The Mystery of Zhongli & Neuvillette | Genshin Impact Theory

Morax has a strong connections to the moon sisters. Most likely he's the shade.

I still think he’s actually the Geo Sovereign, for a few reasons:

1. He’s already been stated to have been the strongest Archon during the Archon War, and could easily topple the others. (Before he gave up his authority obviously.)

2. Him having a similar constellation/story quest situation as Neuvillette.

3. He’s also the God of Contracts. And supposedly the strongest Archon during the war. Now, people often make the argument that “Why would Celestia make one of the Sovereign’s an Archon when the whole point was to overthrow them.” I wouldn’t be surprised that he could have possibly made a contract with Celestia, to turn his authority into a Gnosis. So that way, they could easily take it from him if somehow the contract was broken or they felt the need, while allowing him to keep it.

4. All the Archons’ “true forms” appear to be either humanoid, or something related to their element. Like Venti being a wind spirit, and the others just being fancier versions of themselves. Meanwhile Zhongli’s true form, is a dragon. People argue Azdaha is the Geo Sovereign but we already know he’s not. He’s been confirmed to be the Lord of Vishaps, and can technically use all the elements that the vishaps can use.

Neuvillette doesn’t have to know Zhongli is a fellow Sovereign. Especially if he was only reincarnated 500 years ago and hasn’t met him yet.

I believe he is the 2nd descender

Zhongli simps cannot fathom the idea of a playable character being lorewise stronger than him 😂
I even heard people speculating that zhongli might be the primordial one 😂😂

Mhmh cant finish watching but neuvillette himself stated he isnt original sovereign so and isnt older than this world and before I even hear theories zhongli is NOT sovereign

It's possible for neuvillette since diluvies is just water source but not for zhongli cuz... constellation can't be 'ancient history'. Most likely, they named it historia antiqua because the story quest is just zhongli giving history lessons😂😂

Lol imagine if Zhongli turned out to be the Primordial One. We'll see in 3 years!

What if he is the geo Sovereign? That would explane everything and his similarities with nuvillete

dude theyre both my fav characters and i have them both. couldnt be happier

Well, in most stories, he is referred to as a “stubborn rock” or “unmoving rock”, and during his quest when the Fatui broke the contract Zhongli said “Those who break their contracts shall suffer the wrath of the Rock,” and at first I didn’t think much of it, but after I paid more attention to it, I realized that “rock” was said as “Rock” with a capital R meaning it is the name of some sort of entity, not just an element or inanimate object. So I’ve come to the conclusion that he is a rock and when he quoted Morax (aka himself) the “rock” he was referring to was himself because since he is the God of Contracts those who break their contracts will suffer his wrath. Also, rocks tend to be old as hell because they can last so long so it can be the reason why he is so old.

According to Neuvillette himself; That constellation is not his. He just used it so the Melusines could check his constellation without revealing too much about himself.

Zhongli also made a contract with someone that made him unable to tell where the twin's sister is 👀👀👀👀

Zhongli is the shade of life

Nruvi dosen't have a con he just picked that so melusine can read his con in the steambird

What if Zhongli is actually the original Geo Dragon Sovereign and is just masquerading as the Geo Archon?

Definitely reminds me of the stone tablets, which is ‘demoted’ in CN. Most people thought he was banished from Celestia, but it might not be that simple… Also, Adepti are a special kind of illuminated beast/god, because they not only have the adeptal arts, something Zhongli taught them, but are specifically Zhongli’s followers.

It’s so weird Zhongli said this:

“I am the god of Contracts, and was, for a time, a god of the people of Liyue.”

It’s like a filler identity, Liyue 3700 years founded by him. 6000 minus 3700 that’s 2300 years gap.

I also remember in that quest he said something about humans literally reminding me of this “before finally creating humans — our ancestors, numerous as the stars in the sky, uncountable as the sand on the shore. From that time, our ancestors made a covenant with the Primordial One, and so entered into a new age."The Year of the Ark's Opening"The Primordial One had a sacred plan for humans. As long as they were happy, it too rejoiced.” His previous identity? “Of mankind. My identity my change, but my eyes will bear witness to the history of humanity”

Hello Kim, as a reactive theory crafter, I noticed something odd that I wanted to share with you :

I was kinda triggered by the unbalanced amount of hate Dragons have toward the Archons that manifests in Neuvillette wanting to ''Trial'' them, especially since we had been EXPLICITLY shown FOUR instances of the Archons not reciprocating this hate, nor regarding Dragons as foes.
It's just odd to me that we have the whole first Archon quest of Venti trying to help Dvalin, as well as him being one of his four winds.
Then we have Azhadaha and Morax, in which the latter not only granted him sight, brought him to live above ground, and taught him to live with humans, but also shared his power with him in a desperate move to recover him from his erosion.
Then we have Nahida, who was ready to sacrifice herself to help her and ease the pain inflicted on her by the withering.
Then of course Focalors giving her authority to Neuvillette and entrusted him with her abode and people.

It just, doesn't make sense to me at all.
Hope you can help me make sense of that.

Funfact
Egeria and neuvillette cannot coexist

I am having a huge debate with other fans over Zhongli. They claim you don’t know what an adeptus is. They claim the primordial one made the constellations to trap everyone, and the constellations didn’t exist before then. They keep dismissing what Zhongli says about dwelling on this world, they keep insisting he is only 6k, and that his constellation and his story quest being different mean nothing. They say he’s some sort of Adeptus and therefore cannot be a shade because he’s too young. There is no mystery to his origins because we apparently know his true age and so forth.

Oh and it’s just falsehoods in this video because you’re trying to get views. Their words not mine. This is on the hoYolab app where apparently everyone is an expert on lore.

I wish neuvilette had the same dark blue eyeliner just like zhongli having red one 🥲

I have a crazy but fun theory that might get taken down immediately by someone since I didn't really think this through, it just came out of the blue.

Since you brought up that Zhongli MIGHT be an alien since he lived so long... Is it possible that he's either a sovereign in disguise?, .... OR... Hear me out.... Secretly the 2nd Descender?
Since we just know that the 2nd only lost to the 1st, and that we don't know their fate after they lost to the 1st.

Maybe?,... No?,.... A bit of a stretch?,.... Alright then, lmao

Zhonglis is a primordial being too, so he couldve been a "sovereign"

I ship this theory.

I know this is crazy Kim but hear me out.

Neuvilette doesn't have a constellation because he can act his own fate. What if... Zhong Li didn't have a constellation either AND THAT IS WHY HE IS BIND BY A CONTRACT TO CELESTIA.

They can't control him to act a predetermined fate and that is why he needed to sign a contract that we still don't know the essence of, because it is the only way to have him act a certain way.

please make a video on neuvilette using hydro element without a vision

32k views im proud of u pookie

Neuvillette actually states that he has his own, private constellation (which could very well be the old sovereign's one), but he gave himself another one (leviathan judicator) so that the melusines could have fun with it. If Zhongli is powerful enough, he very likely could've done the same thing
And, if I recall correctly, 6,000 years is the minimum for Zhongli's age. He very easily could've been around when the dragons sovereigns were in power, especially since the events surrounding their loss (if I'm remembering correctly), didn't take place too much more than 6,000 years ago (at least, relatively speaking). He actually could've been given a new one, instead of making one like Neuvillette did (because it seems that, for now, he isn't as powerful as even a weakened sovereign)

great video and excellent theory, I think you may be right!

neuvillette states that the hydro dragon sovereign that lived through the primordial one’s usurping of teyvat had died, so no he did not exist before the primordial one’s reshaping the world

In my opinion is Zhongli is the first of his kin in old world. Here is my arguments:
1) Zhongli can shape-shifting just like the vishap that related with dragon in old world. His knowledge and memories capacity are beyond ordinary those I think are related with learning ability (vishaps have great learning and adaptability). And ofc Zhongli is very genius enough to adapt for 6000+ years (make it he is the first/most perfect in his kin i guess).
2) His counterpart in another Hyvrse game has name "Adam" (Sorry I forget which game). Hyvrse love doing recylcying character design and they do not do it randomly (with purpose). "Adam" is first person in Semit/Gnonicitism lore. This reference are commonly we can find in Genshin.

And for strengthen your argument he is from old wolrd, when he said "dwelted for more 6000 years" it means he is older than this current world. In semit/gnosticism lore, the world are created 6000 years ago (we also can calculated this from Genesis bible). And yeah Genshin has main reference with Gnosticism mythology.

The only known beings to exist before the Primordial One created Tevyat are the dragons from the Light realm and the Primordial One and its shades. None of the Archons are dragons and if Zhongli is from outside Teyvat, why wouldn't the Fatui list him as an outsider and why would he accept the position of an Archon if he's some sort of sun god? Besides, he can be old enough to remember how the world was at its creation without being older than the world itself. He could very well have been born when the Primordial One used the Light realm to create Teyvat, as none of the elemental beings of today's Teyvat (including Archons) are from the Light realm - they're probably related to the dragons, but came into existence as a result of Teyvat's creation. 

Besides, the Archons are all elemental beings, but they don't have a specific origin other than that; Venti was born at the end of the Archon war, Zhongli roughly 6000 years ago, Ei and Inazuma have no origin story at all (they existed before the Archon war), and Rukkhadevata is the avatar of Irminsul like Nahida but we don't know her age. Focalors is relatively boring; an oceanid familiar inheriting Egeria's power. The most specific one is Egeria possibly being created by the Shades, which reminds me of Venti being related to Istaroth - it seems like the Archons are related to Celestia, while also being elemental beings, which means that they're related to the dragons somehow. It seems like the Archons are humanity's "Sovereigns", being born from the elements while also being controlled by Celestia.

I have a theory on this, and it goes like this:
According to Neuvilette, the Primordial One lost "absolute control" over Teyvat when (most likely) Nibelung returned as the 3rd Descender. It's not a stretch to assume that this includes losing control of the elements, allowing the elemental gods (Archons) to be born, and that some of the Shades were incapacitated in the war as well (which could be why Istaroth practically disappeared). The world went from a unified civilisation with direct communication between humans and the Primordial One, to a fractured world where the Primordial One was silent and the elemental beings were born due to the elements no longer being suppressed. 

Let's assume Wei is correct and the four shades are collectively the 2nd Descender, and that the Sustainer is the only Shade still alive and unharmed. That would mean the 1st and 2nd Descenders are both incomplete at the moment, which explains why they're silent, and why the world is described as "burning" in the traveler's story; there isn't a Descender to keep Teyvat in check. The domain theory is strengthened by the definition of Descenders; someone with a will that rivals a world, aka if Teyvat is a domain then a Descender is the only being capable of controlling the entire domain. Thus, the 1st and 2nd Descenders are both dead or incomplete, but how is Teyvat still stable?

If we assume that the elemental gods were born as a result of Nibelung's "war of vengeance", then it makes sense that the visions and gnoses were created to "maintain order" in Teyvat. There wasn't a Descender to rule all of Teyvat anymore, but instead of simply killing the new elemental gods, the Sustainer is using the visions and gnoses to mimic the role of a Descender. We know that willpower is important in Teyvat, so what if visions are a way to "collect" willpower to keep Teyvat stable? As we saw in the Inazuma Archon quest, the willpower of one person is insignificant, but the willpower of a nation can match that of an Archon. And thus the gnoses and Archons serve a similar purpose; the seven Archons' willpower maintains their own nation, with the Sustainer overseeing everything from Celestia. It wouldn't be impossible, remember that the Light realm was supported by the seven Sovereigns, so the Sustainer could've chosen the Archons to mimic that system, using 7 lesser gods and the remains of a Descender to uphold the domain of Teyvat (at the cost of allowing people access to the elements).

So basically the elemental gods were born when the Primordial One lost control of the elements, and instead of killing them, the Sustainer realized that she couldn't maintain the world alone and instead used them as humanity's Sovereigns with the help of the visions and gnoses. "The keeper is fading away" from the traveler's story refers to the Sustainer gradually losing power of Teyvat, as she isn't a complete Descender without her fellow Shades. Which means that Celestia is currently ruled by a ghost and one single Shade.
It wouldn't be that insane. Nibelung returned early in Teyvat's history if he is the "second throne" that ended the unified civilisation, which leaves a lot of time between the Primordial One's death and the Archon War for the Archons to be born from the elements.

Morax is only 6000 years old and isn't even comparable to Azhdaha in age, who may or may not be a dragon sovereign.

nahh they both gentleman thats why

I heard before Zhongli is present after primordial one and the second who came war,or at least he is live in the first era after primordial one create the World where human and god live together.

dope theory i must say..
i thought I was the only one who was suspicious of why Zhongli had a diff story quest title and Neuv had same traits..

what if yk just what if shingle and neuvilette are the first two descenders ykyk

What if Zhongli is the Aeon of Permanence, Long? He didnt died, just went somewhere and descended in teyvat the old world.

feels iffy because of the fact that We know Neuv had a real con before 4.2 and the con we see is just a fake one he made so melusines can make predictions. So the theory that he had always inherited the previous soverigns con doesn't make sense unless your saying after 4.2 he lost his real and old constellation and gained his predecessors

Theory fits to zhongli

So, every Archon is an elemental creature. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Finalmente qualcuno che ha le mie stesse domande

In recent fontaine area there's an intresting note called "Records of unknown Attribution (1)" it says someone from past during their research was able to uncover the secret of the world and understood the meaning
They came to found out that the realm where khaenri'ah is located isn't just belongs to Khaenri'an's but it belongs to whole human race
In the end the note says it is where they can find a power that transcends the power of abyss itself
Now if u read thw whole series of notes scattered in fontaine and have known what scaramouche said back in 1.1 then you may have guessed the answer
(My theory)
Unified civilization is most likely lived in other side of land meaning where the real Sky is Abyss while the current land is basically the fixed land during war of vengeance just we know what u see in siblings memory looks like Mondstadt but it is actually khaenri'ah the current known teyvat is just the upside down version of old teyvat which is why everything is small compared to what it should be there should not be any ruins of dahri or why dragons actually live underneath the land we traveling on try those notes out it's interesting similarly one of the notes confirms that khaenri'ah is actually related to Evolution they're pursuing the evolution

Also
Neuvillette's constellation is a fake one he doesn't possess one as he is not the part of Heavenly principles order
Zhongli might possess the same thignas archons actually doesn't have constellation but a fate dedicated to them they control their own fate thus having a constellation as their own

It is known Zhongli's story is not yet over. Remember he made "the contract to end all contracts" so we will revisit Liyue before it's all over.
Plus Hoyoverse is Chinese, so yeah.

Technically neuvi doesn’t have a constellation
His constellation is literally just him

Zhongli also told that due to contract with Cryo Archon, he couldn't share anything about Travellers sister

Are you Wei number 2???????

It’s said in Neuvillette’s character story that he doesn’t have a constellation and “Leviathen Judicator” is just something made up for the tabloids because he didn’t want to admit he didn’t have one. Not sure on the name of his story quest though.