The Nine Generations of Sword Immortals each possessed their own distinct personalities. Venerable Yuan Yuan was utterly steady, seeing the bigger picture, and holding himself to an extremely high standard. Li Yuanbai was quite world-weary.

Fang Ru was composed, possessing the demeanor of a true gentleman. Ye Yangrong was exceedingly smooth, a true trickster. Sima Changbai carried an aggressive aura, quite overbearing.

Dugu Ye was the only woman among the Nine Generations of Sword Immortals; usually decisive and ruthless in combat, yet she would occasionally display a delicate side before her senior brothers and sometimes indulged in playful antics. Chu Fei was mild-mannered, always inclined to speak pleasantly. The reason Dugu Ye was chosen to lead this expedition this time was multifaceted: Venerable Yuan Yuan and Ye Yangrong naturally could not leave the North Peak; Fang Ru would have been suitable, but he had other pressing matters; Sima Changbai and Lu Yuan were irreconcilable enemies, making him an unsuitable choice.

Therefore, in the end, Dugu Ye and Chu Fei were designated as the leaders. At this point, they had already arrived at Kunlun Mountain. Encountering the Kunlun Jianmu, they felt an urge to climb it.

This Kunlun Jianmu had emerald leaves and purple stems, with dark yellow fruit. Its trunk rose perfectly straight into the clouds, its height immeasurable, becoming increasingly shrouded in mist the higher it ascended. Mu Ruolan remarked, "The Jianmu Cloud surrounding this great tree is contained within a four-zhang radius of the main branches.

As long as one stays within that four-zhang perimeter, it should be fine." This sounded manageable. Dugu Ye smiled, "Alright then. Let's begin." Dugu Ye, Chu Fei, Yun Yi, Yun Ping, and Lu Yuan—five of them—could fly and thus need not climb; they could ascend directly.

The other seven, led by Ling Yuzhu, could not fly and had no choice but to climb. As soon as they began ascending the Jianmu, Lu Yuan felt a pressure bearing down on his body, but this pressure wasn't overly significant. Then, they began to fly upward.

Lu Yuan ascended at a steady, unhurried pace. Dugu Ye had already flown to an unknown height. Chu Fei, concerned about any potential accidents involving his disciples, maintained a moderate speed.

When Ling Yuzhu and the others began climbing the Jianmu, they seemed to struggle almost immediately, as if the pressure was already too much to bear. While the start was manageable, reaching a height of twenty zhang made it increasingly difficult. Beads of sweat broke out on their foreheads.

Finally, Ye Fang, Ye Yuan, An Zhi, and Ye Fei were the first to stop climbing, finding even one more step utterly exhausting. At this point, they had no choice but to give up. Mu Ruolan stepped in and brought them down.

The remaining climbers continued their ascent. After passing thirty zhang, Ling Yuzhu, Sima Bo, and Fang Dan all began to feel immense strain. At thirty-five zhang, Sima Bo and Fang Dan found the upward progress impossible, eventually conceding defeat.

Ling Yuzhu fared only slightly better than the two men, giving up at the forty-zhang mark. This stubborn girl truly did not wish to quit, but the immense pressure from the Jianmu Cloud physically held her back, feeling as though her very bones might snap. Pushing further would only risk serious physical harm, severely detrimental to her cultivation path, so she too had to yield.

Now, the number of remaining climbers dwindled further. Upon reaching sixty zhang, both Yun Yi and Yun Ping felt they could barely sustain themselves. However, neither was willing to lose to the other.

If either had been alone, they likely would have quit right there, but since they were both present, each waited for the other to surrender first, planning to quit immediately after. This standoff continued until they reached seventy zhang, when Yun Yi saw Yun Ping suddenly collapse downwards with a thud. Oh, he gave up first, he thought, feeling a momentary relief, only to also collapse unconscious with a thud himself.

Truly a pair of stubborn youths, they both fell unconscious in nearly the same instant. Fortunately, Mu Ruolan was hovering nearby. With a swift swoosh, Mu Ruolan's sleeve transformed into an incredibly long band, catching both Yun Yi and Yun Ping.

Mu Ruolan's sleeve was known as the Flowing Cloud Water Sleeve—a magical artifact whose true purpose was to accelerate the recovery rate of water-elemental mana and boost the attack power of water-elemental spells. Now, only three people remained: Dugu Ye, Chu Fei, and Lu Yuan. Mu Ruolan became quite interested.

Both Dugu Ye and Chu Fei were Ninth Generation Sword Immortals, and Mu Ruolan knew she could probably only reach about five hundred zhang on this Jianmu. She estimated Dugu Ye would be similar, perhaps ten or twenty zhang higher at most. Chu Fei, being a newly promoted Sword Immortal, should be slightly weaker, maybe ten or twenty zhang lower.

But what was truly interesting was Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan, the foremost genius of the Tenth Generation of the Great Jin Kingdom. He carried a significant reputation, and now Mu Ruolan wished to see just how high he could fly.

Mu Ruolan watched as Lu Yuan soared higher and higher, already surpassing one hundred zhang. Mu Ruolan couldn't help but gasp. One hundred zhang!

Even Zhao Qiankun, the foremost direct disciple of Kunlun, only managed to reach eighty zhang. To think Lu Yuan had already passed one hundred zhang! However, she quickly rationalized: although Zhao Qiankun was the leading direct disciple of this generation at Kunlun, his temperament was unstable and he was fond of flattery; he wasn't a significant figure anyway.

It was normal for Lu Yuan to achieve this. Mu Ruolan had always held Zhao Qiankun in low regard. One hundred and fifty zhang.

Two hundred zhang. When he broke past two hundred zhang, Mu Ruolan was genuinely shocked. This younger generation was truly formidable.

The Seed of the Jianmu towered into the clouds. Mu Ruolan remained outside the four-zhang boundary of the Jianmu, feeling no pressure at all. Before two hundred zhang, the Jianmu Cloud was extremely thin, seemingly insignificant.

But after two hundred zhang, the cloud grew increasingly dense. Meanwhile, Dugu Ye and Chu Fei, who had rushed upward quickly, reached four hundred and sixty zhang while Lu Yuan was still at two hundred. At this altitude, the Jianmu Cloud seemed like solidified white mist, yet within the mist, Chu Fei sensed countless sharp flying swords.

He felt immense pressure, making further progress nearly impossible. Finally, at four hundred and eighty zhang, Chu Fei halted his advance, unable to move further. This Jianmu Cloud was truly remarkable; it felt like sharp blades slashing against him, causing intense pain and offering enormous resistance to any upward thrust.

Concurrently, Dugu Ye had pushed to five hundred and twenty zhang before she too could ascend no further. After several failed attempts, Dugu Ye finally gave up, remarking, "The Kunlun Jianmu is indeed extraordinary." As Ninth Generation Sword Immortals, they naturally did not expend all their mana like the Tenth Generation disciples. Withdrawing slightly, they moved outside the four-zhang range of the main trunk, and the overwhelming pressure immediately dissipated.

Dugu Ye and Chu Fei both marveled at the sheer magnitude of the pressure exerted by the Jianmu Cloud. The Ancient Divine Tree was truly extraordinary. It was no wonder that in ancient legends, anyone who ascended the Jianmu to the Heavenly Court could transform into a Heavenly God.

To be able to walk the Jianmu to the Heavenly Court implied a cultivation level far beyond the ordinary; one with such power was naturally qualified to become a Heavenly God. Dugu Ye looked around and saw that everyone from the North Peak had retreated, with only Lu Yuan remaining on the Jianmu. Dugu Ye peered up and located Lu Yuan at the three-hundred-zhang mark.

Oh, only Lu Yuan is left? When Dugu Ye and Chu Fei reached three hundred zhang, they had noticed Mu Ruolan was already there. The Ninth Generation Sword Immortals watched with intense curiosity, wondering just how high Lu Yuan could climb.

Lu Yuan was currently seated cross-legged on the Jianmu. Climbing higher was proving extremely difficult; the pressure from the Jianmu Cloud felt like constant slicing knives against his body. Reaching three hundred zhang, he felt utterly spent; even using his full strength, he suspected he could only manage slightly over three hundred zhang.

After pausing for a moment, Lu Yuan sensed something peculiar. The Jianmu Cloud... why did it feel somewhat similar to the white tribulation cloud within the Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud he encountered on Siguo Peak?

He wasn't sure what the connection was, but that white cloud also exerted immense pressure. Perhaps he should try his Five-Colored Sword Dao. Immediately, a beam of white sword light manifested above his head.

As soon as this white sword light coalesced, it began churning and actively absorbing the surrounding white Jianmu Cloud. It actually worked! But what exactly was going on?

How could his Five-Colored Sword Dao absorb the Jianmu Cloud here? The truth was this: In ancient times, there was an entity called the Jianmu that pierced directly into the Heavenly Court. Anyone who could travel its length to the Court would become a Heavenly God.

The Jianmu eventually shattered for unknown reasons. Its main trunk was collected by some powerful figure, while remnants were left behind below. The Jianmu possessed numerous miraculous effects, and the Five-Colored Samsara Sword Dao merely tapped into one of those functions.

What Kunlun possessed was a remnant of the Jianmu. And the one on Mount Hua's Siguo Peak was also a remnant of the Jianmu. However, the remnant on Siguo Peak was more complete, possessing all five colors, which released the Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud.

The remnant on Kunlun Mountain was comprised only of the Metal element—one of the Five Elements of the Jianmu. Indeed, the Jianmu itself was part of the Five Elements; it did not exist outside the Three Realms, nor was it independent of the Five Elements. The Jianmu remnant at Kunlun grew taller and taller, emitting the white-gold aura of the Jianmu—this was the essence of the Jianmu Qi.

The Five-Colored Sword Dao that Lu Yuan practiced was formulated by Yan Cangtian after encountering the five-colored tribulation cloud released by the Jianmu remnant on Siguo Peak. It shared the same origin as the Kunlun Jianmu. Since they shared a common source, when Lu Yuan summoned the white path of his Five-Colored Sword Dao, it could naturally draw upon the Jianmu Cloud endlessly.

This was the full explanation. As Lu Yuan absorbed the Jianmu Cloud, he felt the pressure around him lessen, and the white path of his Five-Colored Sword Dao continually advanced, even hinting at the possibility of breaking through to a higher realm. Driven by this realization, he immediately pressed onward to greater heights.

The higher he flew, the denser the Jianmu Cloud became, and the white sword light above his head grew more defined and substantial. A surge of ecstasy flashed through Lu Yuan's mind. He never expected that this accidental occurrence would lead to progress in the white path of his Five-Colored Sword Dao.

If the white sword path could truly advance to the White Emperor Sword Dao, the scope and power would be immeasurable. The White Emperor Sword Dao was incomparable to the mere white sword path. Lu Yuan stabilized his emotions and continued his ascent at a measured pace.