The actions of the four people were all monitored by Chu Tian's divine sense.
Seeing the movements of the two women, Chu Tian sighed inwardly, realizing his guess was correct.
These four were no ordinary individuals, despite their excellent concealment.
They showed no sign of exposure, even when facing such humiliation or potential death.
What they displayed was merely the instinct of ordinary people fighting for survival: obeying orders and going through with the depraved acts.
Their ability to endure such treatment, likely to protect themselves or their companions, suggested a hidden agenda.
"Benefactor, we should leave. The city guards are approaching!"
Yue Shang stepped in front of Chu Tian, blocking the direction from which the city guards were coming.
Her intention was to shield the square seal Chu Tian held.
Chu Tian flipped his hand, retracting the Myriad Beast Seal.
He looked into the distance.
A隊 of several hundred soldiers appeared, their equipment different from those at the city gate.
These soldiers were better equipped and carried an aura of slaughter.
Individuals with such an aura were undoubtedly those who had taken countless lives.
Upon arrival, they split into two squads to encircle the sand scorpions.
In a single exchange, the sand scorpions not controlled by the Myriad Beast Seal were reduced to fragments.
The other squad intercepted the fleeing individuals to inquire about the situation.
"Benefactor, we should go." Yue Shang sounded somewhat anxious.
"If we leave now, it will only make them more suspicious," Chu Tian said slowly.
As the two conversed, a voice suddenly cut through the air.
"You two, halt!" The leader of the soldier squad called out to Chu Tian and Yue Shang.
"We moved?" Chu Tian frowned, glancing sideways at the speaker.
"Hmph, you dare talk back to me?" The man’s expression soured upon seeing Chu Tian's attitude.
At that moment, Yue Shang's forehead began to sweat.
The surrounding Ta clan civilians looked at Chu Tian with altered expressions.
This fellow was too bold. These were the City Lord's guards. Normally, they wouldn't be dispatched for routine incidents within the city, but perhaps they were already nearby today, which prompted their direct investigation.
This commoner, facing the City Lord's guards, displayed such an attitude. Wasn't he courting death?
If it were them, they would immediately obey, even if a mere soldier ordered them to eat excrement, lest their entire families suffer.
The squad leader's command to halt, though truthful as the two hadn't moved, was enough grounds to warrant his execution and the annihilation of his family based on his "talking back."
"I am stating a fact! And mind your tone." Chu Tian frowned.
What?
Chu Tian's outburst nearly made Yue Shang keel over.
The onlookers' eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
"I find you two highly suspicious now." The captain of the City Lord's guards' eyes turned cold.
"Everyone else is fleeing for their lives, yet you two remain unmoved. I have reason to suspect that you are the instigators of everything that has happened here."
"Men, take them back for interrogation."
The captain spoke in a suppressed, deep tone.
"And what if I refuse?" Chu Tian looked at him with contempt.
"You dare defy me? Kill them without mercy!" The City Guard captain's eyes narrowed; he was practically hoping Chu Tian would resist.
"Heh, I try to reason with you, and you want to resort to force. Do you... think you can win?" Chu Tian's eyes opened, revealing an aura of authority.
With a flip of his hand, *swish*...!
A seven-tiered pagoda materialized.
As Chu Tian released his aura, the City Lord's guard captain was about to bellow.
But... upon seeing the pagoda in Chu Tian's hand, he froze.
Yue Shang, standing nearby, also blinked in surprise and looked at her palm. The pagoda she held now had only two tiers remaining.
"Now, do you want to reason with me, or settle this with force?" Chu Tian narrowed his eyes at the captain.
The latter visibly trembled.
"M-My lord... When an incident occurs here, your subordinate is merely performing his duty!"
The captain's attitude shifted instantaneously.
The surrounding crowd also looked at Chu Tian with newfound respect.
"Then may I leave?" Chu Tian asked again.
"Yes, my lord, please proceed!" The squad leader bowed and cleared a path.
His words and humble posture prevented the bystanders from mocking him.
Chu Tian's seven-tiered pagoda divine ability was a testament to his strength.
The highest pagoda divine ability in the Ta clan was nine tiers, achieved by those with exceptionally pure bloodlines, known as Royal Bloodlines.
The next level, an eight-tiered pagoda, denoted a Royal Bloodline.
Those with Royal Bloodlines possessed supreme authority within the Ta clan.
However, they were rarely seen.
Individuals with Royal Bloodlines were typically stationed at the borders, serving as commanders and expanding the Ta clan's territory while seizing resources.
As for the seven-tiered pagoda Chu Tian wielded, it signified a commander in the border regions.
It was precisely their efforts that allowed the civilians in the Ta clan's interior regions to develop in peace and prosperity.
However, individuals with a seven-tiered pagoda were not easily encountered. They were second only to the Royal Bloodlines, possessing formidable combat power, and ordinary people might never see one in their lifetime.
As for the City Lord, who these civilians viewed with utmost reverence, his pagoda divine ability was only six tiers.
Most such individuals were retired from border service and possessed certain means.
Now, with a seven-tiered pagoda expert appearing before them, no one dared to speak.
These were their heroes! Without their defense against other races at the borders and the regular transport of resources to the hinterland, how could they enjoy their current lives?
Chu Tian walked past him and, as they brushed shoulders, he whispered.
"I am here to investigate a traitor. Do not let word of my arrival spread widely."
With that, Chu Tian led Yue Shang away.
"Yes... my lord!" The City Guard squad leader froze, then recalled the events that had transpired. The four human men and women disappearing from the cage could only be the work of a pure-blooded human expert. It seemed this lord was here to apprehend them.
He immediately recognized the importance of the matter; otherwise, why would a seven-tiered pagoda lord personally intervene?
"Seal the scene. No one is to leave. Arrest them all!" The City Guard captain stated calmly and then walked towards the auction stage.
What was going on?
The surrounding crowd fell into a panic.
However, upon hearing the captain's explicit order, no one dared to flee.
They could only be dutifully rounded up by the other soldiers.
A large group of people was escorted to the dungeons.
This was the first time in the city's history that hundreds of people were sent to prison.
Moreover, most of these hundreds were well-known figures within the city.
Who among ordinary citizens would attend an auction and spend money to buy pure-blooded human slaves?
Far from the scene, Yue Shang asked.
"Benefactor, are you a Soul Controller?"