Chapter 54: The Tiger Talisman and the Art of Fusion
"I don't know if the power of the talisman is endless, but clearly, your body can't maintain that unscathed balance forever..." Robert looked at Hei Jinbing with some regret.
"To be honest, I was quite hoping you could maintain this state indefinitely, since a punching bag as durable as you is hard to find!"
"Die!" Just as Robert finished speaking, an infuriated Hei Jinbing suddenly shouted, and the dim Tiger Talisman on his chest shot out an energy wave directly at Robert.
"Hm?!" A hint of surprise flashed in Robert's eyes as he dodged the energy wave. He hadn't expected the Tiger Talisman to have the ability to emit energy waves.
However, Robert noticed that as the Tiger Talisman released the energy wave, the balanced state Hei Jinbing was in was instantly disrupted. Blood started flowing from his nose and mouth, and he looked incredibly ferocious, like a demon crawling out from hell.
Even so, Hei Jinbing showed no intention of stopping. Realizing he was at a dead end, Hei Jinbing chose to go all out. The Tiger Talisman continuously released energy waves in all directions, seemingly wanting to destroy everything around.
"Tsk!" Robert frowned and cautiously released Qi waves to dissipate the energy waves.
Before understanding the effects of the energy waves released by the Tiger Talisman, Robert decided not to directly confront them. After all, the Dragon Ball world had its share of strange abilities, and in such a complex world, it was better to be cautious when facing unknown powers...
"Ouch!"
"Damn!"
As Robert was blocking the energy waves from the Tiger Talisman, two exclamations suddenly came from not too far away. The voices belonged to none other than Jackie Chan, who had been worried about the ownership of the talisman and Robert's safety and hadn't left.
However, Jackie's voice suddenly split into two, one sounding somewhat delicate and the other somewhat aggressive.
"Two Uncle Longs?" Robert quickly sensed the presence of two Jackies and instantly understood the effect of the energy wave released by the Tiger Talisman.
"What a troublesome talisman. If there were two of me with different personalities, wouldn't the evil one act like those aggressive Saiyans and slaughter all life on Earth?" Robert frowned at Hei Jinbing, who was still releasing energy waves, and muttered. But soon, Robert had a thought.
"Wait, what if two of me fused together? Would I revert to my original self and gain the power boost from the fusion? And what would happen after the fusion time ends? Separate?"
"Hmm, it might be worth a try, but only if the influence of the Tiger Talisman can be removed. Let's deal with Hei Jinbing first and then see what's happening with Uncle Long!"
"Buzz!" With a thought, Robert positioned his hands behind him, and a powerful Qi wave gathered between them.
Turtle School Qi Wave! Originally, Robert was prepared to shout out as usual, but he suddenly remembered what he told Afu about not needing to announce his moves beforehand. So, Robert held back and kept his mouth shut.
"Boom!" The next moment, the Turtle School Qi Wave blasted out, pushing back the energy waves from the Tiger Talisman and causing a violent explosion.
"Thud!"
"Clatter!"
Hei Jinbing's body and the Tiger Talisman fell to the ground in succession. As the Tiger Talisman was separated, Hei Jinbing's energy weakened instantly, and his body suffered severe damage, but he didn't die.
"Buzz!" Robert approached Hei Jinbing, a Qi wave gathering in his palm, aimed at Hei Jinbing's head.
"Wait... wait a moment, young benefactor." Just then, Hei Jinbing's aura changed drastically, his voice revealing a hint of weakness as he looked at Robert. To be precise, the one speaking was no longer Hei Jinbing, but the monk Hei Jinbing from before.
"Hm? What's going on? Wasn't the Tiger Talisman already separated?" Robert noticed the change in Hei Jinbing's aura, turned his head, and looked at the Tiger Talisman on the ground, muttering in confusion.
"Perhaps when the Tiger Talisman was separated, it took all my evil thoughts with it. I feel incredibly light and pure now, even without the need to suppress my innate evilness..." Hei Jinbing took a deep breath and spoke softly to Robert.
"But I don't want to die like this. I haven't cleansed my sins yet. If I die now, I will surely fall into the hands of the Hell Lord."
"Wouldn't that be better?" Robert shrugged. "You're a Buddhist, haven't you heard the vow 'If not me, who goes to hell?' After you go to hell, wouldn't it be the perfect opportunity to show your strength?"
"You jest, young benefactor. With my strength, how could I make a difference in hell? How could I compare to a Bodhisattva?" Hei Jinbing showed a bitter smile.
"Then I'm afraid I can't help you..." Robert's gaze flickered, and he suddenly said excitedly, "How about this, you bide your time in hell, and if I ever get the chance to go there, you help me find some powerful fighters to battle, how does that sound?"
"..." Hei Jinbing was left speechless by Robert's words, almost choking to death on the spot. He looked at Robert with a somewhat mournful sigh, "Can't you really spare me, young benefactor?"
"The situation is already like this. It's indeed difficult to spare you!" Robert indicated the Qi wave in his hand, appearing somewhat helpless.
"I can't die yet, not just because I haven't cleansed my sins, but also because if I, the underground emperor, die, the entire Hell's Kitchen and even New York's underworld will descend into chaos. Countless people will die as a result, further deepening my sins..." Hei Jinbing took a deep breath and sighed.
"What does that have to do with me?" Robert showed no reaction. The world won't stop turning because someone is missing. If one underground emperor dies, another will rise. After all, it's just an underground emperor, what's the big deal?
"Robert..." At that moment, Clark's voice echoed in Robert's mind, "He is not our target this time. If he truly intends to do good and can maintain peace, maybe you can spare his life?"
"Hmm, you seem to have a point..." Upon hearing this, Robert raised an eyebrow. For Robert, killing or not killing Hei Jinbing wasn't important. Whether Hei Jinbing was good or could maintain stability in the underworld was equally unimportant. After all, Robert could kill Hei Jinbing anytime.
What was really important was experimenting with the feasibility of the Tiger Talisman and fusion art. They needed a reliable overseer for any unforeseen events, and Clark, who had been watching from the sidelines, was undoubtedly the best choice.