C45 The Life and Death of the Qiao Family Was Determined by Their Thoughts!
"Steward Hua, does the Dao Artifact Hall intend to oppose the Qiao family?"
Qiao Kai's expression turned icy as he saw Hua Yuru join the Battle Platform on the side of the Jiaang family and spoke in a chilling tone.
"I follow only the commands of my Young Lord! If he wishes to support the Jiaang family, then that is who I will support!"
Hua Yuru met Qiao Kai's stern gaze and responded with composure.
"Old Hua, are you certain you want to align the Dao Artifact Hall against my Qiao family?"
At that moment, a frigid voice echoed, and two figures descended from above.
They were two elderly men.
One was an old man clad in a grey robe, his back stooped. He was Patriarch Qiao, one of the top four powerhouses of Clear Water Town, with a cultivation level at Pill Transforming Level One, on par with Hua Yuru.
The other was dressed in a golden robe, adorned with a Pill Refining Master Medal on his chest. He was Jin Lingyuv, a first-grade Pill Refining Master enlisted by the Qiao family, also at Pill Transforming Level One.
They had shown up today in response to a prior message from Qiao Kai, ready to eliminate all the Jiaang family's experts and bring about their downfall.
"Good heavens! Patriarch Qiao and Jin Lingyuv have both arrived!"
"Even with the Dao Artifact Hall's support, it seems unlikely that the Jiaang family can withstand the onslaught of the Qiao family!"
The surrounding cultivators, numbering in the tens of thousands, buzzed with conversation and exclamations.
Upon the Battle Platform, Hua Yuru maintained his calm demeanor as Patriarch Qiao and Jin Lingyuv made their entrance, offering no reaction.
"Little brother, shall I take down those two for you?"
Shaang Duoge turned to Jiaang Lin with a grin.
"Think you're up to it?"
Jiaang Lin returned the smile.
"Absolutely."
Shaang Duoge nodded confidently.
"Then let's take them out!"
Jiaang Lin gave the go-ahead.
Across the way, Patriarch Qiao and Jin Lingyuv couldn't help but scoff upon hearing Jiaang Lin's bold request to Shaang Duoge, their faces etched with contempt.
Both of them knew full well that Shaang Duoge was nothing more than a weakling at Body Refining Level Three.
Yet, in the next instant, the scorn etched on their faces became rigid.
Shaang Duoge unleashed his full aura. With the release of his Battle Soul, a colossal nine-clawed golden dragon roared skyward, exuding a fearsome Dragon Might.
The intense aura astonished everyone present, causing Patriarch Qiao and Jin Lingyuv to visibly pale.
At that moment, the power radiating from Shaang Duoge was unmistakably beyond Body Refining Level Three; he had completely outclassed both men!
"Pill Transforming Level Three?"
Patriarch Qiao and Jin Lingyuv stared at Shaang Duoge, their faces etched with horror.
Two dull thuds echoed as Shaang Duoge lunged at Patriarch Qiao and Jin Lingyuv. His fists flew, landing heavy blows on their chests and sending them crashing to the ground, critically wounded.
Not even two Pill Transforming Level One experts could withstand a single strike from Shaang Duoge!
The crowd of onlookers was profoundly shaken, a tidal wave of awe flooding their minds.
It became clear to them that Shaang Duoge's true strength was not at Body Refining Level Three, but at Pill Transforming Level Three.
The once-renowned prodigy of the Dragon Abyss Empire had returned to his former splendor.
It was no surprise that Hua Yuru and the other Dao Artifact Hall Experts were so deferential to Shaang Duoge!
"Little brother, what should we do with these members of the Qiao family?"
On the Battle Platform, Shaang Duoge effortlessly dispatched Patriarch Qiao and Jin Lingyuv with a stomp. He turned his gaze to Qiao Kai and the rest, posing the question.
Upon hearing him, Qiao Kai and the other Qiao family experts' faces drained of color, their hearts quaking with fear.
Patriarch Qiao and Jin Lingyuv were the most advanced in their cultivation, both at Pill Transforming Level One.
Qiao Kai had been confident that with two Pill Transforming Stage Experts in his family, annihilating the Jiaang family today would be effortless.
But now, Shaang Duoge, who had a strong connection to Jiaang Lin, had effortlessly eliminated the Qiao family's two Pill Transforming Stage experts with a single move!
Given Shaang Duoge's display of terrifying talent, Qiao Kai was convinced that if Shaang Duoge chose to act, the entire Qiao family would stand no chance against him.
The Qiao family, not the Jiaang family, might very well be the ones facing destruction!
"Jiaang Lin, please spare the Qiao family. From this day forward, we will never cross the Jiaang family again!"
Aware of the gravity of the situation, Qiao Kai quickly turned his attention to Jiaang Lin, who stood at a distance, and pleaded for mercy, his voice now humble, stripped of his earlier arrogance.
Qiao Kai was no fool. He realized that Shaang Duoge acted solely on Jiaang Lin's commands—whomever Jiaang Lin wanted dead, Shaang Duoge would kill.
That's why Qiao Kai had appealed to Jiaang Lin for mercy, not Shaang Duoge!
He now truly understood that Jiaang Lin and Shaang Duoge were not the same people they once were.
The two once deemed worthless now held the power of life and death over his Qiao family!
Today, the fate of the Qiao family hung on the thoughts of Jiaang Lin and Shaang Duoge!
"Begging for mercy? Weren't you just now full of bluster, ready to lead the Qiao family in wiping out the entire Jiaang family?
Didn't you want to coerce my father into surrendering me to the Qiao family for punishment?
Where has all that bravado gone?
You think you can just beg for mercy when things turn against you? The world doesn't work like that."
Jiaang Lin stepped forward, coming to stand beside Shaang Duoge, a cold smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he gazed at Qiao Kai.
"So, you truly have no intention of letting the Qiao family off the hook?" Qiao Kai asked, his voice heavy.
"Sorry, but I never did," Jiaang Lin responded icily.
Memories flooded his mind—of the Qiao family annihilating the Jiaang family and then the Celestial Wolf Gang.
He couldn't forget how his father was killed by the Qiao family people, how Jiaang Xue was driven to suicide by them, and how Yinn Shediao, Jee Heishui, Que Chunye, and many other Celestial Wolf Gang members were all slain by the Qiao family in their attempt to save him.
Jiaang Lin's heart was ablaze with uncontrollable fury and loathing.
He had declared his intentions clearly; he never planned to forgive the Qiao family.
In his past life, it was an impossibility.
In this life, it was even more inconceivable.
The Qiao family had to be annihilated!
"Duoge, kill them all!"
Jiaang Lin ceased his pointless dialogue with Qiao Kai, turning to Shaang Duoge at his side and whispered the command.
"Kill all of the Qiao family!"
Upon hearing Jiaang Lin's command, Shaang Duoge, with his hands clasped behind his back, gave the order in an icy tone.
Behind him, Hua Yuru and the rest of the Dao Artifact Hall experts sprang into action. They pounced like a pack of fierce tigers into the midst of the Qiao family experts, ruthlessly slaughtering the Qiao family members.
Simultaneously, Jiaang Zhengzu and Yinn Shediao issued their commands, leading the Jiaang family experts and the Celestial Wolf Gang fighters into the fray against the Qiao family.
In this moment, the combined might of Hua Yuru, Jiaang Zhengzu, and Yinn Shediao overwhelmed the Qiao family, who, under Qiao Kai's leadership, utterly lost their will to fight.
Screams of agony echoed across the Central Battle Platform.
Qiao family experts fell one by one, their bodies collapsing into crimson pools.
The Battle Platform was soaked in blood, the pungent scent of carnage hanging heavily in the air.
The Martial Dao Force experts who had once fawned over the Qiao family were now paralyzed with fear. None dared to come to the Qiao family's aid.
They scrambled away in terror, keeping their distance.
"Jiaang Lin, if you annihilate the Qiao family today, I swear I'll kill you, even if it costs me my life!"
Qiao Kai bellowed, his eyes bulging with rage as he witnessed the slaughter of his kin.
Fixated on Jiaang Lin in the distance, he lunged towards him amidst the chaos of battle.
"Did you think to ask for my permission?"
A chilling voice cut through the air as Shaang Duoge materialized like a specter, intercepting Qiao Kai. With a swift palm strike, he reduced Qiao Kai to nothing more than a mist of blood.
"Duoge, you're becoming more formidable by the day!" Jiaang Lin exclaimed with a laugh, having witnessed Shaang Duoge dispatch Qiao Kai with a single palm strike.
"It's all thanks to you. Without the Yang Fire Pill you provided, I wouldn't have been able to reclaim my former glory," Shaang Duoge responded.
Indeed, Shaang Duoge's resurgence and his attainment of Pill Transforming Level Three strength were all due to the Yang Fire Pill that Jiaang Lin had once given him.
Jiaang Lin smiled, then his gaze swept across the chaotic battlefield, landing on Qiao Mingfan who was attempting to slip away unnoticed. With a casual flick of his wrist, Jiaang Lin bisected the fleeing Qiao Mingfan.
Having dispatched Qiao Mingfan, Jiaang Lin then turned and strode toward Qiao Junhan. A single kick was all it took to end Qiao Junhan's life.
With the demise of the Qiao Junhan brothers, the conflict between them and the Qiao family experts was decisively concluded.
The battle had been utterly devoid of suspense.
In the absence of Patriarch Qiao, Jin Lingyuv, and Qiao Kai, the Qiao family crumbled like a house of cards. Against the formidable might of Hua Yuru, Jiaang Zhengzu, and Yinn Shediao, they stood no chance and were mercilessly cut down.
