Lord of the Mysteries, manhua and novel which to read first?

When I first came across the series, it was under heavy recommendation by a mutual and avid fan of what still is my favourite obsession, ORV. Even though that story has finished, it still remains the pinnacle of novels I've read, but this series, Lord of the Mysteries, is a step beyond. If my favorite series are a 9/10 this story is a solid 10 or at least a 9.9. When getting into the story I was unsure which to start, as it had a Manhua and pretty pictures do well to help the imagination. It's by no means bad, but the pacing is a tad slow as the novel has a fun number of words ripe for binge reading. If I had to make a recommendation to others, I'd first check out the novel and sneak a peak at the beautiful art, both fan and cannon , though at one's own risk, as with any FanArt contain potential spoilers.