[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ring-of-fate":3,"chapter-the-ring-of-fate-the-ring-of-fate-chapter-827":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ring of Fate",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2298796,4496,"Chapter 827: The Final Seduction","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-827",827,"\u003Cp>The Hermit rode in a pumpkin carriage, following the vivid wool thread as it descended endlessly through the dark tunnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After an indeterminate time, she arrived before a naturally formed cavern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The unrealistically vivid ball of wool had stopped here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The swarm of rats and the pumpkin carriage vanished; the Hermit floated down and landed on her feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without removing the spectacles resting on her nose, she could see pools of pus-blood splattered across the ground, corroding the soil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a daze, the Hermit seemed to witness a past scene:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A blurred figure staggered toward the cavern; with each step, a clot of pus-blood plopped from his body, striking rock and soil with a sizzling, corrosive hiss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hermit walked around the pools of pus-blood and entered the cavern ahead—but it was empty, and the trail of pus-blood ended abruptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if the figure who dripped pus-blood had finally exhausted all flesh and left no residue, or simply evaporated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kemelo vanished like this…” The Hermit immediately conjured nine blazing suns with magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The intense heat caused the pools of pus-blood on the ground to show signs of evaporation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, the holder of the Major Arcana removed the spectacles from her nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pus-blood she saw instantly transformed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was no pus-blood—it was a dense tangle of intricate characters or symbols, intertwined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These characters or symbols clustered together, corroding different rocks and soil, vividly crimson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with her esoteric knowledge, the Hermit could not identify what they represented.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Derived from Kemelo’s flesh and blood?” The Hermit paused, then decided to strip away all the crimson characters and symbols and take them with her, to show them to a high-ranking “Cryptologist.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Morola, “Carnivore” Bar, second floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi had another nightmare, but this time, he was vaguely aware he was dreaming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dreamed he walked through a dark, lightless tunnel, its floor paved with stone slabs, walls lined with bricks, and iron wall lamps spaced at intervals—but none were lit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi wandered aimlessly, sometimes turning right, sometimes descending stairs, sometimes sitting against the wall to rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, he saw clusters of yellowish light ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the glow, figures draped in black robes appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each carried a silently burning lantern, their eye sockets covered in thick layers of black cloth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enforcement squad… experimental personnel squad… Lu Mi suddenly understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Am I dreaming the interior of the underground mausoleum?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This does resemble the sealed records of “0—01” and the descriptions in those books…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did I, using the knowledge I’ve acquired and the contamination I’ve suffered, reconstruct a tunnel of the underground mausoleum in this dream?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, though the enforcement personnel and experimental staff were blindfolded, they walked with perfect steadiness, maintaining a straight path forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I… I don’t seem to be blindfolded… could that cause an anomaly? No, I’m only in a dream… Lu Mi was having a lucid dream, yet his thoughts remained sluggish and dull, as if influenced by the dream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he was about to pass sideways by the group of lantern-carrying experimental staff, his gaze naturally fell upon one of the lanterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the glass casing of the lantern, fixed by a copper-colored metal frame, a black shadow appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shadow resembled a human, flickered past, and leapt onto another lantern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This isn’t my shadow… nor the lantern-bearer’s… is it the “Mirror Person” generated by the mausoleum’s influence? Or… the “Mirror Person” who infiltrated Morola? Lu Mi shuddered, suddenly feeling far more awake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared intently and saw the slightly distorted, human-like black shadow pause, gazing back at him from the glass surface lit by the flame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment their gazes met, the shadow vanished instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi’s vision swayed violently; the entire tunnel illuminated by the lanterns shook fiercely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within seconds, Lu Mi awoke involuntarily, opening his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was still shaking; his bed creaked, and the house rattled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earthquake? Lu Mi made the judgment without surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Morola, he had already experienced four earthquakes, one volcanic eruption, five heavy downpours, four hurricanes, three tornadoes, two hailstorms, two snowstorms… Often, more than two extreme weather events occurred in a single day, though sometimes the entire day passed with only ordinary weather shifts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Based on his bodily measurements and experience, Lu Mi judged that this earthquake could not collapse the thick, sturdy building of the “Carnivore” Bar, so he lay there calmly, with no urge to rush out of bed and flee to the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If worst came to worst, he could still “Teleport” to the Church of Knowledge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi stared at the still-shaking ceiling, recalling his nightmare:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did the earthquake just wake me up—or did my nightmare trigger this earthquake?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After serious thought, Lu Mi decided it was the latter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that meant his nightmare tonight truly connected to the underground mausoleum!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just now, I wandered inside the underground mausoleum in some peculiar form of existence—without blindfolds, without carrying lanterns?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Were the scenes I saw and experienced truly happening, happening right now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Was the ‘Mirror Person’ on the lantern real?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, he didn’t seem like the lantern-bearer’s ‘Mirror Person’—his physical condition showed clear differences.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is the ‘Mirror Person’ from Triel using the power of a special mirror world to begin exploring the underground mausoleum ahead of me, Aethel, and Zhu Li?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If so, he may have started days ago—perhaps he’s already close to success…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I saw him, he saw me too… what did he see of me? What form? What state?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, if one enters the underground mausoleum without blindfolds, the experimental staff see their own ‘Mirror Person’ in their eyes—and are replaced?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A series of questions flashed through Lu Mi’s mind, and he gradually felt a pressing urgency—as if time was no longer waiting for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat up and turned his gaze toward the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The earthquake had ceased; beyond the not-too-thick curtains, the sky seemed to have gained a faint brightness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi exhaled, suppressed his negative emotions, and decided to sleep a little longer—until six in the morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He must remain in peak condition to complete the remaining three days of study; otherwise, he might lose control—or die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he awoke naturally, Lu Mi ate the breakfast prepared by Li Si, then went directly to the Church of Knowledge, sat in his usual spot, read books, and monitored the entrance to the underground mausoleum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That way, if any anomaly occurred, he could instantly “Teleport” there and descend underground!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After one cycle of thunderstorms and clear skies, Lu Mi finished his morning studies and prepared to return to the “Carnivore” Bar for lunch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One-third of the way there, he heard a cry from the direction of the bar—filled with agony yet tinged with pleasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is Zhu Li starting again? Her mood today wasn’t bad or good…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And noon is the bar’s busiest time… who’s bothering her?” Lu Mi shook his head, thinking Zhu Li was unprofessional.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, he returned to the “Carnivore” Bar and saw the front of the bar and the main hall empty; tables and chairs overturned, cups shattered everywhere, alcohol spilled across the floor, some already frozen solid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s as if Zhu Li suddenly went mad, attacked all the patrons, and drove them all away…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What happened now?” Lu Mi became highly alert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the owner of the “Carnivore” Bar, he felt sorrow over the wasted alcohol—but more urgently, he sensed clear abnormality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remembered that when he left in the morning, Zhu Li had been fine—even helping Li Si prepare today’s ingredients.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi sniffed and detected a faint scent of blood and a hint of chestnut blossom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For most men, the latter scent was unmistakably familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s odd—based on my observations, Zhu Li always harvests her target before they reach full climax, denying them the peak of pleasure. Yet this time, she left behind a noticeable scent… she actually let the original owner experience it?” Lu Mi frowned, followed the scent of blood, climbed to the second floor, and pushed open Zhu Li’s door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Zhu Li’s bed, Li Si lay naked, eyes wide open, mouth slightly agape, his groin a bloody mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did Zhu Li kill Li Si?” Lu Mi stared into Li Si’s eyes and saw frozen ecstasy, relaxation, and unmistakable pain; the room showed no signs of supernatural combat—only splattered blood and the sources of chestnut blossom scent told the story of what had occurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made Lu Mi suspect Li Si had willingly gone to bed with Zhu Li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this flesh-cooking artist had long known what Zhu Li would do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Similarly, Zhu Li’s behavior was unlike her usual self—she had allowed Li Si to climax.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did Li Si seek release? Or did he try to strike first and fail?” Lu Mi wasn’t unable to accept this—but it felt too sudden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi turned his gaze to the bloodstains lingering at the corner of Li Si’s mouth—lifeless, inert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a few seconds of observation, he suddenly recalled a phrase Zhu Li had once said to Li Si:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve decided to seduce you one last time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last… Lu Mi’s pupils contracted sharply:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Zhu Li’s eyes, was this now the final moment?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was she about to launch her final action?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where was she now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1543,"2026-06-20T06:22:37.987Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","76dba575ee5d3d332405b166c6cc2733d9ea7c85e6ff62ec69d244806e50ee58","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-828","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-826",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ring-of-fate-cover.jpg"]