Heavenly Punishment is a phenomenon faced by all those who defy the heavens. All cultivators face some form of Heavenly Punishment during their advancement.
Known Types of Heavenly Punishment
There exists many kinds of Heavenly Punishments across the Three Thousand Worlds. Though the heavenly tribulations belong to the domain of Owner of Heavenly Punishment,[1] it is unknown if the other Heavenly Punishments originate from this being. It is later discovered that Heavenly Punishments originate from going against the hearts of the greater population.[2]
Heavenly Rejection (天拒)
Heavenly Rejection is a phenomena that occurs exclusively to all Enders. During the 7th Star Ritual of the Qi Refining stage, a Heaven Tribe cultivator has to make a ritual to the heavens during the night. The purpose of this is to offer a ritual to seven of the twenty-eight celestial stars governing the spiritual nature of heaven and earth that will help the cultivator in their Qi Building stage. This ritual will fail without a direct connection to the stars.[3]
A Heavenly Rejection manifests in the form of dark clouds spontaneously appearing during an Ender's 7th Star Ritual. So long as the Ender intended to perform the ritual, the clouds would persist until dawn, when the stars would recede. External help would disqualify the ritual, forcing the Ender to remove the obstruction with their own power.[4] As their cultivation remained low, many Enders throughout history were unable to perform the 7th Star Ritual, eventually dying of old age.
Under extraordinary circumstances, a mortal who defies their fated lifespan may survive longer through sheer will. If the environment doesn't kill them, and if the mortal forces their heart to keep beating,[5] a blue-coloured Heavenly Tribulation will descend to kill the mortal.[6] Should the mortal survive the tribulation, they will age rapidly and die after 49 days[7] (referencing the Cheondojae, 49 days of mourning in Buddhism between death and reincarnation). Only Immortal Cultivation or the Heart Path can extend a mortal's lifespan.
Heavenly Tribulations (天劫)
Heavenly Tribulations are strikes of lightning that typically strike the cultivator attempting to advance their realm. They typically begin manifesting while advancing to the Nascent Soul stage, and increase in intensity as the cultivator's realm rises. A cultivator facing a Heavenly Tribulation may not receive external help, otherwise the heavens will be enraged and bring forth a more severe tribulation.
Enders are burdened with an additional blue-coloured tribulation for every tribulation during their advancement,[8] essentially doubling their number of tribulations. They also receive Heavenly Tribulations one stage early than others.[9] Some peculiar beings, such as Hong Fan who was born with an old soul, receive abnormally calamitous Heavenly Tribulations of titanic proportions — severe punishment in return of tremendous power and privileges.[10]
Certain techniques, such as the Consoling Lightning Ritual,[11] as long as done by "oneself", can help make the Heavenly Tribulation less severe. And those who practice Lightning Path cultivation methods[12][13] or powerful cultivators at the Entering Nirvana stage[14] may delay a Heavenly Tribulation by a small amount of time. Examples range from three days to a year, respectively.
Tribulations at Each Cultivation Realm
| Cultivation stage | Colour(s) | No. of tribulations (per colour) |
|---|---|---|
| Minor Boundary | ||
| Mortal (extraordinary circumstances only) | Blue Heavenly Tribulation | 1 bolt for defying fated lifespan |
| Qi Building (Enders only) | Blue Heavenly Tribulation | 1 bolt while advancing to early Qi Building |
| Core Formation (Enders only)[9] | Blue Heavenly Tribulation | 1 bolt while advancing to early Core Formation |
| Nascent Soul | Golden Heavenly Tribulation (Enders only) Blue Heavenly Tribulation |
1 bolt while advancing to early Nascent Soul 2 bolts while advancing from early to mid Nascent Soul 3 bolts from mid to late Nascent Soul 8 bolts when reaching Grand Perfection Nascent Soul |
| Heavenly Being | Golden Heavenly Tribulation (Enders only) Blue Heavenly Tribulation |
5 bolts when advancing to Heavenly Being 10 bolts when advancing from early to mid Heavenly Being 15 bolts when advancing from mid to late Heavenly Being 20 bolts when advancing from late to Grand Perfection of Heavenly Being |
| Middle Boundary | ||
| Four-Axis | Golden Heavenly Tribulation (Enders only) Blue Heavenly Tribulation |
A "waterfall" of Heavenly Tribulation (Exact number unknown) |
| Integration |
Golden Heavenly Tribulation (Enders only) Blue Heavenly Tribulation Mysterious Black*-colored (玄色) Heavenly Lightning, symbolizing the Heavens *'Mysterious black' (玄) is the same as black in Hyeon Go (玄古; meaning 'Black Ancient'). Yellow-colored (黃色) lightning, symbolizing the Earth Azure-colored (靑色) Heavenly Tribulation, symbolizing the East White-colored (白色) Heavenly Tribulation, symbolizing the West Red-colored (赤色) Heavenly Tribulation, symbolizing the South Black-colored (黑色) Heavenly Tribulation, symbolizing the North (Upon Grand Perfection) Heart Demon Tribulation (心魔劫) |
While ascending Four-Axis to Integration: - 1200 Golden - 1200 Blue (Enders only) - Rest are 200 each Upon Grand Perfection: - Heart Demon Tribulations are added, coming from the six directions in the Plane of Soul |
| Star Shattering | Heavenly Tribulation with the power of late integration stage while coalescing the star |
Star Tribulation 1 ray from each of [all stars that shine upon the cultivator] during the cultivator's advancement ritual. |
| Sacred Vessel | Four Realms Tribulation | One Strike each from all the Realms of Death. |
| Entering Nirvana | Reverse Star Tribulations | One must embed Star Tribulation into all the Stars across the Heavenly Domain |
| Great Boundary | ||
| Vestige Liberation Immortal | Direct Gaze of a Governing Immortal | N/A |
| Upper Immortal | Having the [Light] generated by one squeezed out and spread into the Heavenly Domain | N/A |
Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent — Heavenly Penalty (天刑)
The Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent is a living fate born by great being theorized to be Bong Myeong. Beings who receive this living fate are born with the fate to 'become the greatest artisans within the land they dwell'. However, should they leave their land for whatever reason, they will die. This is their Heavenly Penalty.[15]
The reason leaving their land incurs their Heavenly Penalty is because they break free of their fate imposed upon them. Specifically, the fate that they're the greatest artisans 'within the land they dwell', whether it be a planet in the Astral Realm, Decaying Corpse Realm, or Middle Realm. There are two known Heavenly Penalty in the story, each from different Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent bloodlines. The first is tied to the surname of the Jo Clan that Mad Lord Jo Yeon hailed from. Mad Lord resisted his fate by connecting his heart with [Her] and forcibly tethered his soul to Bright Cold Realm using the ghostly energy of the Nether Crossing Ship's power source he stole.[16] Meanwhile, Buk Hyang-hwa's Heavenly Penalty gradually dulls her senses until they perish. Eventually, even her nervous system will be paralyzed, and she will forget how to breathe.[17]
The Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent was likened to 'a bird trapped in a cage' by Mad Lord.[16] It is likely that the being that birthed this living fate is connected to the [Bird Trapped In A Cage] symbol.
Heart Demon Tribulation (心魔劫)
When an Integration stage cultivator achieves Grand Perfection and attains all six Divine Powers, a Heart Demon Tribulation is added. These are Heart Heavenly Demons, masses of negative emotions and energies given personality like Heart Demons. They attack the heart essence of a cultivator from the six directions at the Plane of Soul.[18]
References
- [1] Q&A 7 - Q: Is all Heavenly Tribulation from the Owner of Heavenly Punishment? Is it all a natural phenomenon? A: It’s a spoiler, but not important. It is correct to consider them all to be from the Owner of Heavenly Punishment.
- [2] Chapter 436 - Thus, to oppose a martial artist at Tribulating Heavens means to oppose 'the hearts of countless beings,' and to those who defy such an existence, Heavenly Punishment falls. - Seo Eun-hyun
- [3] Chapter 45 - "The 7th Star is known as the Seven Stars Ritual. It involves offering rituals to seven of the twenty-eight celestial stars governing the spiritual nature of heaven and earth. It's essentially declaring to the celestial deities that you are embarking on the path of immortal cultivation." —Cheongmun Ryeong
- [4] Chapter 46, 49, 59, 86
- [5] Chapter 123 - Only the blue pillar that descended from the heavens illuminates the desert.
- [6] Chapter 123 - Historical records show that among ancient cultivators, there were those struck by heavenly lightning not during Core Formation, but while advancing from Qi Refining to Qi Building. These individuals also carried the bizarre phenomenon of Heavenly Rejection, blocking the Seven Stars Ritual right from Qi Refining 7th Star.
- [7] Chapter 123
- [8] Chapter 246 - "Yes, it is said that the direct descendants of immortal beasts are born with tremendous power and privileges. But in return, they must face incredibly severe Heavenly Tribulations fitting for descendants of a True Immortal." —Hong Su-ryeong
- [9] Chapter 246
- [10] Chapter 246
- [11] Chapter 266 - "Mortals might have been conducting the ritual without understanding its purpose, but if you infuse it with magical power, it changes everything. Originally, the Consoling Lightning Ritual was indeed used to console lightning. It was quite effective in soothing the Heavenly Tribulation, weakening its power, and aiding in the advancement of one's cultivation realm." —Yeon Wei
- [12] Chapter 327 - Jeon Myeong-hoon curses but quickly plants the flags of the Seven Lightning Quaking Scripture around and sets up a formation. Interacting with the energy of the formation, Jeon Myeong-hoon sacrifices three of his fingers of his Heavenly Golden Thunder Body to temporarily delay the celestial energy. As the celestial energy shifts, the Heavenly Tribulation that should have struck during the breakthrough is postponed for three days.
- [13] Chapter 355 - [I've delayed the Heavenly Tribulation a bit with my power. It should give us some breathing room...Anyway, Seo Eun-hyun...is it done?] —Jeon Myeong-hoon
- [14] Chapter 355 - ―In the names of the True Persons, we decree that all Heavenly Punishments occurring in the Nether Ghost Realm at this moment be postponed by one year. Clouds descending Heavenly Tribulations, disperse.
- [15] Chapter 440 - "...My fate. Through the norigae, after consulting with Teacher Cheongmun Ryeong... after asking that person, I came to learn the truth. A great being gave birth to a living fate, and this fate spread throughout the world, giving birth to beings who 'become the greatest artisans within the land they dwell, but if they leave that land, they die for various reasons.' This living fate is precisely the true nature of the Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent... My curse...the Heavenly Punishment that began acting up recently, isn't because of the calamity we encountered back then. It isn't your fault either. It's simply...because as I researched the norigae, I began to step outside the bounds of my fate. It's not just about leaving one's physical homeland. Breaking free from the fate imposed on us—that is the true condition for the curse's activation..." —Buk Hyang-hwa
- [16] Chapter 430 - When the Mad Lord first met Hyang-hwa, he mistook her for one of his own bloodline. He said that in the Head Realm, the Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent is actually a Heavenly Penalty (天刑) that only his bloodline bears. But he quickly realized that Hyang-hwa isn't of his bloodline. He said that those with the Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent all bear a 'curse,' and since the curses differ depending on the bloodline, Hyang-hwa not having the same curse as his is proof that she isn't of his kin. The Mad Lord said that the Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent is like 'a bird trapped in a cage.' A bird that cannot leave the cage... It's the first time I heard it, but he said those with the Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent must never leave the world they were born in. Their Heavenly Penalty and curse begins the moment they 'escape their world.' In other words...those born with the Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent in the Lower Realms must never ascend. The curse of the Jo Clan...is said to be tied to their surname. I'm not sure of the details but...even though Hyang-hwa's curse is different, they do share some common points. Those cursed are said to eventually die. The Mad Lord connected his heart with [Her]'s and forcibly tethered his soul to this land using the ghostly energy of the Nether Crossing Ship's power source. And Hyang-hwa is...gradually losing the senses of her body. At this rate, not in centuries, but within mere decades, she'll lose all her five senses. Eventually, even the sense of breathing will vanish, and she'll die. —Kim Yeon
- [17] Chapter 431 - Buk Hyang-hwa's curse is said to gradually dull all her senses until they are completely lost, eventually paralyzing her nervous system and killing her. Though called a curse, it's essentially a Heavenly Penalty that came with her Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent, and there's no way to reverse it.
- [18] Chapter 441