"He's just a street loafer, a useless freeloader in society…"
"In this world where demons and gods rise together, I have no desire to vie for supremacy, yet I understand the suffering of the common people…"
"I only wish to sweep through all directions, protecting a corner of this fleeting world…"
At Jialing Pass, the battle of the three gods raged.
A figure clad in "divine attire" suddenly appeared, His voice resounding through the world.
As soon as the words fell, He waved His hand, then crossed His arms.
"Heaven Shakes All Creation!"
With a yellowish-brown "meteor" plummeting from the sky, Qian Renxue's eyes snapped open.
Her delicate brows and graceful features were drenched in cold sweat, her clothes soaked through.
The fear in her beautiful eyes gradually subsided, her breathing slowly steadying.
"Jialing Pass, Tang San, Bibi Dong, Sea God, Rakshasa God…"
"The Martial Soul Empire…"
"And… Morax!"
This dream wasn't the first of its kind; it came in fragments, recurring time and again.
Each time, she awoke the moment the "meteor" fell.
"Who… are you?!"
Qian Renxue murmured with a solemn expression.
She could no longer distinguish between dream and reality!
It was too real, as if she had truly experienced it.
This time, in a fleeting glimpse, she vaguely made out His face. That voice… it felt faintly "familiar."
As if struck by a sudden thought, Qian Renxue shook her head like a rattle.
"Impossible!"
"Absolutely impossible!"
"He's just a street loafer, a useless freeloader in society…"
"How could he possibly be the all-powerful Morax?!"
In a luxurious mansion in the northernmost part of Tiandou City…
"Achoo…"
A handsome young man sneezed, a flicker of doubt passing through his amber, phoenix-like eyes.
By all rational accounts, he shouldn't fall ill, let alone catch a cold!
"Who's talking about me?"
"Zhongli, what's wrong?"
A tiny creature, barely over two feet tall, rubbed its sleepy eyes.
"Nothing, just a slight chill."
"???"
Hearing this, the drowsy creature jolted awake, instantly floating in the air, its face full of astonishment.
Its mind was flooded with question marks.
Zhongli, catching a cold?
"Paimon, don't overthink it. Rest early."
Looking at the "Mouth of God" before him, Zhongli still hadn't fully processed everything.
In his heart, Zhongli harbored a secret.
He was a transmigrator!
In his previous life, he had transmigrated into the newly born Morax.
However, the memories of his life as a transmigrator only awoke when Morax was nearly worn down to nothing.
By then, it was too late to save the tragedies of the past.
Even the hardest bedrock would eventually erode.
If the Dragon King Ruotuo couldn't withstand it, neither could Morax—nor could he!
To avoid bringing chaos to Liyue, Zhongli settled his affairs and ventured alone to the dark seas beyond.
Along the way, his mind clouded, he encountered the "blonde auntie"…
For reasons unknown, Paimon, who "followed" the Traveler, somehow ended up transmigrating with him!
When they first arrived in the Douluo Continent, both Zhongli and Paimon were utterly bewildered…
Upon transmigrating again, Zhongli's mind gradually cleared. Miraculously, he—who should have been worn down and lost his sanity—recovered!
In this world, there was no curse of the Heavenly Principles. As a demon god, without the curse of erosion, he could live on indefinitely!
With his mind clear, memories of his past life flooded back, vivid as if they had happened yesterday.
At first, he wasn't sure what kind of world this was. That is, until one day, he saw two soul masters with their "martial souls activated," soul rings rising beneath their feet…
"The Douluo Continent?"
Slightly surprised, he hadn't expected to transmigrate to this low-tier玄幻 (xuanhuan) world.
It didn't take long for Zhongli to accept reality.
Transmigration was fine. Had he stayed in Teyvat, he might have already started losing his mind.
Powerful as he was, there were few—too few—who could stop him if he went mad.
The two "people" had transmigrated to a spot between Tiandou City and the center of the Sunset Forest.
As they prepared to head to Tiandou City, Zhongli encountered an old man with dark green hair.
Seeing the man was poisoned, Zhongli kindly offered a warning…
"I wonder how the Traveler is doing. How am I supposed to sleep?!"
Paimon said with a worried expression, her brows knit with bitterness.
She had inexplicably followed this "old geezer" to this world and still had no idea what was going on!
Without her, the Traveler had lost their best guide. Without her, the Traveler could save a ton of Mora… Bah, bah, bah!
What was that? Did she eat that much?
Only 300,000 Mora a month!
Moments later, looking at the now-sleeping Paimon, Zhongli's forehead twitched with a black line.
Who was it that said they couldn't sleep?
It hadn't even been five minutes!
Shaking his head, Zhongli tucked Paimon in with a small blanket before lying back down, gazing at the moon outside the window.
If he hadn't miscalculated the timeline, the protagonist group should be arriving in Tiandou City soon.
For "Zhongli," going a year or two without sleep was no issue.
For him now, sleeping on time was merely a habit from his previous life.
The morning sunlight bathed the earth, its gentle rays caressing all things, bringing them to life.
"Street loafer, wake up!"
Zhongli's eye twitched. Paimon's nicknames for him were always so… "unique."
Helplessly opening his eyes, his amber pupils fixed on Paimon.
"Paimon, I recall the Traveler once said you're emergency food."
"I'm not emergency food! Paimon is Paimon!"
"The Traveler was just joking!"
Paimon huffed, stomping her foot in midair, hands on her hips.
"Alright, I understand."
Zhongli nodded, refraining from teasing Paimon further.
She might fool that blonde auntie, but how could she possibly fool him, Morax?
Without her guidance, the Child of Man might "stray from the path"—that was likely her real concern, wasn't it?
Of course, there was another possibility: Paimon was just… Paimon.
Paimon, who wielded the power of time…
"Street loafer, what are we having for breakfast?"
Paimon's temper came and went quickly.
The type to "hold no grudges."
One moment, she called Zhongli a useless freeloader.
The next, she was asking the "useless freeloader" to treat her to food.
Only Zhongli's "good temper" kept him from teaching this little one why flowers were so red!
"Tiandou City's breakfast options are diverse. We've been here half a month and still haven't tried them all."
"Today, let's try the tofu pudding from that shop in the west of the city!"
At those words, Paimon's expression shifted, her face lighting up with joy.
"Awesome!"
"I want sweet tofu pudding!"
"Sweet tofu pudding?"
"Salty tofu pudding might be more refined…"
"No way, I want sweet!"