The final outcome of the duel between the Sword Sect and Lu Shi resulted in Lu Yuan’s victory, replacing She Jian Lian Nian in his position.

Thus, the final five individuals were: From the Sword Sect, the Miscellaneous Sword Immortal Ximen Luan; Shu Jian Yu Danqing; from the Qi Sect, Nangong Zhe—yes, the solemn, usually silent Nangong Zhe, who had been in the same Confinement Cliff as Lu Yuan, was the last to enter the top five of the Qi Sect. Lu Yuan couldn't help but muse that neither of the other two he shared the Confinement Cliff with was to be trifled with. Oh, right, the last two among these five were from the Sword Qi Sect: Ye Qingshun, an elder with a long white beard who appeared rather benevolent. And the last one, naturally, was Lu Yuan. Ximen Luan, Yu Danqing, Nangong Zhe, Ye Qingshun, and Lu Yuan—five people in total.

Now, these five were about to set off deep into the Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud to retrieve the Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud Pills. Before setting off, the one least expected to succeed was naturally Lu Yuan. The other four were certainly fine; the lowest among them possessed cultivation at the fifth or sixth level of the Body Tempering Stage, allowing them to endure the Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud, which was ten times denser than usual, and successfully obtain the pills. However, Lu Yuan's spiritual power was too low; enduring the environment within the Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud would be immensely difficult.

“Ha, it seems Junior Brother Hua from the Sword Qi Sect won't be getting any Black Tribulation Cloud Pills this time.” “Indeed, indeed.” “Seeing him suffer makes me rather pleased.” “Actually, me too.” Everyone was convinced that Lu Yuan would fail to acquire the Black Tribulation Cloud Pill.

Ximen Luan, Yu Danqing, Nangong Zhe, Ye Qingshun, and Lu Yuan finally departed. As they set off, Ye Qingshun remarked, “Stay near me when we get there. If possible, I’ll help shield you from some of the tribulation cloud.” As they were all from North Peak, mutual support was only natural at this point. Lu Yuan shook his head. “Thank you, Martial Uncle Ye, but there's no need. I have my own means.”

That expanse of the character ‘Void’ hung overhead. The entire space of Confinement Peak, save for the Confinement Path, was completely sealed off from the outside world. Above Confinement Peak, white, cyan, black, crimson, and yellow alternated, the interweaving of these five colors marking the place where the Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud was densest, concealing the Five-Colored Tribulation Well.

Ximen Luan, one of the original Eight Sword Immortals of East Peak, handled it the most easily. With practically no preparation, he stepped into the Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud above his head. He wore a flowing cyan robe, clearly not taking the Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud too seriously. Yu Danqing drew his sword, which rotated continuously around him, writing leaping characters that forcefully blocked the Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud. However, the pressure didn't seem light.

Nangong Zhe of the Qi Sect waved his hand, releasing a pale violet mana shield that physically held back the Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud. This task was not overly difficult for Nangong Zhe, as he frequently used the mana shield spell to ward off various attacks.

Ye Qingshun of the Sword Qi Sect flicked his finger and released a Dharma Treasure named the Three Buddha Glazed Pagoda. It hovered above his head, and the sound of Sanskrit chanting boomed forth. The Jin Kingdom had no Buddhist cultivators, but neighboring countries did, meaning Buddhist Dharma Treasures sometimes flowed in. Buddhist Dharma Treasures lacked offensive power, but their defense was exceptionally high.

To enter the Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud truly required each person to display their unique abilities, and undoubtedly, Lu Yuan was the weakest among the group at this moment.

Lu Yuan, what could he do?

The others watched as Lu Yuan made no move to summon any Dharma Treasure, but instead, a canopy of five interwoven colors—white, cyan, black, crimson, and yellow—spontaneously manifested above his head. These five colors rotated, and he passed directly into the Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud. Could Lu Yuan withstand the Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud at this intensity? That was the question everyone was most curious about.

If he couldn't hold on, he would surely be immediately ejected by the four companions accompanying him. Those waiting outside waited, yet Lu Yuan’s figure never appeared. It seemed he had already ventured deep into the Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud. Could it be that Lu Yuan could truly manage within the Five Elements Tribulation Cloud simply by relying on the five-colored canopy above his head?

In fact, it wasn't just the spectators who were curious; the four who entered with him—Ximen Luan, Yu Danqing, Nangong Zhe, and Ye Qingshun—were all extremely curious. They saw Lu Yuan raise the five-colored canopy and move within it with complete ease, showing no sign of pressure whatsoever.

To be honest, Lu Yuan wasn't just free of pressure; he was feeling quite delighted. The intense density of the Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud here allowed his Five-Colored Sword Dao to advance rapidly. The five colors above his head grew purer, the five-colored light almost having substance, nearly on the verge of transforming into five true, tangible swords.

Once transformed into five five-colored swords, even if it wasn't the ultimate achievement of the Five Emperors Sword Dao, his defensive capability would increase another step.

The reason these people failed to recognize Lu Yuan's Five-Colored Sword Dao was because Yan Cangtian's Five Emperors Five Sovereigns Reincarnation Sword Dao was created in his later years. Only a few top figures of that era knew of it; others were completely unaware.

Ximen Luan, Lu Yuan, and the other three advanced through the Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud. Lu Yuan had no set direction, simply following the four. After an unknown amount of time, Ximen Luan stopped. He waved his hand, and the surrounding Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud temporarily dissipated slightly. Only then did Lu Yuan see a door appear ahead.

This door was also constantly cycling through white, cyan, black, crimson, and yellow—five streams of light circulating. Ximen Luan explained, “This is the Five-Colored Gate. It opens once every ten years, and now is the time. However, the Five-Colored Gate only permits five people inside at a time, so a battle for the pills ensues. The top five ranked individuals can pass through this gate into the Five-Colored Cave.” “The Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud Pills are inside the Five-Colored Cave.”

Ximen Luan moved and darted into the door swirling with five lights. The other three followed in succession. Seeing this, Lu Yuan also entered the door of flowing five lights. He felt a moment of dizziness and found himself past the door, having arrived on the other side.

It was a vast, empty cavern. Exactly in the center of the cavern floor lay five round pills, each resting on a tray. These trays did not appear to be formed by later hands but seemed naturally condensed by the primordial heavens—resembling trays formed from stalactites. The five pills were precisely white, cyan, black, crimson, and yellow. Each pill was slightly larger than a thumb, lying there quietly.

At this point, there was naturally no dispute. Each person took their designated pill. After struggling for so long, coupled with good fortune, they had finally obtained the Black Tribulation Cloud Pill—it truly hadn't been easy. The Black Tribulation Cloud Pill did not have the troublesome mutual restraint properties of the Longevity Fruit, but Lu Yuan had nothing suitable to store it in. He ended up placing it in a ceramic bottle originally intended for the Longevity Fruit, which he had fortunately kept until now.

After securing the Black Tribulation Cloud Pill, Lu Yuan had the leisure to observe the massive cavern behind the Five-Colored Gate. He noticed the cavern walls were extremely bare, showing signs of having been scraped clean of something. Ye Qingshun, the elder from the Sword Qi Sect and also from North Peak, explained, “This is the Five-Colored Cave. When our North Peak’s Second Generation Ancestor established Confinement Peak, he discovered this cave. At that time, aside from the Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud Pills appearing every ten years, there was nothing else here. The Second Generation Ancestor, being idle for a period, cultivated in seclusion here and decided to carve all his techniques for breaking various sword styles onto the stone walls of this cave. This included not just the schools of the Jin Kingdom, but also some schools from the Great Qin Kingdom and the Great Yuan Kingdom. Back then, the stone walls of the Five-Colored Cave were covered with sword techniques from every school, along with methods to break those techniques—it was quite a marvel. At that time, the Second Generation Ancestor was unrivaled in the Jin Kingdom; his status was no less than that of Martial Uncle Yan. Even people from the Great Qin Kingdom had to give up. However, after the Second Generation Ancestor ascended, various pressures mounted, eventually forcing our Huashan Immortal Sect to destroy all the sword techniques and their counter-methods carved into the stone walls, not even keeping residual copies or rubbings.”

Speaking of the past glory of the North Peak’s Second Generation Ancestor, Ye Qingshun was filled with pride, much like how the Sword Sect considered Yan Cangtian to be its strongest figure in five thousand years, and the Sword Qi Sect undoubtedly considered the Second Generation Ancestor its strongest in five thousand years. Naturally, he spoke of this with immense pride.

Ye Qingshun continued, “Actually, the Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud Pills alone wouldn't cause us to fight over them. The main reason is that every ten years, we come to this cave to look upon the traces of what was destroyed. Back then, this place was etched with every sword technique and its counter. Now, observing the traces left after they were chiseled away, we hope to glean some understanding of sword techniques.”

So that was the reason!

Lu Yuan nodded. He glanced around and saw that Ximen Luan, Yu Danqing, and Nangong Zhe had all found the most heavily scarred and chaotic spots and begun to observe. For sword cultivators, observing one more formidable sword technique brought immense benefit. Even if one specialized in only one style, observing others' techniques was hugely advantageous.

After introducing this to Lu Yuan, Ye Qingshun also found a spot and began his observation.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan started searching for a place as well. He quickly located an area with numerous scratches and sat down, centering his mind, observing carefully.

He settled his mind and gazed at the stone wall for a long time, but ultimately saw nothing. Vaguely, he seemed to perceive sword strikes, but only got a general impression; the details were completely obscured. This was truly disappointing. Lu Yuan couldn't help but wonder what a treasure trove this cave must have been before the Second Generation Ancestor ascended, containing hundreds, perhaps more, of sword techniques. Just imagining it stirred deep longing.