Chapter 41: Upper Realm

The survivors were quickly called forward, and one after another, they stepped onto the massive circular Formation. Nearly a hundred survivors eventually stood together across the platform, their expressions containing a mixture of uncertainty and relief as they prepared to leave the place where they had spent most of their lives.

Some looked back toward the ruined Stoneheart Sect in silence, while others lowered their heads, unable to hide the grief caused by everything they had lost. Even though they were leaving for a safer place, many of them knew that they might never see their home again.

Han stepped forward and took out a jade token bearing the symbol of the Nine Lotus Sect before throwing it toward one of the younger female survivors. She hurriedly caught it with both hands, staring at the token for a moment before looking toward Han.

"This is the token you will need. Show it to any Sect Master you meet, and they will take you in immediately. The Nine Lotus Sect’s name will be enough to guarantee that you receive the assistance you need." The girl tightly held the jade token against her chest and nodded repeatedly. "Thank you..."

Han simply nodded before turning toward Qing, who was already standing beside the edge of the Formation. Qing placed his hand over one of the Formation’s central patterns and slowly began circulating his Spiritual Qi through it.

The entire Formation immediately lit up as the surrounding Spiritual Qi was drawn inward, causing the intricate patterns across the platform to glow one after another. A powerful wave of Spiritual Qi spread through the area as the Formation began operating at full capacity.

The survivors felt the space beneath their feet begin to distort, and several of them instinctively tightened their grips on their belongings as the scenery around them gradually became covered in a faint white light.

Qing watched calmly as the Formation stabilized, carefully monitoring the flow of Spiritual Qi to ensure there would be no problems during the transfer. "Don’t worry, the Formation is stable," Qing said calmly. "You will arrive safely."

His words immediately eased the remaining tension among the survivors. Han looked toward Qing for a moment before nodding, while the survivors began saying their final farewells to the few Nine Lotus Sect cultivators who had helped them.

The white light surrounding the Formation gradually intensified until the figures of nearly a hundred survivors became completely obscured. A moment later, the entire group disappeared.

The massive circular platform became silent once again, leaving only the faint remnants of Spiritual Qi slowly dispersing through the air. Qing looked toward the empty space where the survivors had stood and remained silent for a brief moment before turning back toward Han and the other Nine Lotus Sect cultivators. "Now, should we go to the Nine Lotus Sect, Senior Yue, Senior Han?"

Yue nodded while Han spoke up, "Let me introduce you to my brother and sister of our Sect. She is Mei Xue, and he is Wei Tianyu." He pointed toward the other two among the four Nine Lotus Sect cultivators who had come here.

Qing nodded and stepped forward as he shook their hands. "Nice to meet you, I think we would also be brothers and sisters soon, because I am going to become a disciple of the Sect soon."

Both Mei Xue and Wei Tianyu arched their eyebrows when they heard this before turning toward Yue, who nodded as she spoke, "He is telling the truth. As per our deal, he helped us deal with that Formation and asked to become a disciple of our Sect. From his talent alone, we can take him in, but it all depends on the Sect Master, who might test him regardless."

With that, both Mei Xue and Tianyu nodded before shaking Qing’s hand with smiles on their faces.

Han spoke up next, "We need to set up a specific Formation to go back to the Sect. After all, it’s in a completely different Realm." He finally revealed it, making Qing arch an eyebrow as he pretended not to know about it, "What? Another Realm?!"

Yue and the others chuckled when they saw him this shocked for the first time.

Yue responded to his reaction as she spoke, "Yes, another Realm. Specifically, an Upper Realm where the highest Cultivation Realm is even above the Tribulation Transcendence Realm." Qing widened his eyes as he thought, ’Well, well, my acting right now must be top class.’

He mused before speaking, "A-An Upper Realm? I-Isn’t the Azure Heaven Realm the only Realm in the Grand Heaven and Dao?"

Yue shook her head as she spoke, "No, that is wrong knowledge passed down to mortals like you. There are countless Realms out there in the grand scheme of the Dao. Although that knowledge is for later, you can learn about these things once you come into our Sect Library." Qing arched an eyebrow before nodding. "Alright then, but what’s this specific Formation you are talking about that can take us there?"

Han finally moved from his position and appeared on the circular floor once again as he spoke, "This..." He raised his index and middle fingers while the other fingers remained curled inward, as if he were making a hand sign to activate the Formation. "This is the Formation."

The moment he spoke, a massive circular Formation with three different holes around its edges came into existence as it floated above the circular floor about an inch. Qing narrowed his eyes as he couldn’t recognize it from his past life, but his Ultimate Comprehension immediately discerned its structure.

’Hmm, it’s a pre-established Formation, and a Twelve-Star one at that. Maybe an Elder or Grand Elder gave him the activation sign for a Sealed Jade that had this Formation locked inside it.’

’It also has an enormous amount of Spiritual Qi circulating through the Circulation Formation integrated inside it. Maybe Han can’t feel or see it.’ He concluded before speaking up, "So it can take us there? This seems like a very complicated Formation."

Han chuckled before speaking, "Yes, it will take us there. Now, come on, everyone." With that, Yue and the others immediately stepped forward, and Qing followed without questioning anything further. As he stepped onto the Formation, his expression remained calm, but his thoughts were already moving toward what came next.

’Now the real plans need to be set in motion. First comes that damn duplicate Sect Master... but even before that, I need to sign in. Hehe~.’