"Last time, we spoke of this:"
"In those days, Liyue was plagued by a great demon in the sea, while Evil Chi coiled through the mountains..."
"The Geo Archon gathered..."
Everyone could understand the change in the Sky Screen. It was nothing more than a continued account of the Rock Demon God—Morax.
But why was Zhongli sitting up there?
In Heaven Dou City, everyone who had ever met Zhongli felt their minds buzzing.
Zhongli was handsome, with deep amber eyes. Every gesture and movement of his seemed full of hidden meaning.
Such a person might have appeared to be a "playboy," but he had left a deep impression on everyone.
Besides, Zhongli had been in Heaven Dou City for years, yet there had never been any rumors about him. He had certainly never earned a reputation for bullying men or tyrannizing women.
He seemed to care about nothing, merely admiring Heaven Dou City's prosperity and sampling its delicacies and wine.
Every now and then, he would go listen to music...
Because he "did no proper work" and had never displayed the strength of a Soul Master, he was called a playboy and a loafer.
Blue Tyrant Academy.
Liu Erlong, seated beside Yu Xiaogang, froze when she saw Zhongli on the Sky Screen.
She did not know Zhongli, but she had seen him once.
With looks like that and such an extraordinary bearing, he was impossible to forget.
"This man is in Heaven Dou City."
Liu Erlong's voice was not loud, but everyone present was a Soul Master.
As soon as Liu Erlong's words entered their ears, everyone turned to look at her.
"Ah..."
"He's just a rich playboy with a bit of good looks."
Liu Erlong waved her hand and spoke indifferently.
"???"
Everyone's minds were filled with question marks. Yu Xiaogang's eyes widened, his mouth hanging slightly open as though something were stuck in his throat!
What did she mean, just a rich playboy?
Even more absurdly, what did she mean, a bit of good looks?
"Most of Heaven Dou City's famous courtesans and noble young ladies like Zhongli's type. That's how they talk about him in private."
Seeing Yu Xiaogang's unpleasant expression, Liu Erlong explained.
After hearing that...
Yu Xiaogang still wore a stiff expression, and his mood did not improve in the slightest.
He stared fixedly at the Sky Screen, wanting to see what gave Zhongli the right to sit there.
One had to know that anyone who appeared on the Sky Screen, even as mere background, was an incredibly powerful existence.
For example, Di Tian and the Ruinous Dragon King!
Why did this handsome young man, who seemed like nothing but a playboy, deserve it?
"Uh... the great demon he mentioned should be Osial, the Vortex Demon God."
"Then who is this Evil Chi he mentioned?"
Tang San stroked his chin and broke the awkward silence.
"Evil Chi should also be a Demon God. That man looks like a storyteller, and what he's telling should be Liyue's past..."
"Did none of you notice... Zhongli's eyes?"
At that moment, Ma Hongjun pointed at Zhongli on the Sky Screen and spoke.
"His eyes?"
"Yeah. His eyes are amber, and the Rock Demon God—Morax—also has amber eyes."
Ma Hongjun said instinctively.
Though he was broad and fat, he was not lacking in insight.
He had caught a detail that everyone else had missed.
"Surely... not?"
Liu Erlong said blankly.
Prince Xue Xing's residence.
When Xue Beng and Xue Xing saw Zhongli on the Sky Screen, they immediately stood up, as if their chairs were covered in nails.
"Zhongli?"
"Mr. Zhongli?"
The two of them could not have been more familiar with him.
Zhongli was a man of great talent, though his temperament was somewhat too casual.
He looked like a retired old noble.
Xue Beng had taken the initiative to befriend Zhongli, and Xue Xing had even investigated him because of it.
This man was exceedingly strange.
Before arriving in Heaven Dou City, he had left no trace whatsoever, as though he had appeared out of thin air.
"Uh, he really does love drinking tea..."
Xue Beng looked at the Sky Screen, the corner of his eye twitching.
He was on the Sky Screen, yet Zhongli was still sipping tea. It was simply... simply a waste of such an opportunity.
Xue Xing glanced sideways at his nephew, the corner of his eye twitching.
Is that what you're focused on?
Hopeless!
Should he support Xue Qinghe instead?
Zhongli Residence.
Zhongli's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly.
He had thought this was certain to be safe.
Morax was Morax. What did that have to do with him, Zhongli?
Yet he had never expected the Sky Screen to expose Zhongli as well!
On the Sky Screen, the storyteller recounted Liyue's "history."
Zhongli sat upright, sipping tea.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhongli stood atop a mountain peak, his hands behind his back as he looked down at prosperous Liyue.
"I once ended an era with my own hands."
Zhongli: "..."
Was that really necessary?
At that moment, every living being across the Douluo Continent was stunned.
This man was the Rock Demon God—Morax?
The Geo Archon, the War God...?
At that moment, those who knew Zhongli or had seen him looked at one another.
Before, they had only suspected it. The chance had not even been one percent.
Yet the "Zhongli" on the Sky Screen had said: I once ended an era!
His voice was almost identical to Morax's, only far steadier, no longer as arrogant and wild as before.
"Zhongli is Morax!!!"
The Sky Screen was reviewing Morax, and Zhongli had said something like that. Anyone who still failed to realize his identity would truly be an idiot.
Tang San, Yu Xiaogang, and the others stared with wide eyes, finding it hard to believe.
From Liu Erlong's description, wasn't Zhongli just some second-rate bum who wandered the streets, walked birds, and listened to music?
Xue Beng was completely numb. He had never imagined that Zhongli, this "great talent," was actually a Demon God!
"Xue Beng, before this..."
"Uncle, I tried countless times to win Mr. Zhongli over, but not once did he give me a direct answer..."
"I... I..."
Xue Beng was on the verge of tears, not knowing what to say.
He had known Zhongli for a long time, yet there was little real friendship between them.
Although Zhongli appeared penniless, he always had his own way of settling the bill.
Even if Xue Beng paid in advance, Zhongli would still settle it in his own way...
And Xue Beng's Gold Soul Coins would be returned to him in full.
"You... you..."
Xue Xing pointed at Xue Beng, so angry that he could barely speak.
After a long while, Xue Xing said faintly.
"You have better judgment than Xue Qinghe, but only a little."
"Xue Qinghe still has a chance. Your chances are slim."
Xue Xing shook his head as he spoke.
After all this time, he still had not moved the other party. Xue Beng was truly a... ahem.
Couldn't he have just come clean?
Why insist on maintaining the identity of a playboy prince!
Still, Xue Beng could not be blamed. He truly had no choice...
On the Sky Screen, the scene continued to shift.
"Morax ended the Archon War and fulfilled his mission."
"The Geo Archon has also protected Liyue for several thousand years. It is time to return power to the people."
"Take the 'li' from 'China,' adorn it with 'gold,' and borrow the 'li' of 'Liyue' to return sovereignty to the people. From now on, I shall be called Zhongli."
The figure atop the mountain murmured, as though speaking of something utterly insignificant.
Power was not something one could simply cast aside whenever one wished.
But to Zhongli, power was a public instrument, a responsibility, and a burden to bear.
His erosion had grown ever heavier.
Before you continue