Lord of Mysteries (Chinese: 诡秘之主; pinyin: Guǐ Mì Zhī Zhǔ) is a Chinese web novel written by Yuan Ye/Cuttlefish That Loves Diving. Serialized on Qidian from 2018 to 2020, the story blends steampunk, Lovecraftian horror, and Xuanhuan elements in a Victorian era-inspired world.
Contents
Plot
The story begins in the year 1349 of the Fifth Epoch, on 28 June. Zhou Mingrui (周明瑞; Zhōu Míngruì), a Chinese youth, transmigrates into the body of a university graduate, Klein Moretti, after the latter seemingly commits suicide.
Finding himself in a world reminiscent of late Victorian era England, Zhou Mingrui (now Klein Moretti) searches for a way to go home. After reproducing a ritual that presumably caused his transmigration, he masquerades as a god-like entity and forms an organization known as the 'Tarot Club'. He is also later questioned by the police about his friends’ suicides; it is revealed that the police have mystical powers. People with mystical powers are called Beyonders. Through a series of events, he becomes an official Beyonder (one who is affiliated with the story’s Seven Orthodox Churches), and tries to find out why the original Klein committed suicide while trying to eventually return home.
Media
Novel
The novel was serialized on Qidian from April 2018 to May 2020. Yen Press is releasing the novels in print in English.
Manhua
A manhua began serialization on January 21, 2020, and was published on Bilibili Manhua. A translation is available on Webnovel.
A new adaptation began serialization in 2025 and was published on AC.QQ.
Donghua
A donghua adaptation, produced by B.CMAY PICTURES, was streamed on WeTV and Crunchyroll. The series is directed by Xiong Ke with Yuan Ye serving as the series writer.
B.CMAY PICTURES has unveiled a ten-year roadmap for the Lord of the Mysteries donghua adaptation, outlining plans for six seasons, three special episodes, and a movie, to be aired within a decade through 2035. The following table is the official release calendar directly from the event held by B.CMAY PICTURES:
Episodes
Season 1 (2025)
Season 1, titled "Clown", covers the first volume (Chapter 1 – Chapter 213) of the novel, premiered as a double-episode special on June 28, 2025 and ended on September 13, 2025, with a total of 13 episodes. The first ending theme is "Dark Dream" by Curley Gao, which played for the first 12 episodes. The second ending theme is "THE ERASED" by Pu Yixing, which played during the final episode. Muse Communication also acquired the broadcast rights of the series, with each episode uploading daily on YouTube from October 1 until the finale on October 13. An English dub of the series was also released on Crunchyroll on July 25, 2025.
Video game
As of 2024, a multi-platform RPG titled Lord of the Mysteries is in development using Unreal Engine 5.
Reception
The novel amassed a large fandom among Chinese and English speakers. It was ranked #1 on Qidian's popularity rankings for several consecutive months. As of 2023, it had tens of millions of readers.
Fans of the series frequently discussed fan theories regarding the protagonist and his abilities, which the author directly engaged with online, sometimes by confirming fan speculation or by redirecting them. He also incorporated reader feedback into future instalments of the series.
It is one of 144 web novels in the National Library of China.