Atop a towering Spirit Peak, Chang Qishui gazed into the distance. Before long, the silhouette of a tower ship emerged from the depths of the void, heading straight toward them.
"They're here!" Chang Qishui barked, raising his hand. "Activate the formation!"
At his command, the many Golden Rainbow State Open Heaven cultivators who had long been in position activated their respective formation nodes in unison. In an instant, layer after layer of brilliant light barriers sprang to life around the entirety of Golden Rainbow State, blanketing the place in seven or eight shimmering shields in the blink of an eye.
Golden Rainbow State's heritage was older and more prestigious than even the Senluo Altar. At its peak, it had been comparable to one of the Seventy-Two Blessed Realms. Though it had since declined and no longer boasted many powerhouses, the accumulated depth of its legacy remained formidable after countless ages.
Now that the Protective Grand Formation had been activated, that depth was on full display.
The layered barriers enveloped Golden Rainbow State, making the place look as solid as an iron fortress, steady as a mountain—able to withstand the fiercest gale and tempest without yielding an inch.
The depth of a faction's legacy bore upon two aspects. The first was the power of the grand formations it could deploy—the greater the legacy, the more potent the formations. The second was the assistance disciples might receive when advancing to the Open Heaven Realm.
Given the chance, every Open Heaven cultivator of any faction would choose to return to their Sect's territory in their final days to pass away in meditation. After death, their Small Universe would collapse, and the World Force within would dissipate and be absorbed by the Sect's grounds. That was how a faction's accumulated depth slowly grew over time.
A warrior's Small Universe was suffused with the traces of their personal Dao—the crystallization of a lifetime of cultivation, brimming with all manner of insights into their own path. These insights would seep into the territory along with the dissipating World Force, lingering there beneath the surface.
If a later disciple whose comprehended Dao happened to align with that of a predecessor advanced within the same grounds, they could absorb that elder's lingering legacy. Naturally, this increased their chances of a successful breakthrough.
For these two reasons, every faction placed tremendous importance on the accumulated depth of their base.
Golden Rainbow State's legacy was considerable. With a heritage stretching back as far as it did, it could hardly be lacking. Though the grand formation here could not match the myriad mysteries of Void Land's Nine Heavens Grand Formation, in terms of raw defensive power alone, it was not far behind—and might even surpass it.
Void Land had only been established recently. Its predecessor, Seven Mysteries Earth, had been a second-rate power as well, but even among second-rate factions it had ranked in the lower tier. Even with years of accumulation, it could not compare to a place like Golden Rainbow State.
Give it a few thousand or ten thousand years, and Void Land's legacy would deepen considerably. When that happened, the Nine Heavens Grand Formation would only grow more powerful.
That was why, despite knowing that Void Land had brought six or seven Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivators along with dozens more below that rank, Chang Qishui still harbored the will to resist. What he was counting on—aside from his own ancestor's promise—was Golden Rainbow State's Protective Grand Formation.
Their Open Heaven cultivators might not match the intruders in either level or numbers, but defending from behind a grand formation meant they were far from powerless.
On the tower ship, Yang Kai gazed at the spirit province shimmering beneath the glow of its formation and snorted coldly. "So they were on guard against us all along."
He had found it strange earlier when he noticed Golden Rainbow State monitoring the surroundings. He had not known who they were preparing for. Now he understood—they were the ones Golden Rainbow State had been bracing against.
But how had Golden Rainbow State known he would come? And how had they prepared so far in advance?
The only explanation was that someone from the Senluo Altar had tipped them off.
A faint, cold laugh escaped him. Did they think hiding behind a Protective Grand Formation would keep them safe? Naive. Void Land's Nine Heavens Grand Formation hadn't held for long when besieged—how could this Golden Rainbow State fare any better? The Hundred Families Alliance had looked imposing with their numbers, but true powerhouses among them had been few and far between. And now? His own side's Open Heaven cultivators were multiple times stronger than that alliance had ever been.
In a short while, the tower ship had sailed to the outer edge of Golden Rainbow State's formation. Standing on the deck, Yang Kai peered through the barriers at the spirit province within. The landscape was picturesque, naturally magnificent—a truly impressive sight.
Atop the tallest Spirit Peak, three figures stood watching in silence. The one at the front was a commanding presence, broad and imposing. When their eyes met, he called out, "Who goes there?"
"Yang Kai of Void Land!" Yang Kai replied, glancing sideways. "And who might you be?"
"Chang Qishui of Golden Rainbow State!" the man at the front answered, then pressed further. "May I ask what brings Brother Yang all this way to Golden Rainbow State?"
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes. "Qi Jin, the leader of your Golden Rainbow State, led others to encroach upon Void Land without cause. Today, I have come to demand justice from your Sect."
Chang Qishui furrowed his brow. "I wonder what sort of justice Brother Yang has in mind?"
Yang Kai flashed a grin. "An eye for an eye, a grievance for a grievance. Since your Golden Rainbow State committed the offense first, I have come today to flatten it!"
Chang Qishui's expression darkened, and he let out a low shout. "Brother Yang speaks so boldly—it seems you hold Golden Rainbow State in far too low regard! Our State may be weakened, but that does not mean anyone can bully us at will. Qi Jin offended your Sect and was slain within Void Land. He brought that upon himself. Golden Rainbow State does not dispute that, nor have we ever entertained thoughts of avenging him. But if anyone dares to attack our Sect's territory, the whole of Golden Rainbow State will never allow it!"
Yang Kai regarded him with cool indifference. "I have come today for one purpose—to level Golden Rainbow State. Whether people live or die is of no consequence to me. If you choose to resist stubbornly, I'm afraid quite a few innocent souls won't live to see tomorrow's sun. You would do well to reconsider."