Medusa’s expression grew alert, and she quickly gathered the Power of Laws, preparing to strike.
“Don’t misunderstand, we’re here to save you!” The leader of the group called out, swiftly passing by them and charging toward the army that was chasing them.
The group stood there, completely confused, not understanding what was happening.
Boom! Boom!
Immediately after, the sounds of explosions echoed from behind, and terrifying energy waves reverberated through the air. Large boulders kept crashing down from above.
Screams followed, and the explosive power was even more terrifying than the Black Demon Bombs.
In an instant, the enemy was thrown into chaos, suffering heavy losses.
“Self-detonation!” John was stunned, watching the sudden appearance of these figures in disbelief.
They had actually used self-detonation as an attack—it was an attack that hurt the enemy and severely damaged themselves in the process.
“No, wait!” His brow furrowed as he sensed something was off.
The ones performing the self-detonations had weak life forces, similar to Gaka, barely hanging on.
“Monsters from the Underground City!” Senren cursed through gritted teeth, glaring at the suddenly emerging creatures. He barked, “Retreat!”
The Black Magicians and a large number of Bloodthirsty Beasts and Corrupted Demon-Humans hastily withdrew.
They weren’t afraid of death, but the creatures from the Underground City still terrified them.
“Everyone, you’re safe now. Come with me,” a voice suddenly called out.
A figure appeared from the passage, waving at them and hopping forward with each step.
The strange thing was, this person only had one leg.
For those who were above the seven-star level, losing a limb and regrowing it was possible. The figure exuded a strong aura, at least on the eight-star level, indicating that they should be capable of regrowing limbs.
If they couldn’t, then there was only one reason: their life force had dwindled, and they were too weak to regenerate their body.
“Big brother, who are these people? They’re so terrifying!” Spoorate whispered, walking up to John.
Although these individuals weren’t particularly powerful, the aura they gave off was what made them intimidating.
It was a sort of reckless, fearless presence, as though they were ready to self-detonate and take everyone down with them at the slightest provocation.
John shook his head slightly, not sure who these people were either.
“Underground City!” Medusa exclaimed, recognizing them, and added, “They are from the Underground City!”
The one-legged man, hearing Medusa’s words, turned around and smiled, nodding at them.
“What’s the Underground City?” Spoorate asked, curious.
Medusa glanced at the one-legged man ahead, then explained, “It’s a mysterious organization within Dark City. I’ve heard that they’re all powerful beings who were tortured by the Celestial Vault. Once they lost their value, they were thrown into the underground passages. They gathered together and formed this organization. I thought it was just a rumor, but it looks like it’s real.”
He had been in and out of the Dark City’s underground passages numerous times, but this was the first time he’d encountered anyone from the Underground City.
“It seems like Senren is really afraid of these people,” John said in confusion. This was the first time he had ever heard of the Underground City organization. Explore more adventures at empire
Medusa glanced at him, then quietly replied, “I’ve heard that the people of the Underground City are all crazy. They’ll resort to self-detonation at the slightest provocation. Any normal person would be scared of dealing with them.”
The others fell silent, nodding in agreement.
John couldn’t help but feel some respect for these individuals.
The one-legged man led them, but instead of simply walking down the passage, he kept opening secret doors along the way.
They had long since lost track of their surroundings, completely disoriented.
Seeing how familiar the man was with the area, John couldn’t help but ask, “This place wasn’t built by you, was it?”
The man stopped and explained, “This place has been here for a long time. It’s said to be an abandoned World-in-Hand. We just made some modifications to help us stay hidden.”
An abandoned World-in-Hand?
John was not unfamiliar with this concept. After the fall of The Overseer, if a World-in-Hand wasn’t destroyed, it would become a masterless existence.
Other Overseers could refine these worlds, but if no one refined them, or if they couldn’t be refined, they would become abandoned worlds.
However, this Dark City was vast, and the Power of Laws here was stable. If it truly was an abandoned World-in-Hand, its original owner would have been at least a seven-star Overseer at the very weakest.
At that moment, the one-legged man stopped in front of a wall, turned to the group, and said, “My name is Yealper. Welcome to the Underground City!”
With that, he pushed hard against the wall.
Creeeak…
The wall creaked and slid open, revealing a passage. Bright light flickered, and the group instinctively shielded their eyes. It took a moment for them to adjust.
Before them was a slightly ruined city, illuminated by a massive fireball floating in the sky, casting light on everything around.
The people inside were busy, but like Yealper, most of them were broken in some way. Even those whose bodies were intact had mechanical limbs replacing their missing ones.
The people here, to varying degrees, had suffered irreversible damage, their life forces drained to the point of no recovery.
These were the side effects of having their powers siphoned away too many times.
When the busy inhabitants saw newcomers arriving, they all stopped what they were doing and excitedly approached them.
“Newcomers have arrived.”
“Did the Celestial Vault persecute you too? Don’t worry, you’re safe here.”
“As long as we stick together, we’ll be able to defeat the Celestial Vault and see the light of day again!”
…
The crowd greeted John and his companions with warmth, and a few even invited them to visit their homes.
John simply nodded politely, smiling faintly. He felt somewhat uncomfortable with their enthusiasm.
“Alright, I’ll take care of these people. Everyone, get back to your work,” Yealper said, sounding displeased.
The crowd reluctantly dispersed, their faces falling in disappointment.
“Big brother, these people are so friendly!” Spoorate said, curious.
John just nodded silently.
Friendly?
He didn’t think so. After everything he’d been through, he knew better than to trust strangers offering unsolicited kindness.
And these people had all suffered inhuman torture at the hands of the Celestial Vault organization. They were barely clinging to life, and how could those on the brink of death still harbor any goodwill?
“Please, follow me,” Yealper said with a smile, leading them to a somewhat rundown courtyard. He spoke again, “There’s no one living here. The environment isn’t great, but it’s a place to rest for now.”
“Thank you,” John replied.
“We’re all victims of the Celestial Vault’s persecution. We should stick together,” Yealper nodded, hopping away with his usual lively pace.
The group fell silent.
Cand-Dragon immediately began scanning the area, confirming that there were no immediate threats. She spoke, “Godslayer, nothing unusual detected, and no signs of surveillance.”
John nodded but remained uneasy. “Enter my World-in-Hand. Medusa, Immortal King, you stay here. Notify us immediately if anything happens.”
With a mental shift, he led Gaka and the others into his World-in-Hand.
“Is there something wrong, John?” Sini asked, noticing his serious expression.
John didn’t answer immediately. He turned to Gaka.
“Have you sensed anything strange?” Gaka asked.
John nodded and said, “These people give off a very strange vibe. Senior, do you know much about this underground city?”
Gaka shook his head and replied, “I’ve only heard that such an organization exists. This is my first time encountering them.”
“Big brother, are these people bad?” Spoorate tilted her head, confused.
The little girl had grown up with her grandfather Jackey, who had shielded her well.
She was innocent and pure-hearted, always reciprocating kindness with kindness.
John answered, “I’m not sure, but they are definitely not good people.”
“If they aren’t good people, then they must be bad, right?” Spoorate said, her world clearly divided into black and white.
John didn’t reply further and turned back to Gaka, asking, “How much longer can you last, senior?”
Gaka’s expression darkened, but then he responded calmly, “I can probably last another ten days to half a month. Maybe… it’s just fate.”
John frowned, surprised by how serious Gaka’s condition had become.
He turned to look at the Tree of Life in the corner and said, “Senior, my World-in-Hand is a bit special. Please stay here and rest for now. With the Tree of Life and Elven Spring, perhaps they can restore your vitality.”
“Alright,” Gaka nodded, not refusing. He understood his own condition, and John’s words were likely a form of comfort.
He glanced at Spoorate and said, “Let the little girl stay here for now too. My time is running out, and I might as well pass on the Sea God’s legacy to her.”
“Grandpa, are you hurt?” Spoorate shook her head and said, “I don’t want your inheritance. I just want you to stay alive.”
A gentle smile appeared on Gaka’s face as he spoke, “Don’t worry, I won’t be harmed.”
“Really?” The little girl looked at John, a hint of suspicion in her eyes.
John nodded. “Listen to the senior’s arrangements. When your strength grows, you’ll be able to protect yourself and the people around you.”
“Okay, when I get stronger, I’ll protect big brother,” Spoorate said earnestly.
John smiled but didn’t say more. He left her and Gaka in the World-in-Hand, leading the others out.
…
On the other side, after settling John and the others, Yealper arrived at a dilapidated thatched hut. Behind it stood a slightly withered tree, its vitality weak, giving off an aura of desolation.
Yealper didn’t enter the hut but instead cautiously surveyed the surroundings. After confirming there were no immediate dangers, he opened a hidden, dark tunnel beneath the tree and entered.
Creak!
The tunnel was deathly silent. His footsteps echoed with the sound of cracking bones beneath him—gloomy and terrifying.
He was used to it by now and paid no mind.
Thud, thud…
Low, dull thumping sounds echoed around him.
He quickly reached the end of the tunnel. Above him, roots hung down, twisted and intertwined, wrapping around a massive, blood-red heart.
The low thumping sound was coming from the heart itself.
“My lord!” Yealper knelt on one leg and bowed deeply.
“How is it?” a deep, ancient voice asked.
Yealper hurriedly replied, “Thirteen people. Among them, six show signs of having been imprisoned and tortured.”
“Thirteen? That many?” The heartbeat slowed for a moment, and the voice sounded a bit puzzled. It continued, “What about the others? Are they fine?”