诡秘之主 (2020)

《诡秘之主》是由中国网络作家爱潜水的乌贼所创作的类克苏鲁风格小说。2018年4月1日到2020年5月1日，在起点中文网（阅文集团）上进行连载。

第一部全8卷已完结。第二部名为《宿命之环》。于2023年3月4日发布，目前已完结。

该作品曾获得第四届橙瓜网络文学奖年度十大作品，最具潜力十大游戏IP；2021年9月16日，《诡秘之主》被列入“中国网络文学影响力榜：海外影响力榜” 2023年7月，入围第二届“天马文学奖”获奖作品。。

出版书籍

简体中文版由风炫文化出版，于2020年8月上海书展上出展。繁体中文版则由飞燕文创事业有限公司出版。2024年起由天闻角川出版典藏版。

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.

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,. He attempts to find out why the original Klein committed suicide while also trying to return home. He has found himself in a world reminiscent of late Victorian England. Here, people with mystical powers are called Beyonders. After reproducing a ritual that appears to have caused his transmigration, he poses as a god-like entity and forms an organization known as the 'Tarot Club'. He later becomes an official Beyonder, one who is affiliated with the story’s Seven Orthodox Churches.

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:

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.