Revelers celebrating the "year of the bat" in Gotham City's Chinatown are interrupted by the arrival of Shang-Zi, an ancient spirit who blocks off Chinatown from the rest of Gotham City with a mystical barrier as part of a plan to reinstate his 1,000-year rule on the Earth. Trapped inside the city, Batman attempts to stop Shang-Zi, and is joined by the Spectre, who was able to transverse through the barrier. While the Spectre matches might and magic with Shang-Zi, Batman tracks down the source of Shang-Zi's power, a magical wheel, and smashes it with a Batarang just as Shang-Zi is gaining the upper hand against the Spectre.