367: The Way of Completion, Skill Surpassing the Sword Master

The Lord of the Ghost Market's out-of-control aura came quickly and left even faster.

Yet, within the Youming Hall, that deathly silence seemed to stretch on indefinitely.

Everyone felt like chickens being strangled, their hearts thumping wildly in their chests, nearly leaping out of their throats.

Especially those arrogant Void Returning Great Experts; every one of them was now pale-faced.

With their Qi in disarray, the look in their eyes as they gazed toward that supreme throne held nothing but pure terror.

In that instant just now, they felt as if their Divine Souls...

...had been yanked alive from their Sea of Consciousness by a cold, massive hand, and just as they were on the verge of being crushed, they were lightly set back.

Sitting high atop the central meteorite, the smug smile on Jian Wuya's face had long since frozen.

He was the closest and felt it most clearly.

Before that aura, his majestic Late Void Returning Stage cultivation was like a small boat in a vast ocean, without even the right to struggle.

For the first time, he began to doubt himself.

But at this moment, no one paid attention to the change in his expression.

For a silent clash was unfolding intensely at the highest point of this starry sky, on the level of Divine Thought.

"What... do you know?"

The Lord of the Ghost Market's ancient, neutral voice, which hadn't stirred for ten thousand years, carried intense emotion for the first time.

This Divine Thought transmission no longer echoed in everyone's Divine Soul; instead, it entered Shen Yuanmo's Sea of Consciousness alone with unerring precision.

In that voice was irrepressible shock and a hint of trembling that even he hadn't noticed.

Shen Yuanmo remained seated, his expression unchanged, as if he were merely chatting with an old friend.

His response was also sent via Divine Thought, calm yet piercing with every word.

"I know that you have been trapped at the peak of the Late Stage Hedao Realm for a hundred thousand years."

Boom!

The shadow form condensed by the Lord of the Ghost Market twisted violently once more, nearly dissipating on the spot!

Shen Yuanmo did not pause; his voice continued to ring deep within the other's Divine Soul, like the sharpest scalpel, precisely laying bare his most deeply hidden secrets and despair.

"Your Ghost Dao seems profound, but its Foundation is actually flawed. You used an Acquired method to forcibly reverse life and death, condensing a pseudo-ghost body."

"This path allows you to be invincible within the Hedao Realm, but it also severs the possibility of you advancing further."

"It cannot bear the power of a world, nor can it trigger the baptism of a Heavenly Tribulation."

"Therefore, in this life, you have no hope of reaching the Mahayana realm."

Every word was like Nine Heavens divine thunder, continuously striking the Divine Soul of the Lord of the Ghost Market!

Causing his heart, which had been silent for over a hundred thousand years, to surge with monstrous waves!

Dead silence.

Total, absolute silence.

This time, the Lord of the Ghost Market fell completely silent.

The air inside the Youming Hall was heavy, making it hard for everyone to breathe.

The Lord of the Ghost Market could not understand.

This secret was the greatest pain of his life, the truth he had gone as far as constructing the Ghost Market and isolating it from heaven and earth to cover up.

Forget the Eastern Region; even looking at the entire Canglan Realm, it was absolutely impossible for anyone to know!

Yet today, it was exposed in a single sentence by a mere junior in the Soul Transformation realm!

Furthermore, the analysis was so precise and thorough, as if the speaker had personally witnessed every struggle and bitter cultivation of his over the past hundred thousand years!

This silence was, in itself, the best answer.

Just as the Divine Soul of the Lord of the Ghost Market fell into unprecedented Chaos and storm...

...Shen Yuanmo's next sentence shone in like a ray of dawn breaking through the endless darkness.

"I can complete your Foundation for you and point out the path forward."

Shen Yuanmo's confidence in saying this stemmed from his Heaven-Defying Comprehension talent, which had already begun operating on its own.

From the moment he stepped into the Ghost Market and felt that unique and overbearing Ghost Dao Law, the deduction had begun.

Combining the massive number of ancient texts he had devoured on the eighth floor of the Myriad Dao Pavilion, especially those rare volumes and secrets regarding the Ancient Great Dao and the Origin of Laws...

...a brand-new, feasible path for advancement had been instantly constructed and perfected in his mind!

This path was enough to allow the Lord of the Ghost Market to take that half-step he had been unable to take for a hundred thousand years!

The atmosphere in the hall grew strange to the extreme.

Everyone saw that Jian Wuya of the Taiyi Sword Sect had offered an astronomical price.

Then, the Lord of the Ghost Market fell silent.

On the side of the Wanfa Immortal Sect, that unremarkable young man hadn't said a word.

Then, the Lord of the Ghost Market remained silent for even longer.

Jian Wuya finally snapped out of the shock of that pressure; looking at this strange scene before him, the unease in his heart grew stronger.

He would never allow any unexpected changes to occur with this divine treasury key that was within his reach!

"Playing tricks!"

Jian Wuya stood up abruptly and shouted sternly, his voice like a sword, attempting to break this dead silence.

"Just who is Your Excellency? How dare you toy with the Lord of the Ghost Market here! Do you think that by hiding behind the Wanfa Immortal Sect, you can do whatever you please?!"

His Late Void Returning Stage pressure was directed straight at Shen Yuanmo.

However, before that pressure could even get close...

"Slap!"

An extremely crisp sound of a slap echoed throughout the entire Youming Hall!

Everyone was stunned.

They saw the Lord of the Ghost Market, seated high upon the throne, casually wave a hand.

A condensed shadow of energy crossed through space and slapped Jian Wuya's face with absolute precision!

This slap contained no lethal force.

But that cold, decaying Ghost Dao Law was like a most vicious brand, stuck firmly to his face.

It wasn't very damaging, but it was extremely insulting!

"Shut up."

The two cold, raspy words from the Lord of the Ghost Market were like two nails driven ruthlessly into Jian Wuya's ears.

Jian Wuya froze completely.

He instinctively covered his face, feeling the burning sensation.

Along with the countless gazes from around him—a mix of horror, sympathy, and schadenfreude.

He was the dignified Sect Master of the Taiyi Sword Sect, one of the top experts below the Hedao Realm in the Eastern Region!

Today, in front of all the experts of the entire Eastern Region, he had been slapped in the face!

An unprecedented surge of shame and killing intent erupted in his chest like a volcano, nearly incinerating his rationality completely!

But he didn't dare move.

Before that shadow, he didn't even have the courage to draw his sword.

Amidst the horrified gazes of all the Cultivators present, the blurry figure of the Lord of the Ghost Market slightly turned for the first time, looking toward Shen Yuanmo.

That ancient voice rang out again, and this time, it carried a hint of solemnity that everyone could hear.

"I invite you, Fellow Daoist, to the inner hall for a discussion."

Boom!

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire audience was in an uproar!

The inner hall!

That was the true residence of the Lord of the Ghost Market; in over a hundred thousand years, no one had ever been heard of being invited inside!

Jian Wuya's already livid face instantly turned the color of a pig's liver.

His fists were clenched tight, his knuckles making a cracking sound from the excessive force.

The killing intent in his eyes, which had almost solidified, was locked firmly onto Shen Yuanmo.

However, Shen Yuanmo didn't even spare him a glance.

Under Qing Xuzi's gaze, which had gone from shocked to numb, he stood up calmly.

He straightened his robes and nodded slightly toward the throne above.

"Fine."

immediately， Under Jian Wuyai's murderous gaze， he took a step forward together with Qing Xuzi.

His figure vanished from atop the meteorite and appeared before a dark portal that had materialized out of thin air behind the throne.

Inside the inner hall, there was no starry sky, only a patch of pure darkness.

The figure of the Lord of the Ghost Market floated in the center of this darkness.

"Fellow Daoist... can you truly help me?"

His voice no longer held its previous antiquity and majesty; only longing and urgency remained.

Shen Yuanmo did not waste words.

He extended a finger, and atop its tip, a faint wisp of gray airflow slowly emerged.

Within that airflow, there seemed to be the beginning and end of the Myriad Daos.

It held both the mysteries of life and the essence of death, with countless Law runes shifting and changing within it.

It was precisely the Ghost Dao path leading to the Mahayana realm that he had deduced for the Lord of the Ghost Market using his Heaven-Defying Comprehension talent!

"See for yourself."

Shen Yuanmo flicked his finger, and that wisp of Chaos airflow flew lightly toward the Lord of the Ghost Market.

The Lord of the Ghost Market did not dodge, allowing that wisp of airflow to merge into his own shadow Origin.

In the next instant!

Rumble!!!!

His Divine Soul erupted with the most violent tremors since its birth!

He saw it!

He saw a brand-new world!

He saw a path he had never even imagined!

Using Death Qi as the Foundation, invoking the power of Reincarnation, then using vitality to ignite the divine fire, reversing Yin and Yang to reshape the Dao Foundation!

So that's how it is!

A hundred thousand years of confusion, a hundred thousand years of Bottlenecks, a hundred thousand years of despair!

At this moment, in this brief instant, they were completely torn apart by this tiny wisp of airflow!

He was like a traveler who had trekked through a desert for ten thousand years and suddenly saw a vast, boundless oasis!

A moment later.

The portal to the inner hall of the Youming Hall opened once again.

Shen Yuanmo walked out with a calm expression and returned to his seat.

And from atop that supreme throne, the voice of the Lord of the Ghost Market echoed through the entire starry sky.

This time, his voice was clear, decisive, and left no room for doubt.

"The transaction is concluded."

"The divine treasury key belongs to this Fellow Daoist."

As his words fell...

...a streak of light flew out from the throne, ignoring everyone's burning gazes and Jian Wuya's eyes that were nearly spitting fire.

It traced an arc and landed precisely in Shen Yuanmo's hand.

It was an ancient scroll made of some unknown Vicious Beast hide, inscribed with complex and profound patterns, emitting a desolate aura from the primeval wilderness.

It was precisely that final divine treasury key!