[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-after-the-sky-fell":3,"chapter-after-the-sky-fell-after-the-sky-fell-chapter-117":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","After the Sky Fell",{"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},2280973,4462,"Chapter 117: 117. Chapter 117: The Mud Horse Elder","after-the-sky-fell-chapter-117",117,"\u003Cp>117. Chapter 117: The Mud Horse Elder\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once Li Yi had a goal, his actions became decisive and utterly without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He moved swiftly forward; even if some strange individuals had begun watching them, he didn’t care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he bought the mud horse, Li Yi would immediately take Zhao Qian and leave Ghost Street—time was urgent, not a single moment could be wasted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A familiar narrow street appeared before Li Yi’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is it—the place where I bought the coffin mushroom and the mud horse last time.” Li Yi quickly stepped into the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just as before: many odd people sat or stood silently, some slumped beside the road, each with a display of strange wares before them—paper figures, paper clothes, coffins, spirit tablets, burial goods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi walked only a short distance down the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He found a familiar stall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There sat a withered, lifeless old man, hunched over, head bowed as if asleep—or perhaps long dead, emitting not a trace of living breath, only a faint stench like a rotting corpse. Yet before him lay several items for sale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to last time, the goods had changed significantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi stood before the stall, his gaze scanning intently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Which item are you looking at?” The old man’s low, hoarse voice rang out—clearly, he was still alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“??”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath his hood, Li Yi’s expression turned strange; his eyes fixed on the old man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did I just get scolded?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m looking for a mud horse,” Li Yi said at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sold out,” the withered old man finally lifted his head slightly, his cloudy eyes glancing up—as if recognizing Li Yi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, only one person had ever spent sixty years of yang life to buy a coffin mushroom; hard to forget. But why hadn’t the yin soldiers collected the eighty years of yang life he’d paid last time? Had they failed to take it from this young man?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet collecting life spans wasn’t his concern—he couldn’t interfere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? No mud horses left?” Li Yi paused. “I wanted to buy another one. When will you have more? I’ll come back next time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There won’t be any next time,” the withered old man said abruptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi’s expression changed instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he couldn’t buy a yin horse, next time he returned to Ghost Street from Xingzhou, he’d have no mud horse to use—and no way back to Tianchang City. He’d be trapped in Xingzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was not good news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine, if there aren’t any, I’ll look elsewhere.” Li Yi didn’t want to waste time—he turned to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait.” Suddenly, the withered old man called out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?” Li Yi stopped and turned back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man shifted slightly, revealing a faded wooden chest behind him. Slowly, he opened it and pulled out another small clay horse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi’s sharp eyes caught a glimpse inside—the chest held many mud horses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost got tricked. Thought the old bastard really had none left, but he’d hidden a whole pile behind, like a wholesaler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even suspected the old man could make mud horses himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Same as before—ten years of yang life,” the withered old man said abruptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi immediately turned back: “Didn’t you just say you had none?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rarity increases value. Sell too many, and my mud horses lose worth. Understand? Slow and steady.” The old man pulled out a white talisman. “You’re a regular. You know the drill—sign here, and the item is yours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi bit his finger and signed: “I don’t care about slow and steady. I know you’re doing scarcity marketing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You pay so readily, next time I’ll give you a ten percent discount.” The old man said. “But your yang life is nearly gone—I wonder if I’ll ever get to sell to you again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he remembered correctly, Li Yi had started with one hundred fifty years—now less than half remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry. I’m a cultivator—I’ll live forever. I could buy out your whole stall.” Li Yi said. “I’m more worried about you. You’re old, look like you won’t last many more years. When you’re about to die, tell me—I’ll buy several mud horses in advance, so I won’t be stuck without one later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I die, someone will inherit my stall. The mud horse craft won’t be lost. Rest easy,” the old man replied, his lips twitching as he glanced at Li Yi with his cloudy eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good. Next time I’ll buy more—don’t refuse me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that Li Yi had the mud horse, he had no time to chat further—he grabbed Zhao Qian and left at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After watching Li Yi depart, the old man returned to his former posture, head bowed, sitting motionless before his stall, lifeless as ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi returned to the main road of Ghost Street. He and Zhao Qian didn’t go far—just found a relatively safe spot, stopped, and placed a mud horse on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Drop a few drops of blood on it. The mud horse will transform into a real horse and carry us back to our Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Qian nodded, bit her finger, and let her blood drip onto the clay horse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The familiar, uncanny scene unfolded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mud horse, touched by blood, instantly changed. A black yin wind surged around it, swirling like a miniature tornado. Within the wind, the neigh of a fierce steed rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before them stood a sturdy, clay-formed warhorse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The steed snorted, exhaling black mist—deeply sinister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi leapt onto its back and extended his hand: “Miss Zhao, let’s go—save our Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Qian reached out and was pulled onto the horse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi shielded her in front, gripping the horse tightly to prevent her from falling during the ride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both were ready.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The yin horse reared and neighed, then charged forward like a wild beast, smashing through Ghost Street without regard for the wandering spirits and vengeful ghosts—some unlucky ones were flung aside by the impact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Li Yi finally understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why the mud horse cost ten years of yang life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just for returning to loved ones—it could also serve as a mount, capable of smashing through ghosts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Incredible speed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Qian was stunned. The scenery blurred behind her, rushing backward so fast she felt as if riding clouds. Before she could react, she saw they were nearly leaving Ghost Street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The yin horse’s speed is astonishing. I hope everything goes smoothly—don’t collapse halfway like last time,” Li Yi thought, a flicker of unease rising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was truly leaving his familiar city, entering an unknown world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the yin horse galloped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In moments, Li Yi and Zhao Qian had fully exited Ghost Street—but the surroundings were no longer familiar skyscrapers. Instead, an endless, pitch-black wasteland stretched before them, vanishing into the distant horizon. Above, an unfamiliar starry sky appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stars glittered brightly; two pale red moons hung high, one on each side, strangely luminous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi looked up slightly, his heart pounding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had succeeded—he had arrived in a foreign land, no longer part of Earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since I came to Xingzhou prepared, there’s no need to worry. My parents have relatives to care for them. The nutrient solution I left will last months. After dealing with my Master’s matter, I’ll return.” Li Yi thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Yi, I’ve reached Xingzhou—I passed through here once when I fled with Father,” Zhao Qian’s voice came from in front of him, filled with excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt unreal—she was truly riding a yin horse with Brother Yi, searching for her father.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi felt a heaviness settle. Realizing they were no longer in Ghost Street, he removed his skin mask and carefully placed it in his backpack. Then he asked: “Are you certain this is the direction my Master fled?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Certain. I remember clearly—we dug a hole here and rested briefly,” Zhao Qian declared confidently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good. The yin horse seeks out blood kin. The direction is right—meaning my Master is still alive. My earlier assumption was correct. With this speed, we’ll reach him soon. But given enemies may be present, we must prepare thoroughly first,” Li Yi said seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood.” Zhao Qian clenched her fists, ready for battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi noticed another detail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The yin horse galloped across the wasteland without any signs of damage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was completely different from when they returned to the Hazard Zone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Hazard Zone, the yin horse would gradually deteriorate—chunks of clay would flake off until it finally collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I remember now—our world is polluted. Spirits and vengeful ghosts can’t survive normally. Mud horses are yin creatures, a kind of ghostly thing. So when they leave Ghost Street and enter the Hazard Zone, Earth’s pollution damages them—hence the decay. I thought they were disposable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi finally understood what a mud horse truly was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before, lacking experience, he hadn’t considered pollution. Now, comparing its condition here in Xingzhou with its fate in the Hazard Zone, he had found the true reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed—live long, learn long. Experience brings understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>",1501,"2026-06-20T01:26:56.586Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","1b53b9e1484acd3c1970eb95d5ce8c11007792cdfc517497375b2dc0e68ed701","after-the-sky-fell-chapter-118","after-the-sky-fell-chapter-116",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fafter-the-sky-fell-cover.jpg"]