Chapter 204 : Bruce, Thief?

[Name: Laolao]

[Identity: Millennium Tree Demon]

[Intelligence: ???]

[Physical Strength: ???]

[Agility: ???]

[Life Value: ???]

[Charm: -4] [Skills: One, Tongue Out! ???], Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven ???]

[Weakness: ???]

[Background: This elm tree at Lanruo Temple was enlightened by monks reciting scriptures day and night. It has practiced for thousands of years and has grown to an enormous size. Tempted by temptation, it has become a disaster-inducing demon!]

[These are the messages Bruce saw as the other party dragged him with its tongue!]

[And for the first time, no useful information was found!]

[Without much thought, it's evident that it's due to the vast difference in strength between Bruce and his opponent!]

[Being unfamiliar with this world, he was already prepared to die for the first time!]

[But now, things are different!]

[The opponent has actually pulled him into its own body; this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!]

["Are you afraid of fire?" Bruce asked with a smile.]

Shinigami World!

Aizen looks expectant!

In his opinion, provoking the other party at this moment is not wise!

But all past videos depict Bruce Wayne as a human with superlative intellect!

There must be a plan behind this performance!

[Tender laughter echoes, the female ghosts regard the fallen scholar with disdain.]

["Merely a flame dares to harm me? How delusional."]

["Ignorant humans, scared and foolish as they seem."]

["Laolao, shall I torture him first to satisfy your wrath?"]

["Frightened fool, attempting to torture others? You underestimate me! Besides, I'm here too, you can't exert your full strength!"]

[The girls banter, not sparing a glance for the scholar.]

[He's just a succulent piece of meat; I wonder if Laolao will let me have a taste?]

[Laolao wore a grin, relishing the familiar atmosphere; everyone had more to say!]

[In that instant, the scholar chuckled, remarking,] 

["As a villain, you truly excel... With all due respect, if you were in Gotham, you'd be sold to Texas as a dancer—or worse, without a penny to your name!"

[Just as sneers echoed among the ghosts, Bruce interjected with magnetic charisma,] 

["Allow me to impart a lesson—high-end hunters often masquerade as prey!"

[As his words hung in the air, a crimson light burst forth from Bruce's fingertip!]

[The red glow, akin to aqua regia, dissolved the gilded facade, reducing the once flamboyant ghosts to screams and billowing blue smoke!]

[Laolao attempted to summon vines to thwart the assault, but the onslaught was too swift; the female specter met her demise in the blink of an eye!]

"Do you seek death?!" Laolao seethed with fury and indignation!

[This was the culmination of centuries spent in captivity!]

[Not only did she lack female ghosts to entice unwitting men, but more crucially, these ghosts were destined for Montenegro's city of the dead to serve as brides for the ancient demon!]

[Every few years, she had to dispatch a female ghost, lest an enemy emerge to vanquish a tree demon who excelled not in direct confrontation!]

"Boy, I'll allow you to live—for now!"

[Laolao unleashed her gaping maw, her transformed tongue lashing out!]

[Yet, unbeknownst to her, her enemy had already donned a cloak of obsidian hue!]

[Simultaneously, a torrent of crimson fluid materialized before her foe, cascading downward with alarming speed, inundating the ground in an instant!]

Gotham!

The infamousJoker recognized the substance immediately—it was the bane of the Bat!

"You're quite ruthless, Batman!"

[Laolao ensnared her enemy with her tongue!]

[But in the next moment, a flicker of flame ignited from a gadget in her opponent's hand!]

"I hope you've got a fire extinguisher in hand!" Bruce quipped icily, ignoring the tree demon's disdain.

[With a thunderous roar,]

[A conflagration engulfed the tree demon!]

[Thick plumes of black smoke and relentless torrents of vivid yellow flames ravaged the hollows of every tree!]

(...)

[Outside the Lanruo Temple, Yan Chixia halted abruptly in his search, sensing an ominous presence!]

"What a formidable demon!" His countenance twisted in alarm as he beheld the night sky, swiftly obscured by brooding clouds amidst the sparse stars and moonlight.

[Then, a clap of thunder resounded!]

[Boom boom...]

[In less than a second, a deluge poured down!]

["What's with this sudden rainstorm conjured by demonic power!"]

Yan Chixia sensed trouble brewing. Anxious about the scholar's fate, he hurried back the way he came!

[And not long after he began her journey, he noticed a peculiar change in the night sky!]

[After several moments, he arrived at a towering tree!]

"No, correction, it was once a towering flame tree!

[The immense tree before him was completely engulfed in flames, casting an awe-inspiring glow against the night sky!]

[What stunned him even more was that despite the torrential rain, the flames showed no signs of faltering; instead, they burned fiercer with each passing moment!]

["What an intense fire technique!!"]

Yan Chixia marveled in disbelief. Never before had he witnessed such ferocious fire outside of Shu!

[As time dragged on, the rain dwindled to a mere drizzle. Yan Chixia knew this was the tree demon's doing!]

[Boom!]

[Finally, the blazing tree succumbed, leaving behind a charred stump resembling the gates of hell!]

[A figure emerged from within!]

Yan Chixia, wary, took several steps back, eyeing the mysterious figure in black!

[But in the next instant, he could scarcely believe his eyes!]

The enigmatic figure removed his peculiar hood, revealing a familiar face!

[It was the scholar whose life Yan Chixia had saved!]

Yan Chixia chuckled wryly, amazed that a cultivator capable of subduing a powerful demon would resort to such theatrics to thank him!

["Seems like I've been through this before."]

[Bruce feigned nonchalance 🙂]

["Oh, please. My swordsmanship is equally impeccable!"]

Everyone shared a laugh, and Yan Chixia felt a twinge of happiness at Bruce's compliment!

[Then Bruce paused, grinning mischievously:]

["In a world filled with evil, scenes like this call for a toast, wouldn't you agree, Brother Yan?"]

Yan Chixia, unusually bashful, replied:

["I left in haste this time, didn't bring much coin...]

["Ha! Who needs money with Brother Yan around!"]

[Once more, "I have plenty of wine here!" Bruce declared, conjuring seven or eight bottles of whiskey and brandy!]

[Yan Chixia was astounded by this storage method, briefly entertaining the thought that Bruce might be a formidable practitioner!]

[But his attention quickly shifted to the array of spirits before him!]

[The hues! The crystal-clear bottles!]

[For a penniless wanderer like Yan Chixia, who had only heard of jade bottles used by elders in grand sects, these were beyond compare!]

[Lost in thought, Yan Chixia rubbed his hands eagerly, eyeing Bruce expectantly!]

(Bruce offered a faint smile...)

(...)

[The next day at noon, Yan Chixia shook off sleep and rose to greet the day!]

[He glanced at the crystal bottle by his feet, took another swig, then grinned!]

"Yan Chixia had a taste of immortal wine too. He'll have the guts to put those arrogant top disciples in their place next time!"

"Though I'm no expert, this has got to be immortal wine. It's absolutely incredible!"

The more Yan Chixia thought about it, the more delighted he became, even deciding to keep the wine bottle as a memento!

But then he realized something: what about the scholar who appeared to be a great cultivator? Did he depart?

[Five minutes later...]

A piercing shriek echoed from Lanruo Temple!

"Where's my Diamond Sutra!?"

"Where's my sword manual!?"

"Where's my hefty sword case!?"

Simultaneously, hundreds of miles away on an official road, Bruce carried the sword case, a grin spreading across his face as he glanced at the sword manual in his hand!

"So many karma points, plus Yan Chixia's techniques and weapons!"

"This haul, it's a bloody good one!"

****

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