{Argus's POV}
"Now, then. Why don't you come down now?"
Argus said calmly, his gaze fixed on the skies above. Dark clouds began to gather, swirling ominously as if drawn to an invisible force. The once clear sky was now overshadowed by dense, churning clouds that seemed to pulse with a faint, otherworldly energy.
Flashes of lightning flickered within the gathering storm, casting eerie glows against the darkened clouds. The air crackled with a foreboding energy, and a deep rumble echoed through the forest, reverberating with a sense of impending doom.
The phenomenon was unmistakable, a tribulation, albeit on a smaller scale. The sky's transformation and the crackling energy heralded a trial. The clouds began to coalesce into a roiling mass, and the tension in the air grew palpable, indicating that the tribulation was about to begin in earnest.
***
Heavenly Tribulation is a trial by heaven that every awakener must face at significant milestones in their cultivation journey. As an Awaknener approaches a critical point of advancement, the heavens themselves begin to react. The sky darkens, and ominous clouds gather, swirling with an almost sentient malevolence. This atmospheric shift is the first sign of the tribulation's arrival.
Lightning crackles across the sky, not as mere bolts but as torrents of raw, divine energy. These bolts are imbued with the essence of heaven's wrath, capable of devastating anything they touch. The air thickens with a charged intensity, and the atmosphere hums with the vibrations of impending power.
The tribulation is not a passive event but an active force that tests every aspect of the cultivator's abilities. It challenges the Awakner to push beyond their limits. It is said that the greater the advancement, the fiercer the tribulation.
Tribulation is heaven's trial for every cultivator. It is a rigorous test that stands between an awakener and their advancement to the next realm. Without overcoming this formidable challenge, one cannot progress further. The tribulation is designed to push cultivators to their limits, and the stakes are high. Failure can result in death. Yet, for those who endure and conquer this trial, a new level of cultivation awaits, marking their ascent to greater power and understanding.
***
However, from what Argus knew, only when one reached a certain high realm would they experience a Heavenly Tribulation. Even an Awakener or Beast with exceptional qualifications would only face it in a slightly lower realm than expected. But even then, it was still far beyond the realm of being merely awakened. The thought that he would face such a trial at his current stage was both shocking and unprecedented. This was not a challenge meant for someone at his level yet here he was, waiting for the tribulation he wasn't supposed to encounter until much later in his journey.
Argus, however, had an idea of why this was happening. Tribulations occur when something breaks the heavens' established rules, particularly in the realm of cultivation. Cultivation, in itself, defied the natural order—an unnatural process for mortal life. A mortal's lifespan, especially humans who typically live around 150 years, was short and finite.
Other races might live longer, but even their lives paled in comparison to the eternity that cultivation could grant. When someone cultivates to a higher realm, their lifespan extends depending on their achievements. Their power grows beyond mortal comprehension, and this, too, was considered a breach of the heavens' design. Power like that was not meant to be held by mere mortals.
Thus, the heavens intervened, issuing a trial to challenge whether the awakener truly deserved such longevity and strength. It was a test, a Heavenly Lightning will be thrown down by the heaven itself, to see if the one seeking to defy natural limits could withstand the wrath of the heavens. Only those who survived were deemed worthy to continue.
In Argus' case, he had broken a rule that went beyond the norm—his core formation. Never had he heard of someone forming more than one core. This was unheard of. Most awakeners were born with a single core, the essence of their power and cultivation. There were rare cases of individuals possessing twin souls within one body, but those were said to be natural anomalies, not violations of heaven's laws. Twin souls didn't challenge the heavens because they were born that way, bound to the body from birth and considered part of the natural order.
But Argus? He just do not have a single core like the norm, he had formed not just two but three of them. And all of them was a color even higher than violet the very peak level for a core in the Core Forging Realm. This, in the eyes of the heavens, was a direct violation, something that defied the balance and the very nature of cultivation itself.
'This is the only thing I can think of. A single wave of Heavenly Lightning should strike me before it disappears.'
Argus thought, his gaze still locked on the turbulent sky above.
Since he had only violated one rule of the heavens, he reasoned that his tribulation would be the minimal. He wasn't supposed to face a tribulation at his current realm, after all. Based on what he knew, the minimum number of Heavenly Lightning strikes in a tribulation was three waves. But in his case, he believed that just one strike would be enough.
'A Heavenly Lightning is made up of 90% destructive energy and 10% healing energy. With my current stats, I should be able to survive it.'
Argus calmly assessed, running calculations in his mind.
Argus was almost right in his judgment, but there was something he hadn't accounted for. His violation went deeper than just breaking a single rule. Other unseen factors were at play, factors that made his tribulation more than a simple punishment.
But Argus didn't know that yet.
The clouds above had stopped gathering, and the first crackle of lightning formed in the swirling mass. Argus' intuition screamed at him, warning of the imminent danger, but there was nothing he could do now. He knew all too well that there was no escaping a tribulation. It would follow him relentlessly until it either fulfilled its purpose or claimed his life, just like the unseen pressure that had been hunting him earlier.
Even if he somehow managed to escape, the price would be too great. He'd be forever stuck in his current realm, unable to progress to the next. Unless, of course, he could steal someone else's tribulation, but robbing a tribulation meant taking on the trial of a much higher realm Awakener—a Beginner Realm cultivator attempting that would be suicide.
And finding another rule-breaker like him? That was a near impossibility. The odds were laughable, a very slim chance, essentially almost zero. In this vast world, to find another person who dared defy heaven's laws as he did would be akin to chasing a shadow in the dark.
But none of that mattered to Argus. He wasn't thinking of escaping. Not once did the thought even cross his mind.
The danger in the air thickened, suffocating the atmosphere as if the very heavens had turned their gaze on him. Argus could feel it—the weight of impending doom pressing down on him like a mountain. The energy in the clouds above shifted, growing darker, more volatile, and the crackling lightning intensified. Each spark that flickered between the clouds felt like a warning, a prelude to the storm about to descend.
Argus never took his eyes off the tribulation forming above. His gaze was locked on the swirling mass of energy, a spectacle of raw power waiting to unleash itself. His instincts told him it was close—too close. The charged atmosphere was building to a crescendo, and he knew without a doubt that the trial was about to begin.
His pulse remained steady, but the air around him seemed to hum with anticipation. Every crackle of lightning sent shivers through the ground beneath his feet, but Argus just stood there with his stoic expression.
Suddenly, Argus felt a powerful force clamp down on him, locking him in place. Though he could still move his limbs, it was clear—he couldn't leave. His feet felt rooted to the spot, as if the very ground had claimed him. It was the tribulation's final grasp, ensuring there would be no escape.
The world around him seemed to freeze. Even the wind, which had been howling moments before, fell silent. The dark clouds above stopped churning, and for a moment, everything stood still. Then, the clouds began to glow, a deep, ominous blue spreading through their center like veins of energy pulsing with life.
"It's coming..." Argus muttered under his breath, his eyes fixed on the glowing mass above.
With a deafening roar, the heavens unleashed their fury. A bolt of pure blue lightning split the sky, descending with terrifying speed. It wasn't just light; it was a living force of destruction. The lightning arced downward, cutting through the air, leaving a trail of brilliance in its wake.
The bolt slammed into Argus with immense power, engulfing him in a blinding flash. His body tensed, his muscles seizing from the surge of energy. The ground beneath him cracked and splintered from the impact, sending debris flying in all directions. The air smelled of burning ozone, and for a brief moment, it seemed as if the world itself had been set alight by the fury of the heavens.