Chapter 301: Journey to the Ta Lo Realm
Crossing the barrier of dimensional space to extract souls was something even Oaks couldn't do, at least for now.
That was almost a privilege reserved for Dimensional Lords like Mephisto, Dormammu, and Nightmare. Only beings of that level could achieve such feats.
In fact, Nightmare only invades dreams and harvests fear, while Mephisto, due to the unique nature of the Hell dimension, waits for souls to come to him before claiming them.
To directly harvest souls from the mortal realm within one's own dimensional space, one would need to do something similar to what Dormammu did, by using a dimensional gateway to "descend" into the mortal realm.
Not to mention that the Ta Lo Realm probably didn't have a true controller, and even if it did, a mere pocket dimension couldn't achieve such a level of control.
Moreover, it was a punitive measure.
However, Oaks was intrigued by the "Dweller-in-Darkness" sealed behind the door that Morris mentioned.
If things are as expected, that is probably the source of the "Yingli" voice that Wenwu "heard".
This type of major villain enjoys deceiving those who are unaware into releasing them.
If the door is opened, wouldn't that creature be free?
"Your father had a 'conversation' with your mother, and, well, when he thought he was talking to 'your mother,' there was an unusual reaction from the Ten Rings on his hand.
Therefore, it should be a powerful interdimensional existence, a soul signal that transcends dimensional space."
Oaks explained in detail about his speculation regarding the Ten Rings' functions to the shocked siblings:
"Your father is essentially just an ordinary person who has been influenced by the artifact Ten Rings for thousands of years.
Normally, he doesn't feel anything, but when he first took off the Ten Rings, he suddenly lost the protection of their magic, and his mind was taken advantage of—
Similar to what is commonly known as a 'mind demon,' but this time, it's an 'external demon' invasion."
Shang-Chi and Xialing pondered upon hearing this. After a moment, Shang-Chi, who understood the cause and effect, became shocked and angry.
"So that's why Dad couldn't remember what happened at that time...
During that period, it was this interdimensional existence who is now disguised as Mom that was controlling him!?
That's why the defenses he set up inexplicably didn't work, and he never bothered to investigate these matters himself!"
"But Dad had already put the Ten Rings back on. How could he still be affected?"
Xialing even hoped that what Wenwu said was true, but now it seemed that what Oaks said might be closer to the truth!
"Once a mental link is established, it's not so easy to break."
Oaks sighed and shook his head gently.
"The Ten Rings are not artifacts that suppress mind demons, and most importantly, Wenwu himself doesn't have the power to fully harness their magic. So even if he puts them back on, the link cannot be severed.
I've observed that when the voice sounds during his self-talk, at most, the Ten Rings show a faint sign of magical activity, which is utterly ineffective."
"So, the purpose of that creature is to kill Mom and motivate Dad to attack the Ta Lo Realm and break the door to release it!"
Shang-Chi fully understood what was going on now, his fists clenched tightly.
"We have to tell Dad... If he just charges into the Ta Lo Realm like this, it will be a big problem!"
"He won't believe us."
Xialing's icy voice made Shang-Chi startled. She looked at her brother earnestly.
"You should be well aware of Dad's temperament. Nothing can change his mind once he has decided, especially now when 'that voice' is still in his ears.
You know how he feels about Mom, or rather, even if he knows rationally that it's fake, he will definitely go and break the door himself and pursue that last shred of hope!"
"..."
Shang-Chi let go of his fists dejectedly. He had to admit that his sister was absolutely right.
"We don't have conclusive evidence."
Oaks had no better solution either. Dealing with such an infatuated person was the most challenging.
Oaks even suspected that Wenwu might suspect that he had been influenced after Shang-Chi raised questions about that incident from the past. But as Xialing said, a thousand-year-old cunning warlord like him would never believe the answers presented before him.
He would definitely go and seek the truth himself.
"The only thing we can do now is to go to the Ta Lo Realm ahead of time and investigate the truth of the matter—
At the very least, we can inform the people inside to prepare for battle.
Dealing with someone so stubborn, defeating him thoroughly will make it easier to reason with him later."
Oaks patted Morris's back and smiled faintly.
"Although I'm confident I won't lose to Wenwu even here, it's probably best not to make him admit defeat in front of you.
Luckily, with my abilities and this little guy's guidance, entering the Ta Lo Realm should be relatively easy."
"Great!"
Shang-Chi nodded heavily. This was indeed the only option for now.
If it weren't for his connection, Oaks might not have put in so much effort. The crimes committed by the Ten Rings alone would have been enough for him to bring the Avengers to their doorstep.
Even if it was a one-on-one fight, Shang-Chi didn't think his father would stand a chance.
"Chairman, we are extremely grateful for your help to our family!"
"You're a member of my organization, no need to be so polite. But I think it would be better for you to leave a letter for your father."
When Oaks mentioned this, he looked at Xialing.
"The method you used to escape at that time... should still work, right?"
"My dad has established a tunnel system down there that allows communication. I escaped through it last time."
Xialing's expression became strange. She didn't expect that she would have to run away for the second time in just a few months.
"But I don't think they'll leave the guards unattended after I escape."
"Just find the tunnels near the edge. Don't underestimate the ability of plants to create holes!"
"..."
...
When Wenwu opened the letter left by Shang-Chi with a gloomy expression, Oaks and the siblings had already arrived at a beautiful bamboo forest.
"Let's begin, then."
Oaks's powerful nature magic ensured that the original maze formation in the bamboo forest wouldn't change rapidly, but instead maintained enough space around the three of them.
Although the maze formation was still in operation, constantly altering the path, they managed to pass through the bamboo forest smoothly according to Morris's instructions.
On the other side of the bamboo forest was a beautiful waterfall, and behind the waterfall was a cave, the spatial passage to the Ta Lo Realm.
With a sense of teleportation and the sound of flowing water, Shang-Chi found himself and the others appearing in a shimmering, mysterious corridor, as if passing through a vortex.
Interestingly, not a single drop of water was on them.
"What an imaginative teleportation formation."
Oaks exclaimed, wondering if he should bring out the special effects of leaves fluttering like this in Avalon's teleportation passage.
"Let's go. At the end of the tunnel is the Ta Lo Realm!"
He could clearly sense the unparalleled nature power within this pocket dimension.
It contained a massive vitality comparable to that of Alfheim.
Compared to Avalon, the Ta Lo Realm was even more like his domain!
Green mountains, lush waters, abundant vegetation, and the pure Nature Energy created magnificent landscapes that could be called a fairyland.
Looking around, whether it was the river valley plain or the hilly mountain range, they were adorned with various shades of green, creating a breathtaking view.
And within this boundless beauty, countless rare and mythical creatures that once only existed in legends could be seen everywhere!
Nine-tailed foxes, phoenixes, qilins...
From Oaks's perception, they seemed to be descendants of the Nature demigod beasts of the past, and didn't possess the overwhelming power described in the legends. They were merely at the level of spiritual creatures.
But even so, they were formidable—
And they lived in groups!
Oaks could clearly sense that beneath the vast waters near the small village in the distance, there was a genuine aura of a Nature demigod entity—
It wasn't like the watered-down version of Duraþrór. According to Oaks's estimation, the other party was at least on the level of Pandaria's "Celestial", a tremendously powerful existence even among the demigods!
"No wonder he possesses the power to bestow magic to the Ta Lo people...
With such a powerful demigod, it's indeed possible for him to do such things."
With Oaks's rich natural aura and a soul essence comparable to a natural demigod, he was simply an existence at the "imperial" level in the eyes of these spiritual creatures.
Thus, to the astonishment of Shang-Chi and Xialing, Oaks smiled and walked through, and without exception, the exotic creatures from all sides lowered their heads and performed gestures of respect—
They came from all directions and quietly stood on both sides of the spacious passage, as if welcoming the return of their king!
"You don't have to do this... Go and play."
It wasn't until Oaks realized that the scene was getting out of control, and even a large number of people from the nearby village came out to see, that he had to persuade the creatures to temporarily leave.
"Hum—"
A ball of dense nature essence was held in Oaks's hand and then burst open—
All the nearby spiritual creatures received his gift!
Roars and cries of beasts erupted one after another, and these pure creatures were jubilant. Finally, they scattered in all directions—
The only one who remained vigilant and stared at Oaks's group was the large lion dog that came with the Ta Lo villagers—
They were an important fighting force for the Ta Lo villagers.
"Who... are you people?!"
Amidst the Ta Lo villagers dressed in monk robes, one elderly man with a particularly strong aura stepped forward, and astonishment and caution were evident in his gaze as he witnessed the miracle caused by Oaks.
"Hello, I am Oaks Woods, you can call me a Nature's Envoy for now."
Oaks smiled and bowed to the old man.
"These two children are Shang-Chi and Xialing. Their mother Yingli comes from Ta Lo."
As he spoke, the old man was shocked to find that in just a few sentences, the person who claimed to be a "Nature's Envoy" had blended his aura almost seamlessly with the environment!
"I am their boss. We discovered that a dark force originating from here has invaded our world, so we came to seek the help of Ta Lo."
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