Chapter 298: "Sealed" Xu Yingli

Shang-Chi's emotions were extremely complex when he saw his father again.

As Oaks had said, once they left the Oak Island of the Benevolence Society, it wouldn't be long before Xu Wenwu came knocking on their door.

It was a kind of unspoken agreement.

The sound of the helicopter's roar did not diminish at all. In the Yueyang Mountain Scenic Area, Xu Wenwu brazenly appeared in front of the siblings.

"A good choice of location. It won't attract too much attention here."

Xu Wenwu jumped off the helicopter, glanced around at the peaceful surroundings, and nodded in satisfaction.

"So, where is Mr. Druid?"

"The chairman won't interfere with our conversation."

Shang-Chi took a deep breath with a serious expression.

"Dad, I want to have a good talk with you. This time, I won't run away anymore!"

"Oh? Have you figured it out?"

Xu Wenwu smiled and patted his son's shoulder.

"It seems that in these years, it was the right decision for me not to interfere with your life—

Although I don't care much about Western ideas, you've actually joined the Benevolence Society...

Speaking of which, I really admire Chairman Oaks's way of dealing with people."

"Chairman Oaks has taught me a lot, so now I have the courage to stand before you."

"I see..."

Xu Wenwu fell silent for a moment, then smiled and patted his son's shoulder again.

"Well then, let's go. Let's go home and have a good talk."

He turned and boarded the helicopter, from beginning to end...

Without even looking at his daughter.

"..."

Shang-Chi sighed and grabbed his sister's hand, whose gaze was cold.

Xialing sneered.

"He said he couldn't look at me directly because seeing me would always remind him of Mom... Well, I want to see if that's true!"

"Let's go. After the talk, everything should become clear."

...

In the headquarters of the Ten Rings, surrounded by a large group of miscellaneous uniformed assassins, Shang-Chi took a deep breath and, accompanied by his sister, followed their father into the "home" they hadn't returned to in four years.

"Whoosh!"

A faint green light flashed, and a little bird appeared on the roof and then disappeared.

"Swish~"

Oaks, in stealth mode, looked at the retro-style large building, shook his head, and jumped off the roof.

Although the Ten Rings were powerful artifacts, Xu Wenwu was essentially an ordinary person with strong physical abilities. At most, he was influenced by the power of the Ten Rings and lived for over a thousand years.

So, he had no way of detecting Oaks's presence.

However, Oaks was very interested in the Ten Rings that Xu Wenwu possessed.

From Oaks's perspective, the Ten Rings were undoubtedly a set of artifacts that required a special energy source, such as magic or cosmic energy, to operate.

Xu Wenwu himself didn't possess such energy.

And according to Shang-Chi's description, his mother, Xu Wenwu's wife, Yingli, could take control of the Ten Rings from him and defeat him.

According to what Yingli told Shang-Chi, she relied on a magical power from another dimension called "Ta Lo".

It was called the "Qi Magic" or "Great Protector Empowerment."

This was also the energy that Oaks sensed in Shang-Chi and Xialing's gemstone necklaces. It resembled magic and was known as "Qi," a magical energy derived from a powerful extraterrestrial being.

The Ta Lo people manipulated Qi in a way that was essentially no different from how mystic sorcerers used incantations and psychic power to harness dimensional energy. However, they emphasized the complete fusion of mind, body, and Qi.

Although Shang-Chi had initially thought it was a magical story his mother had told him, he no longer thought so after visiting Avalon.

The Ta Lo realm was at least a pocket dimension similar to Avalon, and it housed countless magical creatures, as well as the mysterious guardian village where Shang-Chi's mother came from.

This was the information Oaks could deduce based on the current knowledge he had.

But the way Xu Wenwu interacted with the Ten Rings seemed peculiar to Oaks.

Xu Wenwu didn't possess the magic power to activate the Ten Rings. One could say that his power came solely from the rings themselves.

The Ten Rings lent their magic power to him, allowing him to be invincible in various battles and also enabling him to live for over a thousand years—

Similar to how the Ancient One drew energy from the Dark Dimension.

Furthermore, the nature of the Ten Rings' power, as perceived by Oaks, resembled plasma, but Oaks was certain that this set of artifacts was not that simple.

"This feeling..."

The magical power radiating from the Ten Rings also had characteristics of telepathy.

So, it was highly likely that the Ten Rings adjusted their magical properties based on the owner's mental characteristics, resulting in an amplification effect.

If the Sorcerer Supreme were to use the Ten Rings, it would likely become powerful white magic artifacts.

However, if Oaks were to use them, the effects would probably be different.

"I wonder if Kamar-Taj has any records of the Ten Rings. Such a powerful artifact, there's no reason the Sorcerer Supreme wouldn't know...

But this peculiar magic power seems to be different from any known magical faction."

"Is it a lost ancient civilization artifact, or is it from the universe?"

Shaking his head, Oaks temporarily set aside these thoughts and followed the father and son into the inner hall.

"It's been a long time since you've come back. Take a look around first, and then we'll have a meal together."

Xu Wenwu glanced at the siblings and smiled slightly. He dismissed his subordinates and walked alone towards the inner courtyard.

Shang-Chi and his sister exchanged glances and sighed softly.

"Lingling... It's been a long time since I've been here. Show me around."

"I never wanted to see all this again."

Xialing pursed her lips but still walked away with her brother.

On the altar in the inner courtyard, there was a photo of Xu Wenwu's wife, Yingli, the mother of Shang-Chi and Xialing.

Xu Wenwu remained silent for a long time in front of the altar. He lit three incense sticks and the candles.

"Yingli, Shang-Chi and Xialing have come back. You must be happy too, right?"

Oaks silently watched the seemingly infinite desolation of Xu Wenwu's figure and frowned—

At least at this moment, it didn't seem like Xu Wenwu's feelings for his deceased wife were fake.

But soon, his eyes widened.

"Yingli... When Shang-Chi left without saying goodbye back then, I was really heartbroken. I couldn't even eat or sleep properly.

Now this kid thinks that I want to train him into an assassin... Haha, how naive. How can a mere assassin take over the Ten Rings and inherit my legacy?

Ah... yes, I originally planned to let him grow up a bit, think things through, and then bring him back to Ta Lo together to bring you home.

After all, the Ten Rings not only require a strong physique but also a similarly strong mentality.

If he wants to possess them, he must prove to me that he is strong enough.

But it seems like he has been doing well outside these four years. If he has truly understood, the day our family reunites is just around the corner."

Xu Wenwu seemed to be talking to someone invisible. He listened quietly with a smile on his face and nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, he is our son, and he should have been exceptional from the beginning...

Yingli, you have suffered in that seal. If you hadn't personally told me, I would never have believed that I had a chance to bring you back to life...

Ta Lo Village... Those people refused to let us live in Ta Lo back then. If it weren't for them, the subsequent tragedies wouldn't have happened!

And now they have sealed your soul... It's truly unforgivable."

Xu Wenwu's expression darkened.

"I have conducted in-depth research. The door within the mountains... we will definitely find you and reunite as a family.

And now that Shang-Chi and Xialing have returned, I can use the clues you left behind to find a way to Ta Lo faster!"

As Xu Wenwu muttered to himself, Oaks had already expanded his perception to the maximum extent—

"Who is he talking to... There are no special life forms or souls nearby. Could he have developed delusions after his wife's death?

Moreover, Yingli's soul is sealed in Ta Lo? What's going on?"

What Xu Wenwu said just now greatly shocked Oaks. It meant that the man in front of him believed that his wife's soul had been sealed deep within the Ta Lo realm. If they found her, released the seal, she could be resurrected!?

Wasn't Yingli killed by his enemies? What does Ta Lo have to do with this?

However, suddenly, Oaks sensed a faint abnormality in the Ten Rings that Xu Wenwu had been carrying.

"The issue lies with the Ten Rings?!"

This abnormality in the magical power was very subtle, and it would have been impossible to detect if Oaks hadn't used his full sensing ability at such close range.

"No... The Ten Rings have reacted to the power that is affecting Xu Wenwu's mind!"

By focusing on the Ten Rings, Oaks easily discovered the consequences of the abnormal magical power—

Xu Wenwu's current state was as if he were having a conversation with an unknown entity, and the Ten Rings acted as a communication device.

"Could it be that Yingli's soul can actually project her thoughts into Xu Wenwu's mind?"

Originally, this kind of magic wouldn't be a big deal. Magical artifacts, arcane arts, and even magic circles could achieve it.

But the current situation is different!

According to what Xu Wenwu said, Yingli's soul is imprisoned within the seal of the Ta Lo realm.

What is the Ta Lo realm?

At the very least, it is a pocket dimension!

With Avalon in his possession, Oaks knew well about the isolation ability of pocket dimensions from the real universe.

If Yingli had the ability to project her soul's thoughts across spatial barriers, she would at least need partial control over the Ta Lo realm and her soul would have to be strong enough!

Just like Havel and current Malorn—

But aside from the fact that she lost her magic after leaving with Xu Wenwu, she was currently "sealed"!

"There's something strange about this... If Yingli is truly that powerful, how could she have been killed by a few mere mortal enemies?"

The more Oaks thought about it, the more he felt that there was something wrong behind all this.

Xu Wenwu had finished his "conversation" with his deceased wife and went to the main hall, eagerly preparing to enjoy a long-awaited dinner with his children.

The abnormal fluctuations of magical power from the Ten Rings had also subsided.

"It's interesting... Xu Wenwu seems to have really not intentionally orchestrated that tragedy. Let's see what he says next."

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