"In this world, demons and gods rise together.I have no intention of vying for supremacy,yet I understand the suffering of all living beings…"
"I wish only to cleanse the lands in all directionsand protect a single corner of this mortal realm…"
At Jialing Pass, three gods were locked in battle.
A figure clad in divine armor suddenly appeared.His voice echoed throughout the world.
As his words fell, he raised one hand, then folded both arms before his chest.
"Heaven and Earth—Move as One!"
As an earth-yellow "meteor" descended from the sky, Qian Renxue suddenly snapped her eyes open.
Cold sweat drenched her delicate brow and elegant brows, soaking through her clothes.
The fear in her beautiful eyes gradually faded, her breathing slowly steadying.
"Jialing Pass… Tang San… Bibi Dong… the Sea God… the Rakshasa God…"
"The Spirit Hall Empire…"
"And… Morax!"
This dream had not appeared just once.It had come again and again—always fragmented.
Every single time, she awoke at the exact moment the "meteor" fell.
"Who… exactly are you?"
Qian Renxue murmured solemnly.
She could no longer tell dream from reality.
It was too real—so real it felt as though she had truly lived through it.
This time, in a fleeting glance, she vaguely saw his face.That voice felt… strangely familiar.
As if realizing something, Qian Renxue shook her head violently.
"Impossible!"
"Absolutely impossible!"
"He's just a street loafer—a useless freeloader who eats for free…"
"How could he possibly be Morax, a god whose power reaches the heavens?!"
Heaven Dou City, in a luxurious mansion at the northernmost edge of the city.
"Achoo—"
A handsome young man sneezed, confusion flashing through his amber phoenix eyes.
By all rational standards, he shouldn't be able to get sick—much less catch a cold!
"Who could be talking about me?"
"Zhongli, what's wrong?"
A small floating creature—barely over two feet tall—rubbed her sleepy eyes.
"It's nothing. Just a slight chill."
"…???"
Hearing this, the still-drowsy creature jolted, floating straight into the air with a stunned expression.
Her mind was filled with question marks.
Zhongli… caught a cold?
"Paimon, don't overthink it. Go back to sleep early."
Looking at the so-called 'Voice of the Gods' before him, Zhongli still hadn't quite adjusted.
Deep down, Zhongli held a secret.
He was a transmigrator.
In his previous life, he had transmigrated into the newly born Morax.
However, the memories of his former life did not awaken until Morax had nearly been worn down by time.
By then, it was already too late to prevent the tragedies of the past.
Even the hardest stone is eroded eventually.
If Azhdaha couldn't endure it, Morax couldn't either—nor could he himself.
To avoid bringing calamity upon Liyue, after settling his affairs, Zhongli ventured alone into the Dark Sea Beyond.
Along the way, in his muddled state, he encountered that "blonde lady"…
For reasons unknown, Paimon, who had been following the Traveler, was dragged along by sheer coincidence—and transmigrated with him!
When they first arrived in the Douluo Continent, both Zhongli and Paimon were completely dumbfounded.
During this second transmigration, Zhongli's consciousness slowly recovered.
Miraculously, the erosion that should have erased his sanity… was gone.
This world had no curse imposed by Heavenly Principles.As a demon god, without erosion, he could live indefinitely.
With his mind clear once more, memories of his past life surged back—vivid as if it were yesterday.
At first, he didn't quite understand what kind of world this was.
That was, until one day, he saw two people activating Martial Souls, spirit rings rising beneath their feet…
"Douluo Continent?"
Slightly surprised—he hadn't expected to transmigrate into this so-called 'fantasy brick-tier world'.
Before long, Zhongli accepted reality.
After all, transmigrating was better than staying in Teyvat—where he might already have gone mad by now.
Someone as powerful as him had very few who could stop that madness.
The two of them arrived in the area between Heaven Dou City and the Sunset Forest.
Just as Zhongli was about to head into the city, he encountered an elderly man with dark green hair.
Seeing that the man was poisoned, Zhongli kindly spoke up to warn him…
"I wonder how the Traveler is doing… How am I supposed to sleep?"
Paimon said worriedly, bitterness filling her expression.
She had inexplicably followed this "old guy" into another world and still had no idea what was going on!
Without her, the Traveler would lose the best guide ever.
Without her, the Traveler could save a ton of Mora—Wait, no, no, no…
What do you mean she eats a lot?!
It's only three hundred thousand Mora a month, okay?!
Moments later, watching the already sound-asleep Paimon, black lines formed on Zhongli's forehead.
Who was it that said they couldn't sleep?
It hadn't even been five minutes.
Shaking his head, he tucked Paimon in with a small blanket before lying back down, gazing at the moon outside the window.
If he remembered correctly, the protagonist group should be arriving at Heaven Dou City soon.
For "Zhongli," going without sleep for a year or two made little difference.
Sleeping on time now was merely a habit carried over from his past life.
Morning sunlight bathed the land, its gentle glow awakening all things.
"Street loafer, wake up!"
Zhongli's eye twitched.Paimon's nicknames for him were always… unique.
He opened his eyes helplessly, amber pupils fixing on her.
"Paimon, if I remember correctly, the Traveler once said you're emergency food."
"I'm not emergency food! Paimon is Paimon!"
"The Traveler was just joking!"
Paimon panicked, stomping in midair with hands on her hips.
"Alright, I know."
Zhongli nodded, not teasing her further.
She might fool that blonde lady—but how could she possibly fool Morax?
Without her guidance, the child of humanity might go astray—that was what she truly worried about.
Of course… there was also the possibility that Paimon was simply Paimon.
Paimon—who wielded the power of time…
"Street loafer, what are we having for breakfast?"
Paimon's mood shifted quickly, as always.
She rubbed her hands eagerly, eyes full of anticipation.
Just moments ago, she'd called Zhongli a useless freeloader.
Now she was asking that same "freeloader" to treat her to food.
If Zhongli weren't so good-tempered, he'd have taught her why flowers bloom so red!
"Heaven Dou City has a wide variety of breakfast foods.Even after staying here for over half a month, I haven't tried them all."
"Today, let's try the tofu pudding from that shop in the western district."
The moment he finished speaking, Paimon's face lit up with joy.
"That's great!"
"I want sweet tofu pudding!"
"Sweet tofu pudding?"
"Savory might be more refined…"
"Nope! I want sweet!"