enter the reincarnation system of this planet, or ascend to a higher-level reincarnation system, or revert into tiny specks of light, projected into the vast starry sea and even the void, for a new round of recombination... just as they came.

Originally, they too arrived in a similar form, projected from the boundless starry sea.

Either drawn by karma, or acting unconsciously.

"... It sounds as if, while we gaze up at the stars, the stars are gazing back at us," whispered You You, floating beside Luo Yan.

Luo Yan nodded gently, replying inwardly.

'This also explains my long-standing confusion: why did the Chaos come here, and where did they go after leaving?'

Under stable faith and without drastic population fluctuations, most of the little bees are long-term residents of this hive.

They possess stable spiritual cores and beliefs: wherever they die, they return there; unresolved grudges from past lives continue in the next, and many have already reincarnated countless times, grown inseparable from the entire hive.