The tremendous explosion wreaked havoc on everything around it in an instant. The once reasonably orderly valley was reduced to a shattered mess, yet Xue Fuyao and the others at the center of the blast remained completely unscathed.
After the explosion ended, the dust it had stirred up completely obscured their surroundings. Just then, several black figures shot off into the distance at incredible speed.
"Trying to run? Not a chance!"
With that, Xue Fuyao gave chase with Shadow Three and the others.
Meanwhile, several hundred meters beneath the valley.
At some unknown point, the entire underground area had been hollowed out and converted into a fully equipped secret chamber. The abducted Xueheng was now locked in a cage, his eyes shut tight, unconscious.
Besides the cage holding him, the chamber contained many others, with quite a few people imprisoned inside. There were men and women, young and old, ranging from elderly people in their seventies and eighties to babies just a few months old. There were even pregnant women.
Their bodies were frail, their faces marked by the unhealthy pallor of those who had not seen daylight for years. Fear occasionally flickered in the adults' eyes, while the children wore blank, numb expressions, like lifeless puppets.
"Valley Master, those people have been lured away," came a young man's voice.
The instant they heard his voice, the people in the cages shrank back. Mothers instinctively drew the children beside them into their arms, staring out of the cages with despair in their eyes.
Just then, two white-clad figures, one old and one young, appeared before them.
The elderly man addressed as Valley Master wore white robes, and both his hair and beard were white. He gently stroked his beard, a satisfied expression appearing on his face. "Well done. Still, I