[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ring-of-fate":3,"chapter-the-ring-of-fate-the-ring-of-fate-chapter-832":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},2298801,4496,"Chapter 832: Destination","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-832",832,"\u003Cp>Lu Mi had always thought Wanar, who could borrow even a fraction of the power of “0—01,” was more dangerous than Albus and Zhu Li, and now this thunder-filled region was perfectly suited for him to unleash his strength:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether Wanar could only shift the weather to similar states or whether he could rival Zhu Li and Sarist, who were fit to be vessels for divine descent, he was now as formidable as a true demi-god within the Thunder Forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if Albus and I combined, we’d be beaten senseless by this thunderstorm…” Lu Mi’s first instinct was to retreat from this area immediately and find another path to “0—01”; by then, even if Wanar followed, deprived of his optimal environment, he wouldn’t be terrifying enough to resist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, Lu Mi remembered the nightmares he’d had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recalled that behind the Thunder Forest lay a mountain of corpses and bones, and at its peak, “0—01” was seemingly embedded!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant this was the only path to the sealed core region—there was no way around it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the book “Practical Examples of Underground Mausoleum Construction” hadn’t clearly marked this, it had hinted at it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Or pretend to retreat, lure Wanar out, and avoid fighting him inside the Thunder Forest…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi suddenly had a bold idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the previous dangers had mistaken him for one of their own, might Wanar, as a puppet of “0—01,” make a similar judgment?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanar couldn’t be treated as a fully intelligent human—he was more like a self-aware automaton.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a target was highly susceptible to deception!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I first arrived in Mogang, my contamination from ‘0—01’ was minimal, and I was full of chaotic elements—Wanar’s hostility toward me was natural. But now, after studying for a long time, my contamination is nearing the critical threshold.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can try it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If it fails, I’ll activate my shadow to absorb the lightning strikes and seize the chance to ‘teleport’ out—don’t fight Wanar inside the Thunder Forest…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi made his decision swiftly and stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this process, he recalled the nightmares he’d had since arriving in Mogang, listened to the knowledge flowing from the brass earplugs, aligned himself more closely with the contamination, and idly pondered questions—some important, some meaningless—to slightly relax his mental state and ease his tense body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That might make Wanar notice something was off!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why did I arrive directly at the Thunder Forest?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“According to the nightmares, shouldn’t there have been a burning palace and a waterfall-like downpour ahead?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are they on another route?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi endured the intensifying prickling sensation and silently calculated the distance he’d covered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three or four more steps and I’ll reach Wanar…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Lu Mi thought this, he heard, beneath the rolling thunder, a slow, drawn-out breath coming from just a few meters away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi’s back instinctively tensed again; his right hand slipped into “The Traveler’s Satchel,” ready at all times to pull out the rotting corpse of the “Pus-Swollen Severed Hand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—After their earlier writhing approach, they had merged, but were still unable to break through the satchel’s seal and reunite with his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he drew closer to Wanar, Lu Mi, who couldn’t see any expression on him, unconsciously held his breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He quickly corrected himself, forcing himself to remain calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second, he felt a gaze land on him, causing faint, tiny bumps to rise on his skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Wanar’s stare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Lu Mi wished desperately he were the “Hypnotist,” but he could only keep repeating inside his mind: “I am an experimental subject, I am an experimental subject…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He maintained the same steady, straight posture as the robed experimental subjects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Two steps… one step…” Lu Mi forced his mind to go blank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He walked past the imagined figure of Wanar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One step… two steps… three steps…” Lu Mi didn’t dare relax, feeling cold sweat bead along his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the Thunder Forest, Albus Medich, using the eyes of a guard automaton, watched intently as Lu Mi, carrying the electric lamp and the ruined head, stepped closer to Wanar, whose shirt buttons were undone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw Wanar’s gaze settle on Lu Mi, follow him for seven or eight seconds, then slowly drift away; he saw Lu Mi pass the most dangerous man in Mogang and walk toward the far end of the Thunder Forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This…” Albus narrowed his eyes, then laughed, “So this is how he bypasses the earlier dangers—no wonder he’s been reading and studying constantly these past weeks… When we reach the destination, I’ll have to watch out for him exploiting this…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After walking a while, Lu Mi felt the prickling sensation on his skin begin to fade, and the sounds leaking from the brass earplugs now produced faint echoes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This immediately told Lu Mi he had left the Thunder Forest and entered a narrow corridor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After passing this corridor, I should reach the vicinity of the corpse-mountain…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I should wait—wait for Albus to catch up. Should I go alone and collide with Zhu Li and the others?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh, I wonder how Albus will get past Wanar’s blockade…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi stopped walking and listened for sounds from the direction of the Thunder Forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap, tap, tap—he heard steady, unhurried footsteps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why have you stopped?” Wanar’s voice, sharp as a blade, suddenly rang in Lu Mi’s ear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A chill shot from Lu Mi’s tailbone straight to the back of his skull, nearly making him pull out the headless corpse of the “Pus-Swollen Severed Hand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stiffly tried to “explain,” but after a flash of thought, he chose silence and continued walking without a word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the nearly solidified air, Lu Mi heard the tap-tap-tap footsteps pass him and head toward the end of the corridor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He exhaled quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t stop again, but slowed his pace to a snail’s crawl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, he felt again the sensation of countless eyes watching him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Wanar rush toward the place where “0—01” was kept, Albus Medich mocked Lu Mi for his needless risk, then calmly passed through the Thunder Forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using the few guard automatons in the corridor, Albus saw both walls were constructed of square iron panels, their metal surfaces smooth as mirrors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, on these “mirrors,” twisted, pale faces were emerging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These faces belonged to the residents of Mogang—they silently stared at Lu Mi, and occasionally someone cautiously extended a hand from the metal surface, stealthily reaching for his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi merely slashed a burst of flame in that direction, making no further aggressive move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the pale hand retract into the iron wall, Albus made the automaton ahead of him open its mouth:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I noticed Wanar didn’t cover his eyes—why don’t you try it too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the underground mausoleum, automatons like Wanar don’t need blindfolds—they don’t risk being replaced by “the ones in the mirrors”? Logically, I could try too—I’m nearly the same as him… Albus must have noticed I wasn’t attacked by Wanar and now suspects my condition? Lu Mi calmly replied to Albus:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t want to die.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Should we wait here a while, until Wanar and the two ‘Witches’ exhaust each other, then move in for the spoils?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanar rushing toward the corpse-mountain must be to stop Zhu Li and Sarist from doing something to “0—01”!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Albus answered through one of the automatons:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I haven’t detected the two ‘Witches’ ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Li and Sarist haven’t arrived yet? Did you two ‘Witches’ get lost? You entered the underground mausoleum first! Or have you already arrived but hidden, waiting for the right moment? As Lu Mi’s thoughts raced, his slowed pace returned to normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he walked, he smiled at Albus:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve noticed too—Wanar won’t attack me. When we reach the target, will you let me go in alone, unimpeded, or come with me, or try to get ahead of me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi feared Albus would exploit his blindness, deliberately lagging behind to force him into the corpse-mountain zone first, facing any dangers alone—so he preemptively revealed his anomaly, making Albus wary and unwilling to let him go unguarded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The coming dangers must be faced together—no one should hang back to be the last to harvest the victory!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Albus’s laughter rang from Lu Mi’s side:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since we’ve reached a cooperation agreement, we’ll go in together.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m starting to like you,” Lu Mi replied insincerely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After walking another dozen steps, Lu Mi suddenly stopped—he felt that ahead lay the corpse-mountain itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why aren’t you moving?” Albus asked through the automaton guarding the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why did you stop too?” Lu Mi countered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You still don’t trust me,” Albus sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi laughed in reply:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t you feel the same?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, he suddenly quickened his pace, as if trying to shake off Albus and rush ahead to the foot of the corpse-mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, he heard a whoosh—the sound of a flame spear piercing the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi “huh”ed, and fully exited the corridor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second, he felt an intense sense of danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t a premonition—it was the “Hunter’s” instinctive reaction to an attack about to strike his skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you here to die too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Li’s voice suddenly echoed in Lu Mi’s ear, cold and icy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi immediately activated the black mark on his right shoulder and pulled his right hand out of “The Traveler’s Satchel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It held a blue-black, bloated, headless corpse!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the apartment rented by Trill, Fleurca, and Jianna.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jianna said to Fleurca:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your earlier suggestion really worked—I’ve fully digested the ‘Witch’ potion. Indeed, one must lean into mysterious danger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fleurca’s face lit up with joy:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Should we wait two days before ascending at the sacrificial plaza in the underground crypt, or do it now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jianna pursed her lips and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My spiritual intuition tells me—do it now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1641,"2026-06-20T06:22:37.987Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","c5a71952c3e436ac0561d027a25cfebf5007a9a78de219f6295104153e02a7c7","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-833","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-831",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ring-of-fate-cover.jpg"]