Bian fu chuan qi

The complex plot, such as it is, was already covered by other reviewers. I'll try to add some unique points...

There seem to be many titles for this film. I've already come across Clans of Intrigue 2', 'Legend of the Bat' (which is how this is broadcast on El Rey Network), 'Bat Island Adventure', and 'Bat Island Adventures'. The first Clans of Intrigue, which I have not yet seen, is also listed as Legend of the Bat on IMDb. All very confusing.

If you enjoy over-the-top martial arts and/or fantasy, this is worth a look. I jacked up my rating since it deserves higher than the current 6.6. But I do recommend it, goofy and confusing plot aside. If you liked Full Moon Scimitar or especially The Delightful Forest, give it a try.

A little film history perspective, completely my own theory. There is a classic 'old dark house' film from 1930, The Bat Whispers, which falls into a genre I'd call Fantomas, basically about a mysterious (masked) psychopathic 'emperor of criminals', a legend within his own world, and the attempts to stop and unmask him. There are some distinct similarities between these two movies, including the title and title character, which makes me think that the filmmakers of Legend of the Bat were aware of The Bat Whispers, or of one of the remakes.

As far as I know the earliest of the genre was the silent serial Fantomas (a French classic) by Louis Feuillade from about 1913, based on popular novels. I believe his Judex was a similar story, and was remade in 1963 by Georges Franju (Eyes Without a Face). Franju made at least one more film in this genre, Nuits Rouges (1974).