C44 It Was about to Happen!

Silence enveloped the Central Battle Platform, a stillness as profound as death itself.

Tens of thousands of onlookers were struck dumb, their gazes fixed on the Battle Platform, unable to utter a single word for the longest time. The spectacle before them was utterly astonishing.

The esteemed First Martial Dao Talent of Clear Water Town had been vanquished by Jiaang Lin in a mere handful of moves, left utterly powerless to fight back!

In that moment, it wasn't just the cultivators who were speechless; even Qiao Kai and Jiaang Zhengzu on the elevated platform were stunned into silence, their minds a blank slate.

"You can't even defeat me, and you dare to call yourself Clear Water Town's First Martial Dao Talent? Ridiculous!"

Jiaang Lin, paying no mind to the shocked expressions of the onlookers, stood over Qiao Junhan with a look of contempt.

His taunting drove Qiao Junhan to further rage, prompting him to cough up another mouthful of blood.

"You boasted about how you would torture me. Now, I shall return the favor in kind!"

Suddenly, Jiaang Lin's face broke into an innocuous smile.

Yet, to Qiao Junhan, that sunny, cheerful grin seemed nothing short of demonic, sending involuntary shivers down his spine.

With the Meridian Breaking Hand technique, Jiaang Lin swiftly severed Qiao Junhan's meridians, followed by a palm strike to his dantian, rendering his pill essence useless.

The agony of having his meridians severed elicited a harrowing scream from Qiao Junhan.

This scream jolted all the surrounding cultivators back to reality.

"Jiaang Lin dares to cripple Qiao Junhan's cultivation in public!"

Someone shouted, aghast.

"Is he not afraid of the Qiao Family's fury?"

Another onlooker inhaled sharply, shocked by the boldness of the act.

At this moment, the Qiao Family's powerhouses were all present, observing from the high platform!

By crippling their top genius right before their eyes, Jiaang Lin was not only slapping the Qiao Family in the face and trampling their dignity, but he was also severing the future prospects of the family.

"Stop!"

Qiao Kai, finally snapping out of his daze, shouted from the high platform, witnessing the audacity of Jiaang Lin to cripple his son's cultivation in full view of everyone.

On the elevated platform, Qiao Kai was jolted awake as he witnessed Jiaang Lin daring to cripple his son's cultivation right before his eyes. A violent aura burst forth, suddenly bearing down on Jiaang Lin with ferocity.

"He even dared to steal my woman. He's courting death!

Today, I will not only cripple his cultivation but also crush his genitals!"

On the Battle Platform, Jiaang Lin stood fearless in the face of Qiao Kai's fury and the icy, angry stares of the Qiao family experts.

He stepped down hard on Qiao Junhan's genitals.

Qiao Junhan let out a blood-curdling scream on the Battle Platform, his body convulsing in agony as he foamed at the mouth.

The pain was excruciating!

"Father, he's crippled my cultivation and crushed my genitals!" Qiao Mingfan suddenly bellowed from the platform.

He recognized that Jiaang Lin's technique was identical to that of the mysterious young man they had encountered outside the Jade Blessing Market not long ago.

Instantly, Qiao Mingfan's eyes blazed with murderous intent.

Hearing his son's cry, Qiao Kai's face darkened further, his eyes seething with barely contained rage.

He hadn't anticipated that Jiaang Lin would have the audacity to cripple the cultivation of both his sons and maim their manhood.

Such actions were a clear attempt to rob him of any future lineage!

This could not go unpunished!

Jiaang Lin had to die!

He would surely kill him today!

"Seize him!" Qiao Kai thundered.

A swarm of Qiao family experts lunged toward Jiaang Lin on the Battle Platform, intent on capturing and executing him.

Each of these experts boasted a Qi Gathering Stage cultivation, with the strongest among them at Qi Gathering Level Six.

Their collective assault was so formidable that it sent shivers down the spines of thousands of cultivators.

At present, Jiaang Lin's cultivation was merely at Qi Gathering Level Two. How could he possibly fend off the onslaught from so many of the Qiao family's formidable experts?

"Back off!"

A furious roar echoed as a figure materialized on the Battle Platform like a specter, positioning himself in front of Jiaang Lin. He repelled all the Qiao family experts who were advancing on Jiaang Lin.

To everyone's astonishment, the man was none other than Jiaang Zhengzu.

Upon Jiaang Zhengzu's arrival, Jiaang Xue and the rest materialized on the Battle Platform, forming a protective circle around Jiaang Lin at the center. They stood ready to confront the Qiao family experts.

"Jiaang Zhengzu, are you intent on making the Jiaang family an enemy of the Qiao family?" Qiao Kai's expression darkened as he spoke with icy sternness upon witnessing Jiaang Zhengzu leading a cadre of Jiaang family experts to thwart the Qiao family's attempt to kill Jiaang Lin.

"If the Qiao family dares to harm my son today, I am prepared to fight to the death!" Jiaang Zhengzu declared from the Battle Platform, locking eyes with Qiao Kai, his voice resolute and unwavering.

He had always been reluctant to antagonize the Qiao family, considering their considerable power and extensive connections. But Qiao Kai's bold move to publicly execute Jiaang Lin was a line that Jiaang Zhengzu could not allow to be crossed.

"Your son has crippled two of mine. Do I not have the right to kill him?" Qiao Kai retorted, his voice laced with frost.

Following his declaration, he led the remaining Qiao family experts up to the Central Battle Platform to face off against the Jiaang family's defenders. Simultaneously, allies of the Qiao family, eager to curry favor, joined them on the platform, significantly outnumbering Jiaang Zhengzu's supporters.

"You're justified in seeking justice for your son, but I am equally justified in protecting mine," Jiaang Zhengzu stated, meeting the gaze of Qiao Kai and the assembled adversaries with a serene countenance.

"So, it seems there is no possibility of mending the rift between the Jiaang and Qiao families," Qiao Kai observed.

"Indeed," Jiaang Zhengzu affirmed with finality.

"Jiaang Zhengzu, I urge you to weigh your options carefully. It would be wise to surrender Jiaang Lin to the Qiao family for judgment. Otherwise, the Qiao family will not hesitate to annihilate the Jiaang family," Qiao Kai threatened, his face twisted with malice.

On the elevated platform, Jiaang Zhengshan pleaded with a tone of earnest concern. "Big brother, for the sake of the Jiaang family, hand over Jiaang Lin! Why must you persist in this futile opposition against the Qiao family?"

Upon hearing these words on the Battle Platform, Jiaang Zhengzu erupted in fury, lashing out with a barrage of curses. "Silence! Having a brother like you is the ultimate disgrace of my life!"

Jiaang Zhengshan's failure to provide assistance was bad enough, but to audaciously suggest surrendering his son to the mercy of the Qiao family was unthinkable. Such an act would bring shame upon Jiaang Zhengzu and tarnish the reputation of the Jiaang family beyond repair.

With a scornful "Humph!" and his face flushed with embarrassment, Jiaang Zhengshan was seething with anger. Yet, he refrained from further comment, returning to his seat to grimly await the outcome of the fierce confrontation between his elder brother and Qiao Kai, along with the Qiao family's people. He was prepared to witness the tragic demise of his brother and his allies at their hands.

"It seems your younger brother understands the bigger picture and knows when to act," Qiao Kai remarked, eyeing the enraged Jiaang Zhengzu with a cold, mocking smile. "Do you really think your Jiaang family can stand against the might of the experts standing with me?"

"Who says the Jiaang family has no one else? The Celestial Wolf Gang will back you up!" Yinn Shediao's voice boomed from the platform. Accompanied by Jee Heishui, Que Chunye, and a host of Celestial Wolf Gang elites, he appeared, aligning himself with Jiaang Zhengzu and the Jiaang family's side.

Seeing Yinn Shediao and the formidable members of the Celestial Wolf Gang come to the Jiaang family's aid, Qiao Kai's eyes glinted icily, his heart filled with disdain. To him, the Celestial Wolf Gang, being inferior to the Qiao family, consisted of nothing more than lowly individuals. In his view, their support for the Jiaang family was futile.

"Lowly? And what if the Dao Artifact Hall decides to intervene?" challenged a voice, tinged with a hint of amusement.

Suddenly, a playful voice rang out.

Inside a restaurant, Shaang Duoge, accompanied by numerous experts from the Dao Artifact Hall, made a grand entrance onto the Central Battle Platform, aligning themselves with the Jiaang family.

This turn of events left the entire audience in shock, especially Qiao Kai and the other Qiao family experts, whose expressions turned grave.

"How is it that Shaang Duoge can command the Dao Artifact Hall's experts?" murmured the onlookers, their eyes wide with astonishment. They were filled with incredulity.

It was common knowledge that Shaang Duoge was considered the ineffective Young Lord of the Dao Artifact Hall, lacking in respect, influence, and status. It seemed utterly impossible for him to direct the actions of the Dao Artifact Hall's experts.

Yet, against all odds, those very experts were now obediently following Shaang Duoge's lead, taking a stand alongside the Jiaang family.

The crowd couldn't help but marvel at the sight, their curiosity piqued. Even the high-ranking members of the Jiaang family on the platform looked on in surprise.