Tribulation

The Tribulations, also known as **Heaven's Tribulations**, are disasters which strike practitioners at certain points in their lives, as they progress through their path of cultivation. Starting from the Rejuvenation Realm, every time a practitioner is about to break through to the next realm, the practitioner needs to transcend a tribulation.

Tribulation was and is always the most fearsome and dangerous trial that a cultivator has to pass. Even under the best possible conditions, there was no guarantee that the Cultivator would successfully pass it.

A Cultivators Tribulation is divided into multiple types of Tribulation. Additionally to the Lightning Tribulation there are the four Pillar Elements Tribulation Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind. Earth represented creation, Water represented growth, Fire represented destruction and Wind represented passing.

## Lightning Tribulation

The **Lightning Tribulation** is the first Tribulations a Cultivator has to face. Starting with the normal lightning, there are multiple types of lightning like the crimson Soul Annihilation Lightning or the Manifestation Tribulation Lightning, which will rain down from the Tribulation clouds or attack the Cultivator using weapons with the Manifestation Tribulation Lightning.

If someone tries to help, the power of the Lightning Tribulation will increase. That cultivators, who only enter the range of the Tribulation. It will automatically think the number of people facing the Tribulation had increased, making the power of the lightning even more terrifying.

## Wind Tribulation

The **Wind Tribulation** is first faced by a cultivator, when breaking from the Sainted Realm through to the Projection Realm.

During the Wind Tribulation evil creatures will appear to interfere with a cultivator's breakthrough. Though there are some worlds, like the Suspended World, where Tianma can't appear, who are trying to disturb the cultivator and to lure him into demonic possession, making it very easy for the cultivator to break through.

### Seats of Tribulations

In the Wind Tribulation the evil creatures are split between the Fiends and the Devils who each take one of the Seats of Tribulation. For example during the Tribulation to break to the Sainted Realm there are a total of 8 Seats of Tribulation, split between the evil creatures:

* Fiends
	+ Flame-eater Fiend
	+ Shadow Fiend
	+ Asura
	+ Tianma
* Devils
	+ Hunger Devil
	+ Huang Quan Devil
	+ Bloodthirsty Devil
	+ Malahoh Devil

During the Duo Tribulation of Wind and Lightning when breaking to the Tribulation Realm there are a total of 18(or 16) Seats of Tribulation.

## Fire Tribulation

A cultivator had to face a total of three **Fire Tribulations**, in order they were, the Wind and Fire Double Tribulation of Void Beholder realm to Void Wanderer realm; the Water and Fire Double Tribulation of Void Wanderer realm to Void Revolution realm; and the Earth, Water, Fire, Wind Quad Tribulation of Void Revolution realm to Three Thousand Worlds realm.

The Fire Tribulation leads the cultivator's soul vessel into one of many Mahesvara realms. The cultivator then must return to his own body within a certain amount of time, else his body would be thoroughly burned to ash by the Tribulation Fire and his soul vessel would forever remain within the heavenly realm.

However, quite a few cultivators were more than willing to remain within the Mahesvara realm. They would be able to remain within the realm for 10,000 years and enjoy their freedom without any hardships and trials to continue moving forward. They would then try to hinder the other cultivators from advancing, in order to obtain the Merit of the cultivator.

While a cultivator is trying to escape the Mahesvara realm, he then has to face the karmic fire burning his body. The fire is manifesting as faint images that constantly try to rouse the cultivator's soul vessel and body.

## Water Tribulation

During the **Water Tribulation** the cultivator will face other versions of himself from different Parallel Worlds on top of an endless lake. The cultivator then has to pass different tests from them to complete the Water Tribulation.

Due to the Water Element representing growth, the Tribulations main goal was not to take away the cultivator's life. The deeper meaning of the Water Tribulation is to let cultivators experience the mysteries of the world, to find out that outside of the infinite space-time, there also exists infinite parallel worlds.

## Earth Tribulation

A cultivator has to face the **Earth Tribulation** only once in his life, when breaking through to the Three Thousand Worlds Real. It is also the most unique Tribulation.

During the Tribulation the cultivator is transported to the Earth World and will lose all his abilities. He then has to survive for a certain amount of time. Because of the way it perfectly forbids all supernatural powers, cultivators must act like a normal person and struggle for their lives within the Earth World like the rest.

The Earth Tribulation is part of an ancient covenant signed by the cultivators and the Earth Creator. Because the cultivators need to take in every source of power in order to strengthen themselves, they formed formed this covenant with the Earth Creator to go through their training in this world and obtain the recognition of the Earth Saint Pillar.

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 820
2. ↑ Chapter 261
3. ↑ Chapter 591: 4 Devils, 4 Fiends
4. ↑ Chapter 646
5. ↑ Chapter 607
6. ↑ Chapter 840
7. ↑ Chapter 825
8. ↑ Chapter 841
9. ↑ Chapter 842
10. ↑ Chapter 849