'This place did get larger, glad that they continued to feed it more energy.'
Zhang Dong looked into the wide expanse that was the pocket dimension of the dimensional regalia. This place actually had a nice cool breeze running through it after they went through applying some elemental treasures.
This allowed them to fashion several biomes with different temperatures which helped certain herbs to grow. With the help of this dimension, they were able to grow rare herbs without the knowledge of other sects and the Soaring Dragon Sect overlords.
'It seems that even without me around they were prospering…'
He had left behind quite the treasure trove which would allow his people to progress even without him. After these five years of absence, there was no one that had step foot into the nascent soul stage but Huo Qiang had managed to reach the middle stage. If he had stayed then perhaps his wife would have been able to advance as well.
The first person he noticed was his grandmother, Feng Maling. She still looked like a baked potato. It seemed that she wasn't aging so well either.
"I didn't want to believe it, but it is truly you."
"Good to see you too, granny, you seem to be doing fine."
"Hah, that old bat is too stubborn to die, she also got the easy mission of protecting the kids."
"I'll never die before an old fart like you Zhang Jin."
Zhang Dong came along with a group of great circle cultivators and his grandfather. The moment they arrived the once old couple were at their throats yet again. While he found the two grandparents bickering with each other there was no time to lose. The sect's existence was at stake, with every minute spent bickering they were at risk of being eradicated.
"Enough, both of you. We don't have time for your lovers' squabbles we need to prepare the elders for their advancement and you two are going to be the first to go through the change."
Feng Maling and Zhang Jin almost fell over after he mentioned that they were bickering like an old married couple. While Zhang Jin's old cultivation had been quite messy, it had been revitalized by the new teachings and better cultivation methods. Now even this old man that was a great circle master could have his body cleansed from all impurities before progressing into the nascent soul level.
"My boy, this old lady is far too old, I'm not sure my body will be able to go through a change like this… but if the sect and the young ones can be saved, I am willing to try."
From the perspective of these old cultivators like Feng Maling, there was a very slim chance of surviving the transformation into the higher realm. The nascent soul stage was quite dangerous to attempt and it had claimed the most lives from any realm progressions.
Lucky for everyone here, they had Zhang Dong with them. With his extensive knowledge and his system, he would be able to choose the right cultivation method for everyone.
A large portion of the lives that this transformation claimed was due to the incorrect usage of the cultivator's talents. It was similar to Zhang Zhi's situation when he had chosen the wrong weapon to focus his talents on. Without Zhang Dong's involvement, the man would probably never have reached his true potential.
"Don't worry granny, you'll live, gramps will be fine too."
Soon more people started to appear, it was hard to count but almost fifty great circle core formation experts were now here. With the help of the improved cultivation methods and the right resources, the people from this sect could go through the realms at an astonishing speed.
Even without his help, it would be possible for all of the younger cultivators at this level to probably ascend into the nascent soul level before they reached the age of a hundred. This would cause quite the uproar through the empire though as even the giant sects like the Soaring Dragon Sect could not progress this fast while being at an area with the highest spirit energy density.
"I haven't been here in a while, can someone lead us to a secluded spot that is far away from the disciples."
Zhang Dong looked out into the distance and could feel many eyes on him. It was clear to him that he had been spotted by the young ones. He did not really hide himself from then and his aura was even more powerful than it was before. His intent was to give everyone a morale boost, with their beloved Patriarch back at the sect, they would be fearless.
"Ah yes, little Fei come over here."
Zhang Dong looked to the side of where this little Fei was supposed to be. There he saw someone peeking out from behind the corner while somewhat hiding themselves.
"Fei? What has gotten into you, pay respect to the Patriarch!"
Granny Maling lowered her voice which caused the person that was hiding to emerge. The moment he saw the woman he realized the reason why she was hiding. While the hair was a bit different he would not forget the set of assets that were jiggling with every move that this woman took.
"...Lan Fei greets the Patriarch, forgive me, I'll be your guide."
It was Lan Fei, the woman that had popped his cherry. He knew that she had come to his sect but after a few months he stopped paying attention to her as he focused on his wife and then the first child. It was still hard for a man to fully forget their first time.
While any feelings for the woman had evaporated a long time ago, he still felt somewhat strange while talking to her. With a little glance, he examined her deposition, which put her on the level of a recent middle stage core formation expert. This was quite the achievement but it would not be enough for her to progress towards the nascent soul stage.
"Let us depart now, time is of the essence and there are many brothers and sisters that require my help."
The disciple's Cheng Yun and Yang Rong included were greeted by a large group of flying elders. The whole sect dorm became loud as everyone noticed the peculiar white-haired Patriarch at the helm of their formation.
"W-was that the Patriarch?"
"It was, he looks the same as he did, I remember him from the entrance speech!"
"What is happening outside? What of the Soaring Dragon Sect?"
The disciples here had even more questions now. What had happened to the evacuation attempt, why was their dead Patriarch here and why were all of those prominent elders here with him.
While everyone had question marks above their heads Zhang Dong was flying towards a distant destination. Lan Fei brought them to a secluded mountain range that was built for combat training in mind. The disciples were many kilometers away from this destination and would not get in the way of the training.
"Good, please keep the disciples away from this area, for now, they will remain here."
While the sect was mostly intact the protective formation needed some work. The whole city was destroyed and some of the formation lines had to be redone. Before everything was fully fixed he didn't feel like putting disciples that were weak out there.
The enemies could arrive at any moment so the dimensional regalia needed to be ready for shipping at any time. It was still an immortal grade treasure that could not be damaged by anyone, even masters at the nascent soul level.
The only way to enter this pocket dimension was to either kill the current owner or somehow breach through the treasures defenses. He didn't really think that there was any craftsman that would be able to do that and killing him would also not be that easy. Thus the disciples were safer here than outside.
"Little Fei, forward the Patriarch's orders to the others, be sure that we don't get bothered by those rascals!"
There were a few disciples that would probably attempt to get to the bottom of what was happening. It was dangerous to interrupt people that were trying to pass into the nascent soul level as they could fail. It was also dangerous for a weak cultivator to be around someone that was a nascent soul master. They would release a devastating amount of Qi which could cause death to anyone below a certain level of power.
Zhang Dong looked at Lan Fei and bowed her head while also somewhat evading his gaze. It was clear to him that she was feeling awkward about this whole thing as well.
"Hm… Dong'er… you and that girly… you sly fox!"
His gaze trailed a little bit too long on the busty woman and he was noticed by his grandfather. Zhang Jin was a known womanizer so he had a keen eye for such things, he could instantly see that there was something going on.
"What are you talking about gramps?"
He got elbowed to the side by the old man who had a strange silly look on his face. Zhang Dong to this day didn't know how a person like this could score so many women. Even after hundreds of years, he could not keep his lower brain in check and his family number constantly grew each year but at least one.
"Don't worry, I won't tell your wife, grandpa understands, I knew you had it in you! You're just like your grandfather."
"I'm not anything like you, you old fart!"
Before Zhang Jin could continue he received a smack to the back of his head. If there weren't so many people here Zhang Dong could see himself choking his grandfather out at this very moment. Alas, he needed to remain cool and collected.
"Patriarch?"
Feng Maling turned to the unfolding scene along with the other core formation experts that were here. Everyone was a bit perplexed about the reason of the Patriarch hitting his own grandfather out of the blue.
"Hey, why did you smack me? Grandpa is going to be sad when his favorite grandchild acts like this!"
Zhang Jin started rubbing his face while trying to act cute. Though he was someone that was far above the age of a hundred, so even when he tried the puppy dog eyes, Zhang Dong could only cringe.
"Excuse me…"
Zhang Dong turned around while coughing into his fist. It was time to get these elders up a notch. He wasn't sure if all of them could make the jump to the next level but the more he got up there the better their chances at survival were.
"Well then, I think you know how it goes gramps, you've gone through the process before…"
"Uh… Dong'er… please be gentle with this old man…"
"Don't worry, I'm always gentle."
Zhang Dong cracked his knuckles while bringing up his sect's window. It was time to cleanse everyone's body from impurities and then use some of those spirit stones they got from their attackers to push their power levels towards a new level.