In a demon's conception of time, Bai Tza did not feel that Zoran had been gone for very long. She had only just established her underwater kingdom in this world, a domain she named New Atlantis.
Her powers were gradually recovering amidst the flowing currents, while she simultaneously absorbed the primeval essence of this realm. By now, she felt that even if she could not compare to her former peak, she was not far behind it either. After all, she now controlled this entire world; the Water Demon was an invincible existence here. If given a bit more time to recover and manage this world, she could easily surpass the zenith of her past.
This was a future Bai Tza could clearly foresee. Yet, in her impression, Zoran had only departed a short while ago before calling upon her to return.
Moments earlier, a powerful aura had permeated this world, drawing her out to investigate. Bai Tza had considered many possibilities, but never once had she imagined that this aura belonged to Zoran!
Clearly, they had parted ways only recently. Yet, in the brief span of time she spent building her underwater kingdom, her brother appeared to have completed some sort of quantum leap in power.
Hovering over the ocean surface, Bai Tza gazed quietly at Zoran. She found herself unable to read him anymore.
A wave of shock stirred within her heart, and she instinctively asked, "Tso Lan... Brother... How have you... You seem to have changed immensely."
Zoran gave a slight nod, his gaze tranquil as he looked at Bai Tza.
"Strength is the safeguard of the future. I made a special trip for that very reason, and now, it is time to exact your revenge," Zoran explained.
Bai Tza nodded, a flicker of joy surfacing in the depths of her eyes.
Finally, this moment had arrived. For this anticipated day, waiting no matter how long was not too far.
"Li Tieguai..." Bai Tza murmured the name, one she had committed to memory for ages.
Now that her strength had returned to near-peak condition, the moment she stepped back into the original world, Li Tieguai would undoubtedly appear to subdue her. Zoran was well aware of this.
"It is time to return and bring some closure to my past."
Bai Tza's form submerged into the water, and the ocean instantly lost its tranquility as a tsunami hundreds of meters high surged upward.
"I can hardly wait!"
Her emotions bled into her every action, serving as collateral proof of her absolute control over this world. Beneath the shadow of the colossal wave, countless denizens of New Atlantis darted and swam about. Sea Kings, serving as the new race of this realm.
With a dull thud, the massive shadow of the All-Devouring Narwhal leaped out from the edge of the tsunami. Judging by its size, it seemed to have grown quite a bit larger, living a rather lavish life. This environment was exceptionally suited for its survival, and as the initial gift bestowed upon her by Zoran, Bai Tza had refrained from eating it.
Watching his sister, a smile touched Zoran's lips as he waved a hand. "Then let us go. The outcome of this vengeance has already been sealed."
Meanwhile, back in the Jackie Chan Adventures universe.
Shendu wore an expression of serene comfort as he enjoyed Jackie's manicure service.
Having just returned from a trip, he did look somewhat travel-worn and needed to tidy himself up. After conquering this world, he had not killed a single one of them, neither Jackie, Jade, nor Uncle. On the contrary, while their days could hardly be called free, they were certainly far from being treated as common prisoners.
Shendu's gaze never deigned to fall upon those weaker than himself; beyond using his old adversary Jackie as a servant, he had assigned Uncle to manage his treasury.
As a dragon, Shendu possessed a natural habit of hoarding treasure. From a certain point onward, rare valuables from across the globe had been continuously shipped into his vault, some imbued with magical properties, others merely striking and precious. As a demon, Shendu had no practical need for these things; he simply harbored a passion for collection.
Even now, his treasury was perpetually receiving prized artifacts from around the world. Located deep underground, it was tended to by a handful of servants.
As for Jade, due to Zoran's explicit reminder regarding her peculiar nature, Shendu simply let her be. She was even allowed to continue attending school. Naturally, Jade was not particularly thrilled about that particular arrangement.
The defeated failures of the past could no longer stir up any waves. It wasn't out of arrogance, but rather because Shendu firmly believed it. Especially after just returning from the Ultra Beast Force universe, he had grown to a degree of power unimaginable to ordinary mortals. He could easily roam the cosmos; he merely treated the universe as his brother's backyard out of habit, while indulging his inherent love for comfort.
Yet the force of Chi, or rather, the champions representing Chi, had not ceased their counter-offensive.
Shendu lacked any defensive guard. Having just finished his manicure, he closed his eyes and leaned back lazily in his oversized luxury recliner.
Dressed in a dark-blue servant's uniform, Jackie tiptoed forward with a solemn expression, cautiously extending a hand. He fished a bottle of green solution from his manicure tool case and applied a dab to his palm.
A pale green light flickered across his hand.
"Oh, bad day, bad day..." Jackie muttered under his breath, quickly covering his palm while peering up at the massive head of Shendu's slumbering form.
"Good, I didn't wake this guy up." Only then did Jackie pull back his magic-infused palm, reaching out to press it against Shendu's body.
The magic potion had been given to him by Uncle shortly before; it possessed the function of extracting Shendu's innate source power and was custom-made specifically to counter the demon.
Not long ago, Shendu had been away from this world, and he rarely subjected his servants to oppressive surveillance, which, in turn, afforded Jackie and Uncle numerous opportunities.
Jackie's hand sank into Shendu's body. He closed his eyes and focused, seeming to grope around for something within the demon's physical form.
A moment later, he withdrew his hand, gazing at the talisman he had fished out.
"The Dragon? No, useless, I don't need this."
Uncle's prior instructions echoed in Jackie's mind: "Don't try to steal too much at once, Jackie. Shendu will notice. You must find the single talisman we need the most."
"I know, Uncle," Jackie muttered to himself as he reached back into Shendu's body to search again.
"The Dog? No, not this one..."
"The Rabbit? Wrong, next..."
After a long while, Jackie finally pulled his hand out of Shendu's body for the last time.
Looking at the talisman resting in his palm, a smile broke across his face. "I did it, Uncle."
"The Rat... that breathes life into stone!"
With a soft cough, Jackie stealthily slipped the Rat Talisman into his toolbox, smoothed down his clothes with an air of complete nonchalance, and quietly retreated.
Everything remained peaceful.
It wasn't until a moment after Jackie had departed that Shendu slowly raised his head, staring quietly at the spot where Jackie had vanished.
At the same time, he could feel the missing fraction of power within his body.
A glint of amusement flickered in the depths of his eyes as he murmured to himself, "Jackie, my servant... I hope you can bring me a sliver of amusement."
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