Frog in a Well

So he contacted the Wang Family and the Wan Family, intending to use their influence to kill Situ Yuntian's three sons amidst the chaos.

This included the Situ Family's final trump card, Situ Yunlei.

As for how to deal with the three Grand Elders? Xu Zimo's lips curved into a smile.

Meanwhile, Xiao Guizi had already returned to his room. He still found Xu Zimo somewhat inscrutable, always feeling that his senior brother didn't play by the rules.

The sky gradually darkened, and Zhouque City seemed unusually quiet tonight.

In Xu Zimo's room, he looked at Hei Shisan and instructed, "See those three old men off!"

"Off to leave Zhouque City?" Hei Shisan asked, confused.

"No, off to leave this world," Xu Zimo said calmly.

Hei Shisan froze for a moment, but then nodded and left the room.

Outside Zhouque City, four figures were sprinting. The First Elder looked at Hei Shisan, who was leading the way, and said politely, "It's late, and I'm troubling you, sir, to escort us to the Sacred Sect. Thank you for your trouble."

Hei Shisan shook his head indifferently.

A gentle evening breeze blew, and the moonlight cast a pale, ghastly white on the ground. The wind tonight seemed particularly cold.

From the silent city behind them, the sound of dogs barking could still be heard.

As their vision receded, the scenery of Zhouque City gradually blurred in their sight.

Finally, they arrived before a high slope, and Hei Shisan stopped.

He stood at the very top of the slope, the cold wind whipping his messy hair.

His emotionless eyes looked at the three elders as if they were corpses.

"What is it?" the First Elder asked with a dry laugh.

"Nothing, it's time for you to hit the road," Hei Shisan said faintly, drawing his long saber.

"What do you mean?" The Second Elder frowned, taking a small step back, and asked warily.

Hei Shisan didn't reply. With a "clang," his saber was unsheathed.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang!" Four sounds echoed as Lunquan, Xuangu, Chaoyingfeng, and Kunhai all opened their meridians.

The aura of the Empty Meridian Realm descended like a massive mountain, engulfing the surroundings.

"To think you are all disciples of the True Martial Sacred Sect! I knew these people couldn't be fully trusted," the First Elder shouted.

Then, the three elders stood in three different directions. Spiritual energy surged from their bodies, and their three meridians opened wide.

The three took out formation plates from their storage rings and poured their spiritual energy into them frantically.

Once the formation plates were activated, the three simultaneously tossed them into the air.

A brilliant black light shone out, and the three formation plates merged into one, forming a black cage that enveloped Hei Shisan.

The formation plates shattered, and countless formation seals flew out, arranging themselves according to the formation's pattern.

"Fortunately, we were prepared," the First Elder said smugly.

Formation plates were used to store formation seals. When a formation master fought, they usually had to form seals on the spot, which was too slow and easy for the opponent to dodge.

Thus, a long time ago, someone researched formation plates, which could store pre-made formation seals.

If needed during a fight, one could simply shatter the formation plate, and the formation seals would be instantly activated and deployed.

Although it all looked complicated, it happened in an instant.

Hei Shisan frowned as he looked at the black cage surrounding him. The long saber in his hand erupted with a sapphire glow.

The saber's light stirred up a storm of dust, and even the ground beneath his feet was cleaved into a wide path, his momentum unstoppable.

But when it struck the black cage, it seemed to be swallowed, not even causing a ripple.

"Don't waste your energy. This is a Level 4 formation, the Darkness Cage. We can't kill you, but we can trap you for a night," the First Elder said triumphantly. "Since Xu Zimo made the first move, don't blame us. We'll go to Zhouque City now and spread the word, exposing that scoundrel's true face."

"Yes, we must expose all his crimes!" the Second Elder gritted his teeth.

That guy had promised them he would help them join the True Martial Sacred Sect and advance to the Empty Meridian Realm.

But now, he had reneged on all his promises and even wanted to kill them to silence them.

They, the three Grand Elders, had betrayed the entire Situ Family for this, only to end up like this.

The anger in their hearts was unimaginable.

"Don't treat everyone like an idiot," the Third Elder scoffed. "From the day you approached us to cooperate, we planned to keep a backup. We prepared this Level 4 formation, and I didn't expect we'd actually have to use it."

"Just frogs in a well," Hei Shisan said. Realizing he couldn't break the formation, he sat down cross-legged and stopped attacking.

"What do you mean?" the First Elder asked, frowning.

"I admit you're not stupid and knew to hold something back, but you'll never understand how vast this world truly is," Hei Shisan said indifferently.

"Who are you trying to scare?" the Third Elder asked blandly. "You can barely protect yourself right now, yet you dare to boast."

Hei Shisan shot the three elders a cold glance, said nothing, and closed his eyes to rest.

"What do we do now?"

Just as the three were discussing their next move, a voice suddenly rang out from above.

"It seems the young master was right. Three little mice, actually daring to think they could escape the cage."

"Who, who's speaking?" the three elders roared in unison, nervously looking up.

Shili Changkong, clad in white and holding a sword, walked through the air, yawning casually.

"Who are you?" the First Elder and the other two swallowed, asking nervously.

The fact that he could walk through the air meant his cultivation realm was at least in the Empty Meridian Realm.

And though he hadn't revealed the slightest bit of aura, the pressure the three elders felt from him was even greater than when facing Hei Shisan.

"The farce is over," Shili Changkong said, not even bothering to draw his sword. He simply made a casual slash in the air with his sheathed blade.

The next moment, a dazzling sword light erupted before the eyes of the three elders, their lives frozen at that final instant.

The next day, Zhouque City looked much the same as before.

Vendors woke up at their usual times, set up stalls in their usual spots, and the city began to bustle and thrive at its customary pace.

"I'm willing to help you manage the Situ Family," Situ Yunqing, who had tossed and turned all night, said earnestly to Xu Zimo early that morning.

Xu Zimo introduced Shili Changkong to Situ Yunqing, saying, "From now on, he will be your guard. You two will manage the Situ Family together, and he can protect you if any danger arises."

After sending Situ Yunqing away, Xu Zimo called Shili Changkong aside.