"Elder Meng is finally ready to overcome his challenges." Li Muchen spoke with conviction as he gazed at the mountain peak.
"He's going to transcend the tribulation." Chen An demanded, "Explain yourself, Li Muchen. I don't understand what you mean."
Before Li Muchen could answer, a dazzling purple light erupted. The light was so intense that Chen An was forced to close his eyes. In short order, an earth-shattering roar reached his ears.
"Boom!" "Boom!"
The ground trembled beneath him, the vibrations numbing his ankles. He ignored everything else, focusing entirely on the massive lightning bolt descending from the dark clouds above. The bolt was several meters wide and radiated a distinct purple glow, with arcs of electricity visible dancing along its length. The bolt was locked and ready to strike the elder standing on the mountain, falling directly onto his head.
"Boom!"
Another deafening crash rang out. At that same moment, the Lingfu Sect was hit by an overwhelming wave of pressure. Chen An's legs shook involuntarily. Facing the sheer destructive power of that thunderbolt, he was compelled to bow down.
From the corner of his eye, Chen An saw many young cultivators around him dropping to their knees, overcome by the divine presence of the tribulation lightning. Li Muchen, standing right beside him, had succumbed, bowing in submission.
Chen An frowned deeply. He fought the urge to kneel, standing tall like a spear, eyes fixed on the distant mountain peak.
After the lightning struck, boulders tumbled down the mountainside, crushing flocks of birds and herds of beasts. Dust clouds rose, obscuring the scene and making it impossible to discern the elder's fate.
A few moments later, as the dust settled, Chen An saw an elderly man in gray robes, hunched and leaning on a cane, floating toward the mountain peak. The elder, who had once stood there, clad in white and wielding a sword, was now reduced to ashes.
The dark clouds in the sky dissipated, and the arcs of lightning and rolling thunder faded away. In less than the time it took to burn a stick of incense, the world had returned to its previous state of bright sunshine and clear skies. However, a powerful cultivator had perished, leaving Chen An profoundly shaken.
He had never imagined that even as a cultivator, one could still face such helplessness. What exactly was that lightning, and what did Li Muchen mean by "transcend the tribulation"?
"Such a shame," Li Muchen said with sorrow as he stood up, his face now solemn, a far cry from his earlier jovial demeanor. "I heard that Elder Meng had prepared for this tribulation for more than twenty years. Who would've thought he couldn't even survive the first strike of the Purple Sky Divine Lightning? Is the heavenly tribulation truly a death sentence for cultivators like us?"
His eyes, filled with sadness, reflected the gravity of the situation.
Chen An's curiosity only grew, and he couldn't resist asking, "What was that lightning? What is this tribulation?"
"That was a heavenly tribulation," Li Muchen explained with a bitter smile, his voice trembling slightly as he recalled the scene. "That lightning was the legendary Purple Sky Divine Lightning, called forth by the tribulation. Elder Meng was an inner sect elder. He treated me well, often helping me with questions about cultivation. But even he could not escape the punishment of the heavens."
Li Muchen's eyes revealed a mixture of fear and anger as he spoke of the tribulation.
Sensing Chen An's confusion, Li Muchen elaborated further. "Chen brother, you've only just begun your path of cultivation, so I understand why this comes as a shock. But even as cultivators, we are not immune to tribulation. The path to immortality defies the heavens. The stronger you become, the more the heavens seek to punish you. In addition to facing the dangers posed by other cultivators, we must also constantly battle against the will of heaven itself!"
Li Muchen began to recite:
"Three disasters, nine tribulations, eighteen hardships;
Through endless dangers, one becomes immortal;
But a single misstep and you vanish into dust."
Seeing that Chen An was confused, Li Muchen took the initiative to clarify further. "Chen brother, you've only just begun your path of cultivation, so I understand why this comes as a shock. But you will get through this. But let me be clear: even as cultivators, we are not immune to tribulation. The path to immortality defies the heavens. The stronger you become, the more the heavens seek to punish you. "In addition to facing the dangers posed by other cultivators, we must also constantly battle against the will of heaven itself!"
Li Muchen began to recite with conviction:
"Three disasters, nine tribulations, eighteen hardships;
Through endless dangers, one becomes immortal;
But a single misstep and you vanish into dust."
Chen An listened intently and was struck by the realization of just how perilous the journey of cultivation truly was. Li Muchen's song wasn't just poetry—it was the harsh reality faced by all cultivators.
The "three disasters, nine tribulations, and eighteen hardships" were not mere legends. Every cultivator must face these heavenly punishments on their journey to immortality. Elder Meng had encountered one of the nine tribulations. When a cultivator reaches a certain level of advancement and is on the cusp of breaking through to the next realm, the heavens send down three bolts of Purple Sky Divine Lightning. Only those who survive will ascend to the next realm. Those who fail are reduced to ashes.
In the thousand years since the Lingfu Sect's founding, only a handful of cultivators had survived the Foundation Establishment Tribulation. None had survived the Golden Core Tribulation.
If the tribulations were terrifying, the three disasters were even worse. It is said that only one in a million could survive all three disasters. Most cultivators never lived long enough to face them, as the first disaster only came after reaching the peak of the Golden Core stage.
The "eighteen hardships" were undoubtedly less severe in comparison. While not as rare as the three disasters, each hardship was still a mortal danger. Many powerful cultivators, having survived the tribulations and disasters, ultimately succumbed to the hardships.
The path to immortality was, without a doubt, fraught with peril. Every step forward was marked by the corpses of fallen comrades. Only those who survived this mountain of bodies had any chance of becoming immortal, free from the burdens of life and death.
But how many had truly ascended to immortality throughout the ages? The answer is clear.
Chen An was overwhelmed with a whirlwind of emotions. He had chosen the path of cultivation to escape death and live forever. Yet he now realized that even as a cultivator, there was no peace or respite.
"Brother Chen," Li Muchen's voice cut through Chen An's thoughts. "If we're all destined to die, what's the point of all this effort?" "What hope do we have?"
Li Muchen looked at Chen An with a mixture of despair and confusion. He could tell that Chen An was just as shaken as he was, though their perspectives differed greatly.
"Cultivation is difficult," Chen An stated firmly. "But as long as we live, there is hope. No matter how hard it gets, there is always a way through. We must find it.
Chen An did not lose hope, unlike Li Muchen. Elder Meng's death shocked him, but it did not deter him. He would not give up or stand still.
Chen An was certain that with sufficient preparation, anything was possible. If mortals could kill cultivators, there was surely a way to overcome the three disasters, nine tribulations, and eighteen hardships.
If there was even the slightest chance of survival, he was going to be the one who took it.