Fang Gu could only curse himself internally why had he let himself brag so much earlier?!
"Heh, how could I possibly know which one it is? What benefit would hiding it bring me?" Fang Gu said calmly, forcing a smile.
"If you want us to believe that, then you pick a bridge first," Zhou Haoyu replied flatly.
Instantly, Fang Gu was stuck. If he refused, it proved he was hiding something. But if he agreed, and Zhou Haoyu's group followed him… all his schemes would be wasted.
A naked trap. A forced move.
In the end, Fang Gu had no choice but to step onto one of the bridges, praying Zhou Haoyu and the rest wouldn't follow—
Except Zhou Haoyu immediately turned back and called to the others:
"Follow me!"
Mo Fan and the others froze—then instantly reacted and hurried after him.
Hearing footsteps behind him, Fang Gu glanced back and saw Zhou Haoyu rapidly catching up, with Mo Fan, Zhang Xiaohou, and Su Xiaoluo right on his heels.
He nearly panicked, trying to move faster—
But compared to Zhou Haoyu's instantaneous teleport, his desperate sprint was a joke.
Zhou Haoyu easily grabbed him by the collar and said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes,
"Why so anxious? Something in there you're afraid we'll see?"
"I… don't know what you're talking about."
Fang Gu's voice trembled slightly. How could this man seem to know everything?
Zhou Haoyu didn't bother arguing. He let Fang Gu go and said calmly:
"Since you're in my hand now, don't even think about running — walk on."
Fang Gu's expression turned hideous, but he could only obediently lead the way.
At the end of the bridge, a silver mirror appeared before them.
Without a word, Fang Gu stepped into it.
Zhou Haoyu followed directly behind.
The world spun wildly—then an enormous altar appeared before his eyes. Around them was nothing but boundless darkness.
The altar resembled a towering frozen crown, its steps massive—so big that each one was taller than a man's height. It clearly wasn't built for humans, but for giants or gods.
Up ahead, Fang Gu was desperately climbing the steps, rushing toward the top.
Zhou Haoyu smirked. A silver sword appeared quietly at his side—
With the treasure's condition fulfilled, Fang Gu was no longer needed.
Fang Gu suddenly felt a chill shoot up his spine. Before he could react, a fierce force smashed into him from behind—sending him crashing into the stone steps.
Looking down, he saw blood flowing from his chest… then forced himself to lift his head for one last look at the Throne of Blood above.
He was so close… so close…!
[Activation Condition: Complete]
[Opening…]
[Reward: Ancient Demon-Slaying Weapon — Cheng Ying Sword!]
"Cheng Ying Sword?" Zhou Haoyu raised his eyebrows — a pleasant surprise.
He had been lacking a suitable high-tier demon-slaying weapon, and this Cheng Ying Sword, existing between shadow and illusion, was perfect for assassination.
Treasure claimed, Zhou Haoyu teleported directly up to the King's Throne.
Atop the throne sat no person… just an ancient suit of blood-red armor and beside it, a large, gleaming treasure chest!
[Opening Condition: Take control of the Ancient King's Armor]
Zhou Haoyu's pupils shrank. His first instinct was to refuse.
His cultivation was still weaker than Zhan Kong's back when Zhan Kong was devoured by that armor. If he dared put it on, he might end up the same or worse.
The inheritance was tempting, but preserving his life mattered more.
Maybe… I should let Zhan Kong—
Before the thought finished, the armor suddenly trembled— then shot up on its own, forcibly wrapping itself around Zhou Haoyu's body!
In that instant, countless malicious thoughts poured straight into his mind.
Compared to the wrath inside the Dark Abyss, this evil aura was a hundred… a thousand times stronger!
A single second outside felt like a lifetime within.
Just as Zhou's consciousness was about to be drowned and devoured altogether— a fragment of Dark Law inside his soul suddenly shone, devouring the endless evil in a flash.
When clarity returned, the armor was already fully worn on his body.
Zhou Haoyu broke into a cold sweat.
If not for that Dark Law fragment… I would have been turned into a monster already
[Activation Condition: Complete]
[Opening…]
[Reward: 30% Authority of the Underworld King]
In that very moment, countless abilities flooded into Zhou Haoyu's mind. Among them, the most practical was one: crafting creatures of the underworld.
Normal necromancers could create undead
But his ability was special.
With the Underworld King's authority, Zhou Haoyu could strengthen undead far beyond their former limit.
Simply put—hand him a High-Tier mage corpse, and he could refine it into a Commander-level corpse minister.
Give him enough time and energy? He could even transform a Forbidden Curse mage into an Emperor-level undead!
In addition to undead crafting, Zhou Haoyu could now directly commune with the Dark Dimension.
Once his Summoning Element reached Super-Tier, he could even summon creatures from that dark plane to fight for him.
There were still other authority skills that would need time to study and master.
"To truly become the Underworld King, I'll need the remaining 70% of the authority," Zhou Haoyu calculated silently.
He wasn't particularly interested in being the Underworld King…
—but the authority itself? That was invaluable.
Once he obtained all of it, his combat power would definitely exceed Forbidden Curse level.
To acquire the rest, he would probably have to deal with beings like Khufu and the Queen of Royal Linen Bones.
At that moment, Mo Fan and the others finally arrived.
Though Zhou felt as though ages had passed, in the outside world only about a minute had gone by.
They soon spotted the corpse at the foot of the altar—Fang Gu, slain for keeping the bridge's secret to himself.
"Fang Gu's dead? What happened, and where's Brother Yu?" Zhang Xiaohou frowned, puzzled.
None of them felt the slightest sorrow for Fang Gu's fate.
"You're looking for me?"
Zhou Haoyu suddenly appeared behind them, calm and collected.
He had already sent down a command to the Eight Undead Monarchs—to begin retreating immediately.
With the help of the dark law fragment, he had managed to subdue the Ancient King's armor completely.
Unlike Zhan Kong, he did not fuse with it—instead treating it as a vessel. The Ancient King's power was vast, yes—but Zhou had no interest in becoming a twisted inhuman monster.
"Holy sh*t—can you not pop up behind me like that?! In a place full of death aura? Do you want me to die of fright?" Mo Fan snapped, clutching his chest.
"Enough with the howling. Everything's dealt with. It's time to head back."
Zhou Haoyu's voice was calm—as though nothing significant had just happened.
.....
For Advance Chapters
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