423: Kill the third master of the Tao family in seconds, Tao Shan slides to his knees at light speed, and Dong Bohou appears

"Lord Chu, the East Earl Residence is secretly trafficking people, sending them to the Sun Moon Country. Your subordinate once discovered this and reported it to headquarters, but unfortunately, it wasn't taken seriously."

As Commander Niu Qian spoke, he handed Chu Jiang the evidence he had secretly collected over the years.

"According to the intelligence your subordinate has, the East Earl Residence sends at least one hundred thousand people to the Sun Moon Country every year..."

To say that the East Earl Residence was committing treason was not an exaggeration at all.

But they had connections at the top. In the imperial court, there were high-ranking officials and descendants he had befriended, and locally, there was Wu Ling King. Most people couldn't do anything to him.

Chu Jiang reviewed the chain of evidence, his expression unreadable. These aristocratic families truly devoured people without spitting out the bones, betraying their own for external gain.

"One hundred thousand people?"

Fu Yunxuan and the others were also shocked. No wonder the Three Prefectures were becoming increasingly chaotic, with the population decreasing significantly year by year.

In just over a decade, the population had plummeted several times, from hundreds of millions to ninety million. With these beasts causing trouble, the country would eventually fall.

And this was just the East Earl Residence. Who knew how many more were involved in the entire Three Prefectures? The human trafficking industry chain for Great Chu's population was enormous.

Bang!

Chu Jiang and the others landed outside the Marquis Residence, looking at the extremely luxurious estate.

Buzz!

An old man, moving like a ghost, stepped out from the Marquis Residence. He bowed slightly to Chu Jiang and said, "Tao Qing, younger brother of Marquis of Dongbo, greets Lord Chu!"

"Third Master!"

The house servants and guards of the Marquis Residence respectfully looked at the old man before them.

The old man was Marquis of Dongbo's third brother, and his only living sibling. His strength was formidable.

He held significant sway within the East Earl Residence.

"Lord Shao Si, our Demon Suppression Guard went missing here, but this old man is blocking us, not letting us in."

A Demon Suppression Guard looked at the old man, a smirk playing on his lips, and immediately spoke up.

At this moment,

Chu Jiang looked at Tao Qing and said indifferently, "Illegally imprisoning a Demon Suppression Guard is a capital offense. I give you ten breaths to hand over the Demon Suppression Guard, otherwise, you will all be treated as traitors!"

"Lord Chu, the East Earl Residence has always enjoyed prosperity with the people, loved the country and its home, and is the most law-abiding clan in Shangyuan Prefecture. It's even less likely to imprison a Demon Suppression Guard!" Tao Qing's expression turned cold. These stinking bumpkins were truly looking for trouble.

They were pushing their luck.

"Ten!"

"There really isn't!"

Tao Qing's eyes remained icy. He was Marquis of Dongbo's brother, and he didn't believe Chu Jiang could actually do anything to him.

"Nine!"

Clang!

Just then,

A golden saber light flashed, and Tao Qing felt a chill on his neck. A thin line of blood spread, gradually widening and tearing open.

He looked down to see Chu Jiang had already sheathed his saber. The saber was so fast that he had no time to react.

Pfft!

Blood instantly gushed from his neck, staining the flagstones at the East Earl Residence's main gate.

Bang!

A headless corpse crashed to the ground. Tao Qing's eyes were wide with fury, his face filled with disbelief. He... died just like that.

You bastard, you just said nine, there were still eight, seven, six, five! You skipped straight to drawing your saber. He had intended to play a psychological game with him, to see who would break first, planning to act only when Chu Jiang counted to three, or even one.

As a result... he messed up. (ರ_ರ)...

Hiss!

The onlookers stared at Third Master Tao's headless body still gushing blood on the ground, their faces filled with shock, exclaiming, "Tao Qing, was he just killed like that?"

"Tao Qing is Marquis of Dongbo's only living blood brother. He will definitely not let this go!"

Marquis of Dongbo and his brother had a very good relationship, having gone through countless trials together.

The other aristocratic families in the city, seeing this scene, secretly felt fortunate.

Fortunately, they hadn't fiercely resisted the Demon Suppression Guard or directly confronted them, otherwise, they would almost certainly end up like Tao Qing.

They wouldn't think their status was more noble than Third Master Tao's.

At this moment,

Commander Niu Qian and the other local Demon Suppression Guards watched Chu Jiang's domineering move, their expressions excited.

Normally, this Third Master Tao had caused no small amount of trouble for his Demon Subjugation Camp.

Now that he was killed, it was a huge relief.

It was a strong sense of satisfaction for the Demon Suppression Guards he had once bullied.

Whoosh!

"Father!"

Another white-haired old man rushed out from deep within the residence, dropped to his knees with a thud, and wailed in agony, embracing the headless corpse.

"It's Tao Shan, Tao Qing's son!"

"Both Marquis of Dongbo and Tao Qing are long-lived individuals, having lived over a thousand years. Even their sons have grown into old men."

Although those in the Heaven and Earth Realm theoretically had a Lifespan of two thousand years, ninety percent of people could not live that long.

Some suffered severe injuries midway, sharply reducing their Lifespan; some had problems with their Cultivation Technique; some encountered evil things while exploring Secret Realms. Various reasons prevented people from truly dying of old age.

"Why, why did you kill my father? He is the personal brother of a Second-Rank Marquis of the current dynasty, what right do you have!"

Tao Shan looked at Chu Jiang, his eyes filled with uncontrollable rage, as if sparks would fly from them.

He wasn't grieving his father's death, but rather, with his father's death, his plan to control the East Earl Residence had fallen through.

Once Marquis of Dongbo died, he would use the excuse that Marquis of Dongbo's son was still young, allowing his father to temporarily manage affairs, and then he would slowly devour the Marquis Residence, take control of the underground human trafficking kingdom, and fully support his own Cultivation.

Bang!

Fu Yunxuan drew her Demon Suppression Blade, her voice icy, "Disregarding an adult is disregarding imperial authority. Challenging in public is considered treason."

Tao Shan said angrily, "Do you still have any laws!"

"Laws? My lord is the law, what do you intend to do?"

Fu Yunxuan said coldly.

Clang—

Hundreds of Demon Suppression Guards behind them simultaneously drew their sabers.

"Kneel!"

Hearing this,

Tao Shan felt like he was about to explode with anger, his temper flaring. They killed his father, and now they wanted him to kneel and beg for mercy from his father's killer.

Simply—outrageous!

He was someone who would inherit the Second-Rank Marquis's family business in the future. He would rather die standing than live kneeling.

Just then,

Tao Shan's expression was cold, staring intently at Chu Jiang.

Thump!

Slap!

"This commoner, Tao Shan, son of Tao Qing, greets Chu Marquis!"

"It was my father who spoke wildly just now and caused trouble. It has nothing to do with you, sir. I apologize to Chu Marquis on his behalf, and I ask for your forgiveness!"

Tao Shan slid to his knees at light speed.

Tao Qing: Ungrateful son, my bones aren't even cold yet, and you act like this? You've truly shamed our ancestors ( 乂｀д´)

This scene astonished everyone.

"I thought Tao Shan would be even more unyielding than his father. I had my small stool ready, and you show me this?"

"He couldn't even hold out for three breaths, he's even worse than his father!"

Everyone looked at Chu Jiang, filled with a mix of shock, fear, admiration, and envy.

The life of such a person was truly enviable to others: immense power, terrifying strength, a large group of loyal followers, and the companionship of an exquisite beauty.

He had it all.

...

Sigh.

Tao Qing was utterly frustrated.

But there was nothing he could do.

Although he wished he could tear Chu Jiang into a million pieces, in reality, there was no room for action.

With his father dead, he had lost the link connecting him to the Old Master in the Marquis Residence, and their relationship would surely plummet.

It was better to endure for now, preserve his life. As for revenge, that could wait.

Just as Tao Qing was kneeling and contemplating.

The Void Realm trembled.

Rumble!

A white-haired old man stepped out from the depths of the East Earl Residence, his Aura soaring, as if teleporting. He moved through the Void Realm and arrived at the Marquis Residence's main gate in moments, standing opposite Chu Jiang.

"This old man, Marquis of Dongbo, greets Lord Chu!"