Chapter 163: Origin

Wenwu was once a commanding general positioned in the northwest during the Tang Dynasty.

He led tens of thousands of troops to guard the border, preventing invasions from foreign nations.

The Tang Dynasty and the Arab Empire fought several wars, and most of the time, the Tang Dynasty won.

Wenwu had participated in one of those wars, which opened his eyes to a world beyond the boundaries of the Tang Dynasty.

From that moment on, a flame of ambition began to spread inside him.

However, at that time, he was only a border defense general, and despite his ambitious desire, he lacked the power to fulfill them.

His great ambitions could only be hidden within his heart.

Then, one day, the ten rings fell out of the sky like meteorites and landed outside the city where he was stationed.

When he went out on his own to find out what was going on, the ten rings chose him.

From then on, he got extraordinary power and an endless lifespan.

Since that day, Wenwu disappeared, and many people believed he had died, but it was not the case.

He took a group of loyal followers with him and formed an organization called the Ten Rings.

Starting from the border, they advanced westward, conquering cities and territories, vowing to establish their own territory.

The power of the ten rings made him unstoppable. Even the most protected cities appeared weak and powerless to him.

Originally, with the power of the ten rings, Wenwu was capable of penetrating the entire Arab Empire, but the reality was hit him.

Just as he was about to reach the border of the Arab Empire, someone stopped him.

"Someone stop you?" Jack asked with curiosity when hearing this.

Wenwu didn't know much about what the power of the ten rings. Even his old self wouldn't have been able to beat him with all his strength.

Yet, someone was able to stop Wenwu?

"Yes, someone stop me," he replied.

Wenwu's face seemed to show some anger and frustration as he thought about the past.

"Who was it? Someone from the Arab Empire?" Jack couldn't help but become even more curious.

"No, it was someone from our side," Wenwu sighed in relief and said, "They told me that I couldn't use my power against ordinary people. They insisted that I stop and return here."

"Tch!" Jack shook his head, scoffing, "If you have power, why not use it?"

"I asked the same question, but they didn't answer me," Wenwu replied with self-mockery. "I could see the disdain on their faces, but I didn't care. At that time, I believed no one could stop me, so..."

"You fought against them," Jack looked at him with interest, "What was the outcome?"

"I lost," Wenwu said with a touch of sadness.

This result didn't surprise Jack because it was what he expected but it didn't make sense to him.

If no one had stopped him, with the power of the ten rings, Wenwu would have been capable of creating a huge empire, even unifying the Western world.

But since he didn't succeed, it was clear that someone had intervened.

But who could stop him?

As if knowing his doubts, Wenwu spoke casually, "They said they are from K'un-Lun!"

Pffft!!

Jack, who had just lifted the teacup to his lips, sprayed it out when hearing that name.

K'un-Lun?

K'un-Lun does exist in Marvel comics, and it has an influential connection with Shang-Chi.

If Shang-Chi is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it seems likely that K'un-Lun to be involved as well.

However, this news was somewhat unexpected.

"You've heard of it?" Wenwu raised an eyebrow, surprised by Jack's reaction.

"...It's a famous place," Jack wiped the tea off his face and continued, "So, they targeted you, but you managed to keep the ten rings?"

"They did try to take the rings from me, but they couldn't," Wenwu sneered, saying, "They could control my rings temporarily, but they couldn't take them away. After trying different methods without success, they placed a curse on me. If I leave the land of China, I will instantly perish!"

"Why didn't they just kill you then?"

"..."

Wenwu paused, and Jack realized his question was somewhat wrong.

He quickly apologized, waving his hand, "Heh, never mind."

Wenwu shook his head and continued, "They didn't want to kill me. They only wanted me to go back and not set foot outside China."

Jack started to think after hearing this.

He didn't know much about K'un-Lun in the Marvel comics, let alone the Marvel movies.

It was another unknown existence!

Although Jack was confident and not afraid, he couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.

However, he was very curious about the origin of these ten rings. It was amazing that even the people from K'un-Lun couldn't handle it.

He looked at the ten rings on Wenwu's hand and asked, "Can I take a look?"

Wenwu's face showed a hint of surprise, but he quickly recovered.

After hesitating for a second, he decisively took off the rings and handed them to Jack.

"Thank you," Jack accepted the rings and carefully examined them.

There were some patterns on the ten rings that felt familiar to him as if he had seen them somewhere before.

Most importantly, the power of the ten rings also gave him a strange sense of familiarity.

It could be called a coincidence or an illusion if it was just one connection, but two connections were different!

He grabbed the ten rings, focusing his mind and allowing his spiritual energy to put in them!

Suddenly, a familiar energy response appeared in Jack's mind, and his thoughts were pulled back to a distant past!

The next moment, he opened his eyes, a hint of realization appearing on his face.

"So that's it!"

He had already figured out who created these ten rings!

"You figured it out?" Wenwu noticed the change in Jack's expression and saw that he seemed to know something. His eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked.

The ten rings had been with him for thousands of years, and if possible, Wenwu also wanted to understand their origin.

"I figured it out," Jack pushed the ten rings back to Wenwu, and they automatically wrapped around his arms.

"Whose are they?"

"The Celestials!"

Jack let out a breath, saying, "They are the most powerful group in the universe!"

"And the ten rings you're wearing should be created by them!"

Jack's information was not wrong.

The patterns on the rings were identical to the ones he had seen on the armor of the Celestials' corpses on the unnamed planet.

Moreover, the power of the rings was very similar to what he had felt on that planet.

With these two facts, it was almost certain that the ten rings were the creations of the Celestials!

Wenwu obviously didn't know who Celestials were, but hearing Jack's information, it seemed they had a powerful reputation and were problematic!

His own ten rings were created by them, meaning that these people were clearly stronger than him!

This made Wenwu, who had always underestimated ordinary people, feel somewhat frustrated.

First, there was K'un-Lun, and now there was the Celestials. What was even more troublesome was also the person in front of him.

Wenwu looked deeply at Jack.

Well, it would be better to be friends with him. He seemed quite easy to get along with.

...

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