After realizing that even his full-strength punch couldn't make Richard's body tremble in the slightest, Wenwu understood something with absolute clarity. He was unlikely to leave this place alive.
He withdrew his left fist immediately, intending to create distance and reassess. But before he could step back, the five rings on his left arm tore free as if dragged by an invisible force. They shot through the air and snapped neatly onto Richard's other arm.
Wenwu did not panic.
He had lived for centuries. He had seen emperors rise and fall, kingdoms burn, and civilizations transform. Strange power did not frighten him. Losing the rings did not make him beg.
He lowered his hand and looked at Richard calmly.
"I am not your opponent. You win," he said evenly. "I have lived long enough. Dying in your hands is not a humiliation. Do it."
Richard studied him for a moment.
From the beginning, he had never truly disliked Wenwu. It was Shang-Chi who had disgusted him. Wenwu, at least, had conviction.
"If I give you a chance to live," Richard asked calmly, "will you still insist on avenging the son who once said he'd rather you had given birth to a piece of roasted pork?"
Wenwu's brow tightened.
Shang-Chi had disappointed him. He had run away. He had abandoned his training. But he was still his son.
Richard continued before Wenwu could respond.
"Think carefully before you answer. I don't hate you. In fact, I respect you more than him. But if you decide that revenge is non-negotiable, I'll end this now."
Wenwu's gaze sharpened. He sensed no killing intent in Richard's tone. This was not mockery.
"What do you want?" Wenwu asked.
"Nothing complicated," Richard replied. "I'm offering you a choice."
Silence stretched between them.
Finally, Wenwu said, "Why did you kill him? Don't say he offended you. He wouldn't even have had the chance to approach you. I want the real reason."
Richard considered this for a few seconds.
"If I must give one," he said, "it's because he wasn't worthy of his bloodline or his spine. The way he knelt disgusted me. If he preferred to live like that, then I sent him where such creatures belong."
Wenwu's expression darkened.
He had also been furious when Shang-Chi ran from his destiny. But hearing his son described as kneeling like a dog struck deeper than expected.
"No matter what he became," Wenwu said slowly, "he was my only son. As long as I live, I cannot let that hatred go."
Richard nodded once.
"Then goodbye."
He did not raise his hand dramatically. He did not shout.
Matter manipulation activated.
Wenwu's body disassembled at the atomic level, breaking apart into pure particulate form. In less than a second, he was gone. No blood. No ashes. Nothing.
Richard shifted his focus.
Razor Fist, the Death Dealer, and every Ten Rings operative present began to dissolve the same way—silently, cleanly, irreversibly. Within seconds, the rooftop and surrounding streets were empty.
The night wind moved through undisturbed air.
Richard teleported across the street to Ying Li and Ying Nan.
"Sorry," he said casually. "I stole your chance to teach him a lesson. Pack up. You can't stay here anymore."
They nodded without argument.
Minutes later, their belongings were collected into Richard's system space. He brought them to the presidential suite where he had been staying.
"Rest tonight. We leave for Ta Lo tomorrow."
Without waiting for further discussion, he stepped into the study and removed the ten rings from his arms.
Under his control, their glow had changed. They no longer shone deep blue like they had with Wenwu, nor gold like they once had with Shang-Chi. Now they pulsed with a dark, blood-red light.
It wasn't his preferred aesthetic.
He would have preferred silver, matching his hair, or blue-white like his demonic form. But color was trivial.
He summoned hellfire.
The flames wrapped around the rings, reshaping them into bone-like bands without altering their function. New abilities layered onto them—accelerated regeneration and soul-burning properties.
Satisfied, he removed the enchantment and stored them away.
The next morning, after breakfast, he teleported with the sisters and Dijiang toward the Himalayas. The entrance to Ta Lo lay hidden within a maze forest.
It took less than ten minutes.
From above, the forest appeared ordinary. But spiritual energy saturated the entire region. According to Ying Li and Ying Nan, a path would open once a year during Qingming Festival, but as natives of Ta Lo, they knew how to navigate it regardless.
They descended before a waterfall.
Two massive moss-covered stone lions flanked a cave beneath the cascading water. This was the gateway.
Inside, currents of water floated weightlessly in the air. They condensed ahead into a shimmering portal. Passing through it, they emerged into a vast cavern that opened into paradise.
Ta Lo.
Forests stretched endlessly. Peaks pierced the sky. Phoenixes flew in pairs, their flames controlled and graceful. Nine-tailed foxes roamed alongside their cubs. Qilin moved with quiet melancholy. Suanni with golden manes rested like guardian lions.
Richard had seen this once through a screen.
Reality surpassed it completely.
As Ying Li and Ying Nan casually introduced creatures and traditions, his resolve hardened.
If he did not claim this place, he would be wasting the privilege of standing here.
I came. I saw. I conquer.
…
Inside the village hall, Richard sat opposite Guangbo.
Ying Li sat at his left. Ming Yue, captain of the guardians and openly hostile, stood at his right.
After introductions, Richard had bluntly declared his intention to conquer Ta Lo and eliminate the Dweller-in-Darkness.
Guangbo had attempted diplomacy.
"If you marry Ying Li," Guangbo began, "it would not be impossible for you to settle here, but—"
"I call you Uncle Guang out of respect," Richard interrupted calmly. "But I'm not asking permission. I'm informing you. Ta Lo will be mine."
The air grew heavy.
"If you oppose me," he continued evenly, "I will wipe this village from existence. Since you don't understand what I'm capable of, gather everyone by the lake. I'll demonstrate."
He walked out without haste.
Soon, the entire village assembled near the lake that faced the sealed Dark Gate. Guardians stood in dragon-scale armor, weapons drawn.
Ying Li looked at him with concern.
"Can you really handle this alone?"
Richard smiled faintly.
"Let's make it interesting. If I fail to eliminate the Dweller-in-Darkness and every Soul Eater within one minute, I'll leave and never return. If I succeed, you agree to one condition."
She saw the flicker in his eyes and instantly understood what he was implying.
"You don't have to wait until you succeed," Ying Li said firmly.
.....
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