Half a month later.
The East Sea Dao Alliance's vast army swept into Yu Province in the Central Lands. Its passage was smooth, and no one dared stand in its way.
The banners of the Unorthodox Nine Schools had been remade. Each bore a yin-yang symbol surrounded by eight distinctive sect emblems, together forming an entirely new crest.
It was the crest of the Dao Alliance.
The Dao Alliance had landed at the Dragon Spring Sword Sect. The sect had finished assembling its forces long before and had already set out for Sunbright Valley.
Before entering Yu Province, the Dao Alliance had sent a summons to every sect of the Three Daos: it had come to the Central Lands solely for the Ascension Platforms and would not touch so much as a hair on anyone's head.
The East Sea Dao Venerable's name carried considerable weight. Disciples of various sects and Rogue Cultivators along the route even dared to stop and watch. None tried to bar the way.
The six pillars of light still pierced the heavens, shining without pause, day and night.
Over the past month, the pillars had drawn steadily closer to the ground. Their upper ends had begun to take shape, and six magnificent Heaven Gates were slowly emerging from the void.
From time to time, cultivators soared up to investigate the six Heaven Gates.
But before they had risen even a hundred yards, the overwhelming might of heaven forced them back to earth, leaving them in sorry states.
Even cultivators who had survived the Second Nine Heavenly Tribulation tried pouring every ounce of their power into flying toward the gates. They, too, were crushed back down. Forget approaching them—they could not get within a hundred yards.
Such was the might of heaven. No one could resist it.