Why Is It Always Me Who Gets Hurt?

However, at that very moment, a tribulation thunderbolt suddenly descended from the void, striking straight downward.

Seeing this unexpected tribulation thunder, Hongjun thought to himself: "As expected, even with a status as exalted as the Dao Venerable's, the Heavenly Dao shows no favoritism. After all, the Heavenly Dao is the collective embodiment of the Primordial Will—how could it refrain from punishment just because the Dao Venerable holds a noble position?"

Xuanxiao saw the tribulation thunder and his expression shifted. He urgently called out to Hongjun: "Fellow Daoist Hongjun, be careful!"

Hearing Xuanxiao's shout, Hongjun's face froze for a moment, and he said in confusion: "Be careful? Be careful of what? This lightning isn't striking me..."

But before he could finish his words, the tribulation thunder had already crashed down with ferocious speed.

"Ah!" Completely unprepared, Hongjun let out a miserable cry. His pristine Daoist robe was instantly scorched black, his hair singed to a crisp, giving off a pungent smell.

"Could the Heavenly Dao have made a mistake?" Hongjun muttered to himself, spitting out black smoke, his face full of frustration.

Hearing Hongjun's words, Xuanxiao looked at him in surprise and thought: "Does this Hongjun have no fear of the Heavenly Dao? He dares to question it outright?"

No sooner had Hongjun spoken than another tribulation thunderbolt struck down violently—once again aimed at him.

This time, however, Hongjun was prepared and didn't end up as disheveled as before.

"This..." Hongjun looked utterly helpless.

"So you're just bold in words. I thought you truly weren't afraid of the Heavenly Dao," Xuanxiao said, unable to help but laugh.

At this moment, Hongjun was filled with confusion and helplessness, feeling as though he was starting to doubt his own existence. He simply couldn't understand why the Heavenly Dao was so irritable today, and why it wasn't striking Xuanxiao instead. Could it be...

Just as the thought "Could the Heavenly Dao be a bully who picks on the weak?" crossed his mind, Hongjun's heart tightened. Afraid the Heavenly Dao might detect it, he forcibly drove the idea from his thoughts.

Hongjun smiled bitterly at Xuanxiao and said: "I never expected the Heavenly Dao to hold such respect for the Dao Venerable." In his view, this was the only explanation for why the Heavenly Dao didn't punish Xuanxiao.

"Respect? The Heavenly Dao has no intelligence—how could it respect me? It's simply that the Dao Tribulation has no effect on me, so it only punishes those beings whose words are karmically linked to mine," Xuanxiao said dismissively, waving his hand in explanation.

Just then, another tribulation thunderbolt appeared in the void. This time, Hongjun had prepared in advance after Xuanxiao finished speaking, so when he saw the lightning fall, his expression remained calm and composed. After all, he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of Xuanxiao again.

Unfortunately, Hongjun still didn't understand the Heavenly Dao.

"Ah!"

Hongjun let out another miserable cry, his voice filled with pain and shock.

"How can this be? I was already prepared!" Hongjun was now utterly bewildered and lost, feeling as though his entire understanding had been overturned, and he began to doubt his very existence.

Seeing Hongjun's look of utter misfortune, Xuanxiao smiled helplessly and patiently explained:

"Fellow Daoist Hongjun, you prepared too early. You see, the Dao Tribulation adjusts its power based on your specific circumstances.

If you prepare in advance before the tribulation even appears, the power of the Heavenly Dao's punishment naturally becomes greater." This was hard-earned wisdom Xuanxiao had accumulated over countless years.

Hearing Xuanxiao's explanation, Hongjun suddenly understood and couldn't help but exclaim: "So that's how it is!" At that moment, he felt he had learned some strange new knowledge he had never encountered before.

"May I ask what matter brings Fellow Daoist to seek me out specifically?" Xuanxiao looked at Hongjun, a hint of inquiry in his gaze, as he posed the question.

Hongjun gently shook his head and explained: "To be honest, there is no urgent matter. I was merely curious about your exalted status, Fellow Daoist, and came to investigate. I just didn't expect that you would detect me so keenly the moment I found you."

Hearing this, Xuanxiao's mind stirred. He looked at Hongjun and proposed: "Since there's nothing pressing, why not journey through the Primordial World with this Poor Daoist? What do you think?" In truth, Xuanxiao was equally curious about Hongjun.

In the memories Xuanxiao possessed, Hongjun was an unavoidable key figure in the Primordial World. For a long time, many had speculated that the shattering of the Primordial World might have been meticulously orchestrated by Hongjun behind the scenes.

Naturally, Xuanxiao wanted to personally observe this future Dao Ancestor, the spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao, and see what his true character was like.

If Hongjun truly harbored thoughts of destroying the Primordial World, Xuanxiao wouldn't hesitate to step in and select a new Dao Ancestor for the Primordial World, replacing the Heavenly Dao's spokesperson.

"To have the opportunity to journey through the Primordial World alongside the Dao Venerable would be this Poor Daoist's great honor." Hearing Xuanxiao's invitation, Hongjun's face lit up with delight, and he nodded with a smile.

Hongjun had come with the intention of understanding Xuanxiao in the first place, and now that he had received such a sincere invitation, there was no reason to refuse.

The two were of one mind and quickly reached an agreement.

Afterward, Xuanxiao and Hongjun set off together, leaving this nameless valley behind.

The two of them strolled through the Primordial World, seemingly aimless, yet both harbored their own hidden intentions.

Xuanxiao knew well that Hongjun had been secretly observing him over the years, but he didn't mind, as he himself was equally intent on observing Hongjun—their goals happened to align.

Through their time together, Xuanxiao had come to understand Hongjun to a certain extent.

As far as he could tell, Hongjun bore no ill will toward the Primordial World, so Xuanxiao had no intention of making this future Dao Ancestor "disappear from the face of the Primordial World."

Xuanxiao understood that the Heavenly Dao was inherently flawed and would inevitably choose a living being to merge with it in the future, thereby perfecting itself.

And based on Hongjun's current behavior, at least he still had the Primordial World's interests at heart.

"Dao Venerable, what are your thoughts on the current state of the Primordial World?" Hongjun asked curiously, looking at Xuanxiao.

Hearing this, Xuanxiao couldn't help but roll his eyes and replied irritably: "What do I think? I look at it with my eyes, of course—what else would I use?"

Hongjun let out a helpless bitter laugh and said earnestly: "Dao Venerable, I'm not joking. I sincerely seek your guidance."

Xuanxiao looked at Hongjun and thought to himself: "It seems Hongjun has already begun to make contact with the Heavenly Dao. I just wonder to what extent their connection has progressed."

But soon, Xuanxiao cast these thoughts aside and comforted himself: "Forget it, why am I worrying about this? When the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. Right now, in this Primordial World, I'm not the tallest one."

Although Hongjun had never deliberately revealed his cultivation level, Xuanxiao could tell by instinct that Hongjun's cultivation was definitely above his own.

Yet Xuanxiao didn't mind. In his mind, even if Hongjun's cultivation was profound, as long as he hadn't broken through to become a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal and attained sainthood, dealing with him would be as easy as a father disciplining his son.

Even if Hongjun did break through to sainthood, Xuanxiao wasn't afraid. With the spiritual treasures he possessed, he wouldn't hesitate to challenge even a saint.

And even if Xuanxiao couldn't win, it didn't matter. With the Great Dao Merit he carried, anyone who dared to kill him—even a saint—would have to be buried alongside him.

"Fellow Daoist Hongjun, don't keep asking me these questions. I've never planned to meddle in the affairs of the Primordial World, big or small. As long as you don't turn this world upside down, I won't interfere. But if anyone deliberately tries to destroy the Primordial World, don't blame me for being rude." Xuanxiao said, shaking his head at Hongjun as he spoke.

Hearing Xuanxiao's reply, a thoughtful expression appeared on Hongjun's face.

Seeing this, Xuanxiao immediately understood that Hongjun had something on his mind, so he waved his hand and said, "Looks like you're not in the mood to continue traveling the Primordial World with me. If you have matters to attend to, go ahead."

At this, Hongjun nodded to Xuanxiao and said, "Then, Dao Venerable, Poor Daoist will take his leave."

The moment the words fell, Hongjun's figure vanished without a trace.

Xuanxiao gazed in the direction Hongjun had disappeared, gently shook his head, and muttered to himself:

"The Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin tribes already have ambitions to dominate the Primordial World. I can sense the abnormal fluctuations in their fate. It seems they've discovered the uses of fate, and there's likely Luohu scheming behind the scenes against them. No wonder Hongjun can't sit still."

Xuanxiao knew full well that Hongjun's departure was surely because of Luohu, but he had no intention of getting involved in This Matter.

"Still, I've heard Luohu has a way to destroy the Western Spirit Veins. That won't do. It seems I'll need to find an opportunity later to warn him. This Primordial World was created by Big Brother himself. By that logic, it's also my home. I can't let that bastard Luohu destroy it." Xuanxiao murmured softly to himself.

With that, Xuanxiao's form flickered, and he too quietly departed from the place.

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