The Fallen Victors (1)

Determination flickered in the eyes of many as Ja Sun sat while being surrounded by them. He was aware of why he set this mission. It was still extremely hard for him to 'donate' the things he didn't use... it was just something so foreign to him that it felt worse than getting his balls skinned and he had already gone through that particular experience with the million-year-old external bone.

But... he was also aware that if his teamm— fuck it, if his family wanted to have a chance at the higher realm... they needed much more than they already had. So, in the conflicting desire to keep his wealth to himself, the desire to have his family grow strong, and doing all this without losing his charisma as a perfect miser that didn't want to give anything out freely... Ja Sun did feel that he had found a way to do all that... by just demanding something in return that would make his day. The others did not have the wealth that Ja Sun boasted, so all they could do was save their chances.

For instance, Erlong, Xie Xan, and Jun'er, after getting their first and last spirit soul, kept the core and the corpse of the beasts with themselves so they may trade them later with him.

It still wasn't known how he had so much wealth... but they knew better than to question it.

But, the thing was, Ja Sun had found immediate interest in others besides his original teammates. These were the beasts and the bunny mother-daughter pair, ah, rabbits.

Well... sure, their faces were pleasing to look at but Ja Sun could also see their beast forms whenever he wished with his divine intent being superior and all. It was just that they showed clear signs of attraction, so, why the hell would he NOT respond to it? Besides, all of them were either strong or rabbits... so, he wanted to actually confirm if the popular saying about the rabbits was true or not.

But just attraction wasn't enough for Ja Sun to hand out treasures. It never was.

He looked at everyone present. This was a private affair and those invited knew it.

Of all present, Hu Lana, Jun'er, and Ah Yin didn't participate... they just had to get pregnant... well, it wasn't really their fault, was it? There were only a few things that could beat sex as entertainment in the jungle, and cultivation wasn't it.

Still, this made the pressure on Xie Xan and Oscar even more weighted as they wanted good stuff for their lovers.

"So, it's simple really. We'll enter one of the dimensional products I have created... actually, I should stop creating them... already have loads of them with a bunch of stuff inside each one. Anyway, even if we spar, it will be private. Our skills, at least, 100000-year-old ones should be considered somewhat of a trump card, right?"

Others rolled their eyes. It IS a trump card but not many could boast of his skills and consider even 100000-year-old skills as something meager.

"Anyway, I'll set the rules for each one of you individually once we're inside sparring ground. So? Who's first?"

Others grew silent. Ja Sun made it too simple and others felt stifled. Although not life and death, the stakes were just a little short of it. They didn't know what Ja Sun might demand... but it would most certainly not be pleasant.

"I— I would like to go first..." Yuehua raised her hand, her voice only getting the slightest bit confident by the end of her statement as she stood up and looked at Ja Sun's confused expression.

"I've been... training for some time so I would like to show my results..."

"Sure," Ja Sun smirked and stood up before taking out a small, skull-sized ceramic Vat and opening its lid, and added, "I'll be waiting inside. Word of advice, little Bird, bring your best game cause you volunteered to be the first one."

Ja Sun rarely called Yuehua by her nickname but when he did, she knew he wasn't in the mood for his usual antics.

With that, he stuck his finger into the open mouth of the vat before getting sucked into the item.

Yuehua gulped softly and looked around her. No one expected Ja Sun, of all people, to take this seriously but they were damn wrong. Anyone would be pissed when parting with treasure and Ja Sun, was, too.

"Good luck, soldier!" Lana saluted as Yuehua rolled her eyes and took a deep breath before silently stepping towards the vat and disappearing.

"Wanna make this interesting?" Hu Lana smirked and looked towards Ah Yin but found her and Ja Yin... simply meditating. It was normal for Ah Yin but not the Ja variant.

As if sensing her gaze, Ah Yin muttered softly, "You're eager to enter into a match with someone who became a god while being a mortal... as he warned. Bring out your best and stay sharp... cause it might even take me a few more seconds than usual to heal you guys today."

Everyone, including Xiao Wu, gulped this time. The somberness in Ah Yin's voice and the gravity of her words next made them realize the situation well enough, "Besides... all of you here want something, right? Not that it's bad. He's willing to give but... conflictingly so. I'd say he'd fuck you all harder than he ever went on Zi Ji or Erlong..."

'Why bring me up?!' Erlong and Zi Ji lowered their heads simultaneously as Lana blinked and looked at Xie Xan before patting his back and whispered, "Yeah, let's put off bets for now... don't you break on me..."

"That's all I need," Xie Xan smirked and closed his eyes while Lana continued to cradle their son.

Jun'er and Lana looked at each other, relief flickering in their eyes. Sometimes it pays to have a baby pumped up.

---

Yuehua felt her body already drenched with sweat as she stood on the sandy surface with a bright sky overhead and an overbearing temperature already making her feel pressured.

She was in a desert with no border in sight.

"Do you know how these dimensions even work?" Ja Sun looked at ease as he watched Yuehua sweat off in her bluish training robes with her hair tied up as she flinched at his monotone.

'Ah... I'm already feeling like shit...' Ja Sun narrowed his eyes and spoke up without waiting for a reply, "With my spirit energy and divine intent that supports the spatial array. These dimensions, to be exact, sap from me. I have... had just too many good things and now it's showing. I don't have it that bad when compared to other Titled Douluos but I will be limited at rank 99, too. My body... my consciousness... everything short of my constantly increasing spirit energy is at its peak. Even that can be cured by absorbing a few spirit bones. Honestly... it's simple."

Ja Sun rubbed the back of his head, "But... I've kept most of these bones. Not because I want to share them—"

"Brother Sun!" Yuehua interjected as Ja Sun stopped and looked at her.

Her smile, despite her drenched face, grew radiant as she bowed slightly and whispered, "Thank you. I have said these two words many times before... but if you truly feel conflicted... nobody can force you, right?"

Ja Sun narrowed his eyes as he quipped with a smirk, "Yeah, yeah, eloquent as always, huh."

Looking up, Yuehua giggled, "You did help me sort my feelings out back then. By moving on, I have set my sights on my own strength and capabilities. Even I am at rank 59 already because of one of the spirit bones I got from Sister Dong."

She hadn't only absorbed her immortal herb but also the 50000-year-old Blight Toad Left Hand bone that gave her some offensive abilities.

"Then let's get down to business," Ja Sun took a deep breath, "I am feeling generous today. Fuck that, you ain't Lana so I can tell you... that it's weird, Little Birdy... giving things. Nobody's forcing me sure, but the urge to see you all get stronger is particularly... prominent."

"Why is it like that?" Yuehua questioned.

"Because..." Ja Sun looked a little lost. He wasn't about to be all sappy and emotional, he was too divine for that. But... Ja Sun looked at the sky and muttered, "Cause... adventuring alone seems far worse than adventuring with a team and this planet... alone isn't enough. There's so much out there... godhood, divine enemies, maybe some goddesses tired of their husbands... their treasury, too..."

Despite his words, Yuehua chuckled and commented, "I know what I want, Brother Sun."

"Oh?" Ja Sun looked at the woman as the Clear Phoenix emerged from her body and shared her cautious expression while gazing at Ja Sun. The Enlightened Martial Soul was already taller than Ja Sun himself and looked like a proper beast now.

"Teach me again... not like Violet and others. Not arrays. I... desire your offensive might."

"You'd have to be specific," Ja Sun remarked.

Yuehua looked thoughtful before she gave Ja Sun a look that just showed how much she had changed.

"Everything!"

Ja Sun narrowed his eyes, "That's a high demand..." and smirked, "Can you bear the cost if you lose?"

Yuehua shrugged and patted Clear Phoenix as it closed its eyes in comfort, showing that her constant communication with her martial soul was doing wonders, too.

"Everything for everything..." she whispered while still looking at the glossy black coat of the Griffin as if the most interesting thing.

"So... I lose either way, huh?" Ja Sun muttered, "Unless I make real good use of the opportunity. Truly... you girls are dirtier than me. I've never really made THAT a condition but Zi Ji and now you've done the same."

Again, showing why the quiet ones are the more dangerous ones, Yuehua showed a side with none other present as she narrowed her eyes and looked at Ja Sun, "I refuse to listen to Erlong bragging anymore... and it would do you good to realize that there are some battles you can't just win, right?"

"Every battle can be won," Ja Sun grew casual, "And thanks for helping me out... I've become slightly clearer. I never had any reason to worry... all this is an investment for an interesting life ahead. Now, you have a minute. Stay standing for a minute while I won't use any skill at all."

"If I win?" Yuehua questioned.

"Everything."

"And if you lose?" Ja Sun questioned this time.

"Everything—"

Before Yuehua even finished, Ja Sun shot forward with Clear Phoenix's eyes snapping wide as it cried out loudly. A dome of flickering glow blocked Ja Sun's gauntlet-covered claw as his smirk widened and he continued to exert strength on the barrier.

Yuehua's ability could negate every attack and the total worth of attack she could negate, at the time, happened to be one attack of full strength from a 220995-year-old beast but a single attack took 13000 years worth of stored negation and this was just a casual strike!

It was clear that spamming her negation wasn't the way to go and she jumped on Clear Phoenix before the bird flapped its massive wings and created a large plume of sand cloud before flying away.

She only needed to utilize all her energy in a minute to stay standing and it will be her—

*Boom*

Causing a massive crater to spread into the sand with a soft booming shock of air, Ja Sun jumped towards the retreating pair when Yuehua formed her ability 'Clear' since skills could be shared between herself and Clear Phoenix after enough communication...

Yet—

Crack!

The slap tore through the dome of her ability...

A physical attack worth an all-out blow of a 100000-year-old spirit beast but most of the strength was absorbed and the slap only knocked Yuehua down the Clear Phoenix before Ja Sun himself landed near the dazed Yuehua as his words filled her ringing senses, "Any battle can be won when you're as strong as me... now, come on, stay down like that for a minute and you'll lose, you know."

Spitting out sand, Yuehua slowly stood up with the Clear Phoenix already upon Ja Sun as she recollected herself and stopped Clear Phoenix from attacking Ja Sun.

"Brother Sun, as strong as always," Yuehua forced a smile as he chuckled and turned to the Clear Phoenix while waving his hand, "You lost your spirit ability for a day, right? Why do you think I pestered you so much about the level of your ability my attacks drained back then? I've got your weakness and stalling for time with words won't work either. I wonder... what will happen if I kill Clear Phoenix. Let's hope you have another version of the Martial Soul locked away so it can be unsealed—"

Yuehua moved, her left hand coated in a venomous green coat of poison that raised the strength of attack from her left hand by a 100% as she struck Ja Sun's back and it... landed!

Yet, he also tanked Clear Phoenix's talons over his shoulders. Yuehua instantly used her domain— Calm Circle as he turned back slowly, clutching her left arm with a malevolent grin, "Can you even bear everything?"

*Snap*

Despite Yuehua's ability being able to suppress emotions... she failed miserably as her face paled and her shriek echoed in the open desert.

---

Left-arm twisted in a painfully different direction, her right arm dislocated, and her body badly bruised with the Clear Phoenix revoked into her body in fear that he might actually harm the martial soul in an irreparable manner, Yuehua barely stood...

Any battle can be won.

Yuehua was aware that despite her pain tolerance, she would be down had Ja Sun broken her legs, too.

Indeed, any battle can be won and she'd cling at the chance given.

From her clear spirit ring skill getting drained for a day to this state... it took him 30 seconds. She was only starting to register even more pain as blood dripped from her bruised cheek.

With a smirk, knowing full well that this level of injury would only be a casual thing for her from now on, Ja Sun poked the barely standing Yuehua's forehead and slowly began to push her back as she bit her lips.

"There are many different ways you could have done it... but you ARE a Tang... choosing the roughest and hardest option knowingly. Damn, even if you fall, you never did lose my respect."

And she fell back with a defeated smile on her face as tears began to stream down her eyes not only from pain but the defeat itself even when she expected it. She had gotten strong. Not anyone can just pierce her defenses... but all it took was one strike from the real monster, and that too, a controlled one.

"Alright, it's a draw."

Yuehua's eyes snapped open as her lips parted but broken jaws really made it hard for her to speak.

Chuckling, Ja Sun stretched his arms and replied to the unspoken question, "It's an investment. Call me a businessman cause I'm investing from now on. Besides... win, lose, or draw, nothing really changes, right? Makes me wonder if I should feel lucky that I helped you move on from your bro or not... crazy fuckers, the lot of you."

She wanted to rebuke— the pot calling the kettle black but again... shattered jaws.

Still, Ja Sun sent Yuehua out while sitting down on the sand and then laid back... feeling exhausted.

"Damn... only the first match and people are betting crazy things as Everything... huh, who cares, though. But never thought it'd be Yuehua of all... this is the kind of shit Ja Yin would pull." Ja Sun snickered to himself.

***

A/N: I can't help but emphasize again how hard it actually is for Ja Sun to share so this felt... a good chapter to write. Hehe, about time Ja Sun feels a little screwed, too, huh. He's trolled too much!

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