The Expedition to Ta Lo was a conflict centered around the infiltration of Ta Lo, a plane of the Multiverse. Duped by the cunning Dweller-in-Darkness, the malevolent Xu Wenwu sought to free his deceased wife from the Dark Gate, not knowing it was him, and was vehemently opposed by his children Shang-Chi and Xu Xialing along with their friend Katy Chen.
Background[]
- "Your father isn't the first to come here to open the Dark Gate. Many have tried and failed over the centuries, and they all had one thing in common. They were lured here by the voice of something on the other side. A voice that promised them their greatest desires."
- ―Ying Nan to Shang-Chi and Xu Xialing[src]
In ancient times, the inhabitant of the dimension of Ta Lo were able to imprison the Dweller-in-Darkness and his Soul Eaters minions behind the Dark Gate, which they guarded for centuries. Over the course of history, the Dweller-in-Darkness attempted to influence people by promising that their greatest desires lied beyond the Dark Gate, hoping that they would open it. Each time, the people of Ta Lo were able to ensure that the Dark Gate remained sealed, keeping all worlds safe from the threat of the Soul Eaters. The latest target of the Dweller-in-Darkness was Xu Wenwu, also known as the Mandarin.
The leader of the Ten Rings who had acquired superhuman abilies thanks to powerful mystical rings, Wenwu had initially renounced his centuries-long life of conquest after falling in love with Ying Li, an inhabitant of Ta Lo. However, Li was killed by the Iron Gang in retaliation for Wenwu's former actions. Devastated by gried and desire of revenge, Wenwu returned to the Ten Rings, and trained his son Shang-Chi to become a highly skilled assassin, while his daughter Xu Xialing trained on her own. Wenwu then fell under the trick of the Dweller-in-Darkness, who made him believe that his wife was alive and actually imprisoned behind the Dark Gate. Therefore, Wenwu became determined to find the pathway to Ta Lo, for which he needed the Eyes of the Dragon, which were in possession of both his children, who had grown estranged to him over the years.[1]
Expedition[]
Attack on Shang-Chi[]
In order to find access to the dimension of Ta Lo, Xu Wenwu needed to reclaim the Eyes of the Dragon that were in possession of his children, Shang-Chi and Xu Xialing. He thus dispatched a group of Ten Rings soldiers led by Razor Fist to San Francisco, where he had tracked down Shang-Chi. The Ten Rings confronted Shang-Chi while he was riding the bus with his friend Katy Chen and attacked him, but he was able to take them down until Razor Fist entered the fight. Due to the bus driver being knocked unconscious, Chen took the wheel while Shang-Chi dueled against Razor Fist.
Thanks to their collaboration, and despite causing heavy damage in the street of San Francisco, Shang-Chi and Chen were able to get rid of the Ten Rings. However, Shang-Chi discovered that Razor Fist had been able to steal his pendant nonetheless, causing him to decide to go to Macau and warn his sister, while revealing to Chen who he really was..[1]
Duel at the Golden Daggers Club[]
Knowing that the Ten Rings would come after his sister Xu Xialing to steal her pendant, Shang-Chi decided to travel to Macau to warn her. However, Shang-Chi's arrival at the Golden Daggers Club was more brutal than he expected, as Xialing had Jon Jon set up a duel between the two siblings. Due to his surprise and the threat of the Ten Rings, Shang-Chi refused to hurt his sister, while she did not hesitate to attack him out of revenge for having left her behind when he defected from the Ten Rings. Shang-Chi was eventually defeated by Xialing, after which he finally got the chance to tell her why he had come to see her and to warn her against the impending arrival of the Ten Rings.[1]
Attack on the Golden Daggers Club[]
Shang-Chi's warning rapidly came true as a group of Ten Rings soldiers led by Razor Fist and Death Dealer soon stormed the Golden Daggers Club in an attempt to retrieve Xu Xialing's Eye of the Dragon. Initially, Xialing and her assistant Jon Jon departed on their own, leaving Shang-Chi and his friend Katy Chen to fend for themselves. They attempted to escape through the front of the building, only to be confronted by several Ten Rings soldiers. Due to the fight, Chen fall from the building with Shang-Chi being unable to catch her, but she was eventually saved by Xialing who had returned to help her brother.
In the ensuing battle, Death Dealer was able to steal Xialing's pendant, only to be confronted by Shang-Chi who engaged in a fierce duel against his former mentor. Shang-Chi eventually won the fight, but before he could deal the last blow, he was stopped by Xu Wenwu using the Ten Rings, who revealed that he had already captured Chen and Xialing. Complimenting his son on his fighting abilities, Wenwu had the three prisoners taken to the Ten Rings Headquarters, where he would explain his intent to find Ta Lo since he believed that his deceased wife Ying Li was imprisoned there.[1]
Escape from the Ten Rings Headquarters[]
- "Morris says he can guide you there right now. You can get through the maze without waiting for the path to open."
- ―Trevor Slattery to Shang-Chi[src]
Having brought his children to the Ten Rings Headquarters, Xu Wenwu revealed his intentions: finding the dimension of Ta Lo to rescue his wife Ying Li, who he thought was being kept prisoner behind the Dark Gate by the inhabitants of Ta Lo for marrying him. To that end, Wenwu explained that the Eyes of the Dragon pendants that had been given to Shang-Chi and Xu Xialing were the key to find the entrance to Ta Lo. However, both Shang-Chi and Xialing refused to help their father in his military march against Ta Lo, causing both of them to be imprisoned alongside Katy Chen. The prisoners then stumbled upon Trevor Slattery, also a prisoner from the Ten Rings, and his pet companion Morris, a legendary creature from Ta Lo who claimed to know how to access the Ancient Village.
With Xialing having found a tunnel passageway that led the group to the garage, the prisoners were able to leave their cell and stole Razor Fist's car before trying to leave. Since their escape was blocked by the Ten Rings, they attempted to drive to another entrance for which they needed fingerprints from a Ten Rings soldier. During the pursuit, both Shang-Chi and Xialing were able to take down their opponents, keeping one of them in the car to use his fingerprints and open the door before closing it upon their chasers' car. The group then drove to the forest surrounding Ta Lo and barely made it out alive, eventually arriving into Ta Lo were they were welcomed by Ying Nan, Li's sister.[1]
Battle of Ta Lo[]
- "He breached the gate!"
"Those things are gonna kill us all if we don't work together."
"You think I'm going to fall for that?" - ―Ying Nan, Xu Xialing and Razor Fist[src]
Upon arriving to Ta Lo, Shang-Chi, Xu Xialing and Katy Chen were told of its history by Ying Nan, who explained that Xu Wenwu had been lured by the Dweller-in-Darkness so that he would use the power of the Ten Rings to breach the Dark Gate, releasing the Soul Eaters. In preparation for the upcoming battle as the Ten Rings led by Wenwu would soon arrive since he knew how to access Ta Lo, Shang-Chi, Xialing and Chen all trained for a fight, with Shang-Chi mastering the air manipulation techniques that had previously enabled Ying Li to defeat Wenwu, while Chen discovered her talent for archery under Guang Bo's training.
Wenwu soon marched his Ten Rings onto Ta Lo, where he demanded the release of his wife, remaining deaf to Nan's protest that he had been lied to. Enraged to see his children siding with those he believed to be holding his wife prisoner, Wenwu ordered his men to attack Ta Lo, leading to an all-out confrontation. As the battle raged, with Nan and Xialing respectively fighting Death Dealer and Razor Fist, Shang-Chi came after his father and dueled against him. Although he was able to hold his own for a time, Shang-Chi was defeated by Wenwu, who used his rings to violently throw him into the lake, where Shang-Chi was rescued by the Great Protector, a dragon revered by the people of Ta Lo.
With no one to stop him, Wenwu attempted to break through the Dark Gate, unleashing the power of the Ten Rings and causing Soul Eaters to begin invading Ta Lo. As the creatures arrived to the Ancient Village where the Ta Lo Armed Forces and the Ten Rings were still clashing against each other, the reveal that the Ten Ring's weapons were ineffective against the Soul Eaters, who had already killed Death Dealer, caused Razor Fist to agree to an alliance between the two armies, thus releasing the Ta Lo inhabitants that had been made prisoners. The Ten Rings were then provided with Dragon Scale weapons, enabling them to fight against the Soul Eaters. The Great Protector then joined the fight, devouring and killing many Soul Eaters to aid her people.
Thanks to the Great Protector, Shang-Chi was able to catch up with his father and challenged him into another duel. This time, Shang-Chi was able to overcome his flaws and stood up to his father, even gaining control over the latter's rings, even though he chose to discard them and not to use them against Wenwu. Shang-Chi then begged for his father to return to his senses, but it was not before the Dweller-in-Darkness broke free through the Dark Gate that Wenwu realized the depth of his mistake. He reclaimed the ring to protect Shang-Chi from the creature, but since the Dweller-in-Darkness had seized him and began absorbing his souls, Wenwu permanently bequeathed them to his son before perishing.
As Shang-Chi was helped by his sister riding the Great Protector, the Dweller-in-Darkness headed for the village along with a renewed swarm of Soul Eaters. Although the Great Protector was able to trap the Dweller-in-Darkness in a giant whirlpool, the Dweller-in-Darkness was empowered by the souls gathered by his minions, enabling it to break free and take the upper hand against the Great Protector, the soul of whom he began to absorb as well. However, it was wounded by Chen who was able to fire a dragon scale arrow at its throat, causing it to lose grip over the Great Protector and enabling Shang-Chi to land a final blow with the might of the Ten Rings, causing the Dweller-in-Darkness to fall and die into the lake, while the rest of the Soul Eaters were exterminated, thus effectively ending the battle.[1]
Aftermath[]
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With the death of the Dweller-in-Darkness at the hands of Shang-Chi, the world was seemingly rid of the threat of the Soul Eaters, since the people of Ta Lo remained at their village to watch the Dark Gate.
In the aftermath of the conflict, Shang-Chi and Katy Chen planned to return to their normal life. However, the use of the Ten Rings by Shang-Chi during the Battle of Ta Lo had activated a beacon that had been spotted by the Masters of the Mystic Arts in Kamar-Taj, causing the Sorcerer Supreme Wong to contact Bruce Banner and Captain Marvel to investigate the matter. Wong also informed Shang-Chi and Chen that their lives were to change forever from now on.
Xu Xialing returned to the Ten Rings' headquarters, pretending that she disband the organization now that the Mandarin was gone. However, she actually took control of the whole organization for herself, with Razor Fist by her side.[1]