Chapter 170: Ta-Lo

"Ta-Lo? Interesting."

Without any using sensing ability, Jack also discovered the most strange part of Ta-Lo.

As he first thought, Ta-Lo is not just a magical place in the middle of nowhere.

It is actually a separate dimension.

Similar to a pocket dimension, it is separate from the universe they were originally in.

Strictly speaking, Ta-Lo is a small pocket dimension that is part of the Marvel Universe but outside Universe 199999.

In the Marvel Universe, this kind of thing happens are commonly. They are like popular locations like Asgard and Kamar-Taj, they exist in a pocket dimension.

However, compared to Ta-Lo, the Asgard and Kamar-Taj two are more open. Ta-Lo has only one entrance connecting to the main dimension.

This doesn't surprise Jack.

What really interests him is how much power is needed to make a pocket dimension like this.

Forget about the like Thanos; in his normal state, he might not even stand a chance against Captain Marvel.

At the very least, it would take a god-like being like the Ancient One or Odin to make such a complete pocket dimension.

Jack is curious about who created this place.

"I heard it!"

A soft voice brings Jack back to his senses.

He looks over and sees Wanda frowning, her expression anxious, gazing outside the cave.

Ying Li looks at her with a complicated expression.

She isn't sure if bringing the other person here was the right decision, but since they're already here, they can only continue moving forward.

The group starts moving again. They leave the cave and walk through a small forest. Suddenly, they see something huge and amazing!

"Wow!"

Jack's face is filled with astonishment as he gazes at the paradise-like scenery before him, even he can't find the words to describe how beautiful it is.

Even Wanda is quickly captivated by the beauty in front of her and temporarily forgets about the voice in her head.

Even though Wenwu has heard his wife talk about the scenery here, he is still surprised when he sees it for himself.

It is a valley bordered by terraced fields on the sides of the mountains. The fields are planted with unknown red crops that look like a sea of fire.

Forgive Jack; he doesn't recognize what they are.

At the bottom of the mountains, in the middle of the valley, there is a huge lake where fish jump out of the water.

In the sky, strange birds wrapped in flames dive from high up into the water and grab a fish before flying away.

An ancient village is located on the edge of the lake.

Ancient clothes, either red or blue, are worn by people with different appearances. Their smiles show hope and faith.

The warm, bright sun shines into the village, making it look like a heavenly paradise.

But that's not the main point. The point is that there are other creatures here.

Jack looks with great interest at groups of lazy animals basking in the sun on the nearby grassland. His eyes gleam, and he mutters to himself.

"Nine-tailed fox, qilin, zouwu... Oh my, is that a phoenix? And there's a pixiu too? So many divine beasts?!"

"I didn't expect you to be so familiar with them."

Jack's murmuring didn't escape Ying Li's ears.

She looks at him with surprise. "Even the local people may not recognize so many creatures. How do you...?"

Her words indicate she wants to know how he knows so much.

Jack remains silent, flicks his wrist, and secretly gets a copy of the Shan Hai Jing 'Classic of Mountains and Seas.'

"No wonder."

Seeing the version of Shan Hai Jing, Ying Li nods with understanding.

Before, she thought that Jack's knowledge of Emperor Jiang was just a lucky guess, but now it looks like he really has read the Shan Hai Jing.

"What is this?"

Wanda's gaze is also drawn to the book in Jack's hand, but unfortunately, it's written in Chinese, which she can't understand.

"This is the English version."

Jack takes out an English version of the Shan Hai Jing and hands it to Wanda, asking her to take a look.

Wanda grabs the book with excitement and starts flipping through it, trying to figure out what the creatures described in the book are.

Finally, she temporarily forgets the voice in her mind.

Jack secretly breathes a sigh of relief and looks intensely across the lake!

On the other side of the lake, where the birds are singing and the fragrance flowers here, there is a huge area of pitch-black mountains. There is no grass on the mountains, just rock on stone, without a hint of color.

Dark clouds cover the sky, preventing sunlight from reaching the ground, and making the place appear creepy and mysterious.

On the side of the rock, there's a raised area that stands out. On that area, there's a big red gate.

The gate has different layers that look like scales that are attached one by one.

Jack can tell that there is something bad behind the gate, probably the Soul-Eater that the Ancient One talked about.

As for Wanda's parents...

Let's not fool ourselves; even dung beetles wouldn't survive in a place like that, let alone humans.

The group keeps going and soon comes to a grassland just outside the village.

There, a group of villagers with weapons and shields waits for them.

"Hmm?"

Jack takes a glance and can't help but feel a sense of familiarity with the leader of the villagers.

When he looks more closely, he sees that it is Guang Bo.

Beside Guang Bois, a woman of a similar age to Ying Li, resembling a younger version of Michelle Yeoh.

Well, at this point, Jack can't help but admire.

Disney is really going all out for box office success, bringing back the old characters.

It seems this movie won't fail to attract attention in China! (Unfortunately, that's a wrong guess.)

As they get closer, the locals, who were already on high alert, start to argue when they see Ying Li in their direction.

They can't help but wonder why Ying Li would bring people from outside to this place. Has she turned her own people against her?

When hearing these words, Ying Li's face turns pale.

She tries to speak but is unable to utter a single word.

Wenwu, with an anxious expression, supports his wife and tries to explain a few things when Jack speaks up.

"Sorry, everyone, we mean no harm."

Jack steps forward, standing in front of the villagers, and raises his hand to signal.

"We came here only to seek the truth. I forced Ying Li and Wenwu to bring me here; it has nothing to do with them."

At the front of the crowd, Guang Bo and Ying Nan look at each other. The second one agrees and also moves forward.

As she gets to a position less than five meters away from Jack, she first looks at Ying Li, then at Jack.

"May I ask, what is your purpose for coming here?"

"It should be about that."

Jack ponders for a moment and points towards the gate across the lake.

Boom!

Well, things have taken a new turn.

If Jack hadn't said anything, everything would have been fine, but as soon as he says he's coming for that place, the villagers, who were previously calm, become tense.

Weapons are aimed at them, bows are drawn with arrows, as if preparing for a war.

Seeing this scene, Ying Li suddenly breaks free from her husband's support and rushes between Jack and Ying Nan.

She looks at Jack and says, "Wait! There's a misunderstanding here!"

Then she turns to Ying Nan, pleading, "Please, Ying Nan, I can explain."

Ying Nan looks deeply at Jack and then at Ying Li.

"Fine, I hope you're right, sister!"

Sister?!

...

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