Some opposition was expected—it would have been strange if there hadn't been any. It was only natural for people to stand their ground. To them, Hong Fei and his group were outsiders with unknown origins and backgrounds. Wanting to rashly break Ta Lo Village's most important seal, one that could very well bring catastrophic consequences, was clearly suspicious. Just thinking about it made it obvious something was amiss.
As a native of Ta Lo, Yingli couldn't outright oppose this, so she did her best to soothe her fellow villagers' emotions. Hong Fei's initial plan had been to relocate all the Ta Lo people from their home. He could provide them with excellent living conditions and environments, even arranging for them to settle in Blackwater Town, where they would enjoy unparalleled security under his protection.
Even if leaving Ta Lo meant losing the power bestowed by the Guardian, Hong Fei could teach them 'Qi.' His ultimate goal was to claim this pocket dimension, Ta Lo, for himself. Though he currently lacked the ability to alter Ta Lo's entrance or its flow of time, the idea of securing a valuable asset for himself wasn't unreasonable. However.
Yingli's perspective during their discussions had shifted his initial approach. Ta Lo Village was the ancestral home of generations of Ta Lo people. The reluctance to leave one's homeland was a sentiment worth respecting. Besides, a pocket dimension wasn't truly like a physical pocket—it was a vast, habitable space tethered to the main universe.
Hong Fei could take over leadership and control from the Ta Lo people without expelling everyone. The conversation with Yingli had gone relatively smoothly. Both sides emphasized prioritizing the people, and Hong Fei was willing to respect the Ta Lo people's choices to a certain extent. Those who wished to leave could do so; those who wanted to stay could remain.
But Hong Fei had to become the Master here—not the master of the Ta Lo people, but the master of this space. He neither wanted nor needed to enslave anyone. That was the first point. Both the Soul-Eater and the Great Protector Dragon were Hong Fei's targets. The Soul-Eater had to be eliminated. Absolutely.
Leaving such a villainous entity unchecked was no different from guarding a mountain of gold while living in poverty. Whether for physical attributes or skill cards, Master Hong couldn't possibly let the Soul-Eater go. As for the Great Protector Dragon, the reasoning was much the same.
Hong Fei was genuinely curious to see if this creature, which didn't quite resemble a dragon but was called one, truly was a dragon. And, to be frank, he really wanted to raise a dragon, two nine-tailed foxes, two Dijiangs, two Suannis, two Qilin-like creatures, and two phoenix-like firebirds.
Of course, "two" meant one male and one female, ensuring sustainable reproduction and development in the future. There was only one dragon, so that was non-negotiable. Kunlun's Shou-Lao the Undying was female, but he didn't know the Great Protector Dragon's gender.
Besides, Shou-Lao's appearance was… difficult for Master Hong's eyes to endure, so the Great Protector Dragon would have to suffice. It wasn't surprising that the Ta Lo people were reluctant to speak. Since Yingli couldn't convince them, Hong Fei simply changed tactics. Now, as soon as he spoke, everyone rose into the air.
The patterns on the exterior of the Black-Gold Armor lit up in various colors, their readiness to strike unmistakable. Yet, there was still one odd exception among them: Matt Murdock, Daredevil, lawyer, blind man—his list of attributes wasn't exactly short either.
Having followed Hong Fei's actions up to now, he had maintained a highly focused state of mind, hardly missing any of the group's conversations. So by now, he had figured out what Hong Fei was doing. Illegal trespassing! Brazen robbery in broad daylight! How could they do this?! Matt was stunned. Had they forgotten he was an Avenger?
So at this moment, his motionless figure became the short, stunted chicken among the proud flock of cranes. Instantly, Antonia directly lifted her leg and kicked him in the butt.
"If you don't want to die, hurry up." Matt snapped back to reality. Seeing Hong Fei turn his head, he suddenly couldn't spare the time to think about why all this was happening.
Only the instinct to avoid danger forced him to hastily activate his armor and rise into the air. Looking at the opposite side, Hong Fei spread his arms. The Ten Rings on his arms erupted with golden light. After his body rose into the air, his surface was quickly enveloped by Dragon Power resembling blazing flames.
"Let me introduce myself first. I am Hong Fei. You can just call me by my name."
"There's no need for you to condemn a fellow clansman who only has your best interests at heart. If it weren't for her, you might not be standing here listening to me right now."
"Now, Yingli only told you one part of it, which is the issue of the Soul-Eater."
"I must open that seal. Not to save those dark, ugly things, but because I truly want to kill them, leaving not a single one alive."
"But more importantly, from this moment on, Ta Lo Village, meaning this uniquely advantageous space, belongs to me."
"You can choose to stay and continue your life of working at sunrise and resting at sunset. I will not interfere with your right to live here. Of course, you can also choose to leave this place now. I will arrange absolutely excellent living conditions for you on Earth and guarantee your safety."
"Now, make your choice."
The speaker was calm and composed, but the listeners felt their hearts racing and their faces flushing. This, of course, wasn't from pleasure, but from anger.
"You're arrogant!"
Uncle Guang was the first to jump out in opposition.
Hong Fei immediately glared, the solidified golden light in his eyes shooting out like electricity. It instantly struck Uncle Guang, knocking him down onto his butt. Ying Nan suddenly turned to look at Yingli.
"You knew?"
Yingli nodded with difficulty.
"I knew."
"You..."
Ying Nan's face was full of disbelief.
"Do you know this is the act of a traitor?"
Just as Yingli didn't know how to respond, Hong Fei suddenly used Dragon-Capturing Hand to pull Ying Nan in front of him. Gripping the other's neck with five fingers, he said, "She is not a traitor. On the contrary, she fought for your chance to stay. But it seems now you don't want to cherish it at all."
Ying Nan's face quickly turned a bluish-black.
Hong Fei looked at this familiar face, his expression not softening in the slightest. Since ancient times, the victor becomes king, the loser a bandit. Seizing a village and seizing a Tesseract were not fundamentally different. In fact, Hong Fei was even willing to give them a choice now, which was already quite exaggerated.
"Everyone is very busy. Don't waste my time, okay?"
With that, Hong Fei released his grip. Ying Nan fell to the ground, and Yingli hurried forward to support her.
"Keep an eye on them. Anyone who acts recklessly will be executed without mercy!"
After giving the order, Hong Fei immediately shot through the air towards the dark seal in the distance.
Upon hearing the command, everyone adjusted their positions, menacingly encircling the Ta Lo people on the ground. Ying Nan and Uncle Guang seemed to want to say something more, but Yingli quickly spoke up to stop them in advance: "Stop talking. You can't stop him. Do you really want Ta Lo to be destroyed because of this?"
Ying Nan was left speechless.
Uncle Guang's face was still flushed with anger.
"So we just stand by and watch him take our home?"
"The flowers by the roadside belong to the branch; the fruit on the tree belongs to the tree," he said, his voice heavy.
"Ta Lo was ours in the past. But now someone wants to pluck the flowers and steal the fruit. You can resist, but he'll uproot the entire branch, the entire tree, and all of us along with it."
"You're lifting his spirits while crushing ours!"
"It's because I know his power," Uncle Guang countered sharply.
"You couldn't even defeat Wenwu, but he did—and he made Wenwu serve him willingly. I've told you before what kind of man Wenwu is. Can't you see it now?"
Meanwhile, Hong Fei soared over the vast lake, his gaze dropping to the shimmering surface below. He extended his Psychic Power, scanning the depths for any sign of the Great Protector Dragon. But the lake remained eerily calm, indistinguishable from any ordinary body of water on Earth.
In a flash, he arrived at the base of the black mountain. His boots landed directly on the dark seal formed from densely packed dragon scales. Each scale glimmered faintly with a red hue, rippling like waves stirred by an unseen wind.
Standing before the massive dragon scale seal, Hong Fei felt the sheer enormity of it—both the seal itself and the individual scales. He reached out, pressing his palm against one of the scales. A subtle warmth seeped into his hand. His palm covered less than a third of the scale's surface, hinting at the unimaginable size of the creature it belonged to.
His ears twitched suddenly. The moment his hand made contact, a voice—strangely familiar yet alien—echoed in his mind.
"Quick, save me. I can take you home."
The voice was neither distinctly male nor female, as if it belonged to someone he'd known forever and yet had never met before. Its message was explosive—home? Which home? Hong Fei's eyes narrowed. He shrouded himself in Psychic Power, and a vivid illusion materialized around him.
The voice shifted again.
"Tony, save me. Your mother and I are both trapped here."
Then it changed once more.
"Steve, save me. I want to have that last dance with you."
"Steve, save me. It's Bucky. I've been locked up here all this time!"
"Loki, let me out. From today on, you are the sole king of Asgard!"
Hong Fei scoffed, dispelling the illusion. He manipulated his Psychic Power to project an entirely different persona onto the voice.
"Hong, save me. I'm Yumei/Yua/Miku/Aoi..."
Master Hong's expression darkened instantly.
"Who are all these people? Do you even know what you're saying?"
His Psychic Power surged, shifting dramatically.
After a moment, the voice seemed to realize it was being mocked and abruptly fell silent.
"Talk! You love to talk, don't you? Why aren't you talking now?"
Hong Fei taunted, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing shriek tore through the air, as if threatening to rupture his eardrums.
"Getting impatient?"
Hong Fei raised his right hand. Dragon Power surged through his arm, illuminating his flesh and bones with a golden-red glow. The five rings on his arm rotated inward, tightening, their intricate patterns lighting up with golden light, amplifying his strength.
His fist aimed squarely at the dragon scale before him and descended—BOOM! The impact reverberated like thunder.
Where his fist landed, a fine crack immediately appeared on the surface of the dragon scale. Simultaneously, the entire dragon scale portal trembled violently. From within, a cacophony of sharp shrieks rose and fell, as if countless monsters were eagerly awaiting the seal's collapse, ready to unleash chaos.
Inside Ta Lo Village, the sudden commotion sent shockwaves through the gathered crowd. Faces paled, hands flew to weapons, and whispers died in throats.
Frank drew a steadying breath, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade.
"Everyone, prepare."