Chu Hao put away the necklace and swam toward other parts of the Underworld.

He continued diving, collecting a good number of Curse Marks along the way; there were plenty of both First-Stage and Second-Stage ones. Besides those, he also found two or three Third-order Seals. Chu Hao surfaced, took a deep breath, and dived again. After repeating this process several times, he had reaped a great harvest. This place was vast, and the water was deep. They had only just discovered it; otherwise, it would have been scavenged clean long ago.

Ahead, a strong light gleamed. Chu Hao swam toward it and saw the Toad Spirit below, struggling to pry something open. It was a gate, a bronze-iron gate. Despite the Toad Spirit's great strength, it couldn't budge it. The Toad Spirit signaled for Chu Hao to help. Working together, the man and the toad exerted their strength and finally managed to open the bronze-iron gate.

Impatient, the Toad Spirit rushed down. Its underwater speed far exceeded Chu Hao's. Chu Hao followed it down. In the darkness, a bright light shone, illuminating the surrounding structures. When they saw the source of the light, both Chu Hao and the Toad Spirit froze. It's actually a skeleton?

The Toad Spirit exclaimed, "A Curse Corpse of the Undying Sect!"

It was indeed a skeleton, completely devoid of flesh, but its bones were covered in dazzling Curse Marks. Chu Hao swam over, suddenly feeling a chill from behind. He turned his head but found nothing. He approached the skeleton.

"DING! Fourth-Stage Curse Corpse discovered."

A Fourth-Stage Curse Mark? Chu Hao mused. Such a special Curse Mark, and on a skeleton?

Without a word, the Toad Spirit opened its huge mouth and swallowed the skeleton whole. By the time Chu Hao reacted, it was too late. He felt helpless; it was the Toad Spirit's nature that made it react so quickly. He'd miscalculated. Next time he saw a Curse Mark, he wouldn't hesitate for a moment.

However, the Toad Spirit's face twisted into a strange expression, and it spat the skeleton out, cursing, "Damn it all!"

"What's wrong?" Chu Hao asked, thinking something had gone awry.

The Toad Spirit conveyed telepathically, "Too disgusting! Couldn't swallow it. Kiddo Chu, get lost! This emperor discovered it first!"

Chu Hao: "?????"

Are you trying to make me die of laughter? Chu Hao thought. Serves you right for being greedy and trying to swallow a whole corpse!

Chu Hao, not wanting to give it to the Toad Spirit either, said, "If you can't swallow it, give it to me."

The Toad Spirit's face filled with murderous intent as it guarded its discovered treasure. "Get lost!" it snarled. "Or believe me when I say this emperor will bite you!"

Chu Hao still wanted to reason with the Toad Spirit when he suddenly felt a chill on his neck. He turned to look, and a dark shadow zipped past, too fast for him to see clearly what it was. Chu Hao was startled. Is there something in the water?

"Be careful," Chu Hao warned. "There's something in the water."

The Toad Spirit thought Chu Hao was trying to trick it so he could snatch the skeleton.

Suddenly, a dark figure dashed before their eyes—an eerily pale human face, soaked white by the water, with the complexion of a corpse and dead fish-like eyes staring straight at the Toad Spirit. The Toad Spirit shrieked; if it had any hair, it would have stood on end. Chu Hao also jumped in fright. He didn't sense any Ghost Qi from the figure. What is it?

The ghostly apparition landed on a stone step below, its eyes locked onto them. The Toad Spirit, thoroughly spooked, roared, "What kind of demon are you, daring to scare this emperor?"

The Toad Spirit puffed up its cheeks and spat out a blast of air, which hit the ghostly thing.

BANG!

The ghostly creature leaped aside. The stone steps beneath it shattered, showcasing the strength of the Toad Spirit's attack. The creature emitted a sharp screech. At the entrance above, something appeared, blocking their way out. One by one, skeletons appeared. There were many of them, devoid of flesh, mere bleached bones. Yet they still had hair—a most terrifying sight. These Water Corpses swarmed down as if summoned.

The Toad Spirit asked with a shocked expression, "Netherworld People?"

There was no time for questions. It was unsafe in the water, with a dense mass of numerous Water Corpses swarming in from all directions. Without a second thought, Chu Hao collected the Fourth-Stage Curse Mark skeleton and turned to swim away. However, the Water Corpses had already pounced, moving through the water with extreme speed, like fish. They swarmed around Chu Hao, clearly intent on preventing him from reaching the surface.

These Water Corpses had been dead for too long. Chu Hao took out his Ritian Stick and smashed it down, reducing them to dust. He struggled to swim upwards when suddenly something grabbed his ankle. A ghastly pale face with the white eyes of a dead fish stared at him. It was that ghostly creature. Without a word, Chu Hao swung his stick down at it. The impact felt like striking a slab of steel, sending a numbing shock up his arm, yet the creature remained motionless.

Chu Hao couldn't believe it. What is this thing?

In desperation, Chu Hao employed his killer move, the Holding Mountain Fist. This fearsome punch struck the creature hard, and it finally let go. Chu Hao spun the Ritian Stick, creating a huge whirlpool that carried him out of the water and onto the ground.

Soon after, the Toad Spirit also escaped, a bite mark on its thigh. It screamed in pain, cursing up a storm.

Chu Hao walked over and asked, "What was that thing?"

The Toad Spirit licked its wound, its voice filled with fear. "Netherworld People. Corpses crafted by the Undying Sect. I've only heard of them; I never imagined they actually exist. That scared this emperor to death!"

Chu Hao was also startled. The Ancient Desolate Scripture mentioned the Netherworld People. They were created from living people using the special Underworld River Water from the Underworld. They were neither ghosts nor demons and possessed terrifyingly strong powers. Had it not been for the Holding Mountain Fist, Chu Hao reckoned he would have been doomed. Even the Toad Spirit had been injured.

Luckily, he had managed to bring out the Fourth-Stage Curse Mark skeleton—a truly rare artifact.

System prompt: "Host, do you wish to exchange the Fourth-Stage Skeleton Curse Mark? After the exchange, you can get 8,000,000 Experience Points."

System prompt: "Exchanging it will grant you 10,000 Pretentiousness Points."

System prompt: "Exchanging it will improve your Curse Mark lottery critical hit chance by 10 percent."

This skeleton could also enhance the lottery's critical hit chance—truly a rare find. Without a second thought, Chu Hao exchanged it immediately.

"DING! Host has gained 8,000,000 Experience Points and 10,000 Pretentiousness Points. The next lottery critical hit rate is increased by 10 percent."

Next, Chu Hao exchanged all the Curse Marks he had collected with the System in one go.

System prompt: "Host has exchanged 87 First-Stage Curse Marks, 24 Second-Stage Curse Marks, 7 Third-order Seals, and one Fourth-Stage Curse Mark. You have acquired a chance for a lottery draw ranging from Third-Order to Fourth-Stage items. Do you wish to draw?"

"Draw," Chu Hao said excitedly.

The System interface displayed numerous Third-Order Seals, and there were five potential Fourth-Stage Curse Marks available in the lottery pool. Chu Hao clasped his hands and prayed, "Please, Heavens, bless me with a top-tier Fourth-Stage Curse Mark! All my gains from the past half-month depend on this!"

The items on the screen began to flash. Chu Hao took a deep breath and commanded, "Stop!"

"DING! Host has obtained the Fourth-Stage Iron Bone Curse Seal."

Item: Iron Bone Curse Seal

Ability: Once cast, skin, flesh, and bones transform, becoming as tough as reinforced steel. The soul becomes five times stronger, granting exceptionally strong defenses.

(Upgradeable to Silver Bone Curse Seal, Golden Bone Curse Seal)