The [Tigerbane Bell], was a form of specialized acoustics capable of resonating with and catalyzing ether, could strengthen its wielder at the cost of a Tiger Thiren's life.
"So, this is the intelligence you obtained, Mr. Villain?"
No longer bothering to pretend, Mr. Cang Huang laid his cards on the table, explaining his plan with a smug tone.
"A classic case of backstabbing the backstabber—what a stale plot twist!"
The priest of the Exaltists kept posturing, though he quietly retreated several steps backward.
"Exactly because it's stale, it only works on good people!"
Cang Huang continued his mockery. "The [Tigerbane Bell] was personally crafted by my deceased clansmen. This cruel technology pushes a victim's life force to its extreme within a Hollow—of course, the price is turning into an Ethereal."
Why does this sound so similar to the Qingming Sword? If the Tigerbane Bell had the same power as the Qingming Sword…
Thinking this, Arden—hidden nearby—turned his head and glanced at Yixuan beside him with concern.
Yixuan waved her hand, signaling him not to worry.
Alright… if Yixuan Shifu thinks so.
Arden continued observing, curious to see what other tricks Cang Huang and the priest of the Exaltists might pull.
"If the victim is a Tiger Thiren, the user can even treat the victim's life as a catalyst, devouring their Ether Aptitude and life potential to strengthen themselves."
Cang Huang dutifully explained the function of the [Tigerbane Bell].
"I remember now!"
Ju Fufu suddenly realized. "Isn't this a forbidden relic of the Tiger Thiren? It should've been lost in that catastrophe years ago."
The "catastrophe" referred to the Fall of the Old Capital.
"It is our clan's forbidden relic!"
Cang Huang glanced at Ju Fufu, then shifted his gaze back to the priest of the Exaltists. "Mr. Sean, the intelligence I deliberately fed you wasn't false—but there was one thing I didn't tell you."
"The user of the [Tigerbane Bell] must be a Tiger Thiren, and their ether resonance frequency must closely match that of the victim."
"It's precisely these restrictions that prevented this powerful tool from being abused by so-called 'villains.' The Tiger Thiren were never foolish enough to create a weapon meant to prey upon themselves."
Cang Huang emphasized the word "powerful," brimming with confidence, as if possessing the [Tigerbane Bell] meant invincibility—even enough to challenge a Void Hunter head-on.
"A technology this cruel never deserved to exist!"
In stark contrast to Cang Huang's pride, Ju Fufu regarded the relic with pure disgust. A forbidden tool that consumed Tiger Thiren lives had to be destroyed.
"Cruel…?"
At that word, Cang Huang's emotions erupted. "Yes! It is cruel—a weapon where kin devour kin, the cruelest thing in the world…"
"But living itself is cruel, you pampered Tiger of Yunkui Summit!"
"Even when our clan was dying out, we lacked the courage to face that cruelty… so from now on, let me alone bear it and live on!"
Cang Huang had already resolved himself.
"You're chatting back and forth like family—completely ignoring me, the 'villain,' aren't you?"
The priest of the Exaltists could no longer tolerate it. "Fine, then I'll send you both on your way with the [Tigerbane Bell]!"
However, the very next second, the priest froze in shock. "Why… why isn't it responding?"
"Hmph! A brainless fool who can't control what he holds."
Cang Huang stepped toward the priest as he spoke. "It's time for your exit, villain. But before that, do me one last favor—help me take down this outstanding disciple of Yunkui Summit."
"After all, she probably won't be kind enough to let me eat her obediently."
Cang Huang's gaze toward Ju Fufu turned malicious. "Eat others, or be eaten—that's the truth of living, Ju Fufu!"
Without any grand motion, he simply waved his hand and effortlessly seized control of the [Tigerbane Bell].
Jingle—jingle—jingle-jingle…
The Tiger Thiren forbidden relic trembled midair, emitting an unpleasant, discordant frequency.
Raaaar—!
Accompanied by a roar, the [Tigerbane Bell] instantly transformed the priest of the Exaltists into a grotesque Ethereal.
Cang Huang, wielding the [Tigerbane Bell], joined forces with the Ethereal to attack Ju Fufu.
Dong—dong… clang-clang—
A fierce battle… well, not really.
Ju Fufu defeated both the Ethereal and Cang Huang—who held the [Tigerbane Bell]—in just three moves.
Watching from the sidelines, Arden and Yixuan were utterly speechless.
After all that boasting—"a forbidden relic that devours the Tiger Thiren"—and this was all it amounted to.
Isn't this way too weak?
Not to mention Ju Fufu—even Hu Wei could outclass the [Tigerbane Bell] by several leagues.
As for Cang Huang, he was nothing more than a martial arts actor, not a true hero. In a real fight, he barely matched a street thug.
Arden suddenly understood why the Tiger Thiren had chosen extinction over using the [Tigerbane Bell] back then—because that thing was utterly useless.
He even imagined the Tiger Thiren chieftain ordering a replica of the Qingming Sword, hoping to create a powerful weapon—only to end up with something half-successful.
The "successful" half perfectly replicated the terrible cost of wielding the Qingming Sword.
The failed half, of course, was not replicating its power at all.
The [Tigerbane Bell] was exactly that kind of weapon—an absolute scam.
As for Cang Huang, Arden admitted his scheme was indeed clever—turning tiger against wolf, pitting mantis against cicada, with the oriole waiting behind them all.
But none of that compensated for his fatal flaw.
That flaw was his limited perspective—he never truly understood what real power was, mistaking the worthless [Tigerbane Bell] for a divine artifact.
Arden genuinely felt it wasn't worth it for those Tiger Thiren who had been consumed by the bell—their deaths meant nothing.
In truth, if Version 2.0 hadn't been unavailable before Arden's transmigration, he wouldn't have felt so speechless about this outcome.
In the original storyline, Ju Fufu also resolved the Ethereal and Cang Huang with ease—let alone now, when this Ju Fufu had received attribute boosts from Arden and Yixuan, along with advanced cultivation techniques.
Her strength far exceeded a standard overclocked Ju Fufu by more than threefold.
The fact that she didn't reduce Cang Huang to ashes in a single blow was clearly mercy shown for the sake of their shared bloodline.
...
"Ugh—ahhh…"
Cang Huang collapsed weakly onto the ground, utterly crushed by the power Ju Fufu displayed.
Even the fully realized version of himself he once imagined—empowered by the [Tigerbane Bell]—could never have been this strong.
So, this… is true strength.
Ju Fufu picked up the [Tigerbane Bell], walked over to Cang Huang, hoisted him onto her shoulder, and headed out.
"Why didn't you kill me?"
Unable to understand why she spared him—and even saved him—Cang Huang asked in confusion.
"Because… a hero~ acts with justice!"
The moment those words left her mouth, Cang Huang felt the small-framed Ju Fufu before him grow impossibly tall.
At the same time, Ju Fufu felt her own state of mind suddenly become much clearer.
===BREAK===
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