[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-after-the-sky-fell":3,"chapter-after-the-sky-fell-after-the-sky-fell-chapter-168":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},2281024,4462,"Chapter 168: 167. The Naive Idea","after-the-sky-fell-chapter-168",168,"\u003Cp>167. The Naive Idea\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The changes came too fast—so fast that the other Meng family Qi Refining experts hadn’t even reacted until Meng Kuohai, drenched in blood and barely clinging to life, roared and charged forward after taking two shots; only then did the remaining five realize the battle had already begun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Spread out and rush forward. Their attacks are terrifying, but once we close in, we win. Don’t think of fleeing—any attack with this kind of power at this distance means you won’t survive even if you run three li away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Cai let out a sharp cry, abandoned her horse, and sprinted toward the pavilion where Li Yi stood, pouring out her martial energy as if it cost nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her speed was astonishing, surpassing even that of a galloping steed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no time to conserve strength now—if they couldn’t close the distance and got hit again by that strange weapon, everyone would die without doubt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Charge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Yuan, Meng Yanwei, and the two brothers Fang Xiong and Fang Jin, upon realizing the situation, leapt from their horses and dashed forward, their martial energy surging without restraint, each one like a tiger or cheetah lunging toward the pavilion, showing not the slightest hint of retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the Meng family’s Qi Condensation expert was still alive; this was a rare opportunity while the enemy’s attack was distracted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they hesitated any longer, who knew how many Qi Refining experts’ lives would be lost crossing these five hundred steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing this, they ran like madmen, none wanting to see that kind of attack strike them—after all, even a Qi Condensation expert couldn’t withstand it; if it hit them, death was certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Li Yi had no time to attend to the other five Qi Refining experts—his focus was entirely on Meng Kuohai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifth shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This shot missed—the bullet was dodged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Yi remained calm, cycling the bolt and chambering another round.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sixth shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, the bullet nearly struck Meng Kuohai, passing so close to his body it seemed to graze his skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“His limit is near. Beyond four hundred meters, he’s dead for sure.” Li Yi confirmed the man’s strength from this shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The closer the target, the less time they have to react—especially in the final one or two hundred meters, they become perfect stationary targets. No matter how fast your reflexes, your body simply can’t move fast enough to dodge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Meng Kuohai, using his Qi Condensation to fly, had passed the last flag and closed the distance to five hundred meters—and it kept shrinking, shrinking. Taking advantage of Li Yi’s reloading, he’d already closed to four hundred, then three hundred meters. He truly had a chance to reach Li Yi’s side; according to his estimate, the enemy had at most two more shots left. Once he got within fifty steps, he could unleash his Qi Condensation and kill this damned man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even from hundreds of meters away, Li Yi felt the man’s fierce killing intent—but as a sniper, strong mental fortitude was essential. And Li Yi had scored perfect marks in close-range moving target drills at the training base.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi pulled the trigger again, the powerful recoil driving him backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another special round flew out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seventh shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three hundred meters was dangerous for Li Yi—but just as dangerous for Meng Kuohai. It meant he had less than half a second to react. Under such conditions, unless you could predict and dodge in advance, the moment you sensed danger, it was already too late—your body simply couldn’t move fast enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Kuohai sensed danger again. He thought he could dodge it, barely, as before—but this time his pupils shrank sharply, his mangled body jerking involuntarily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the interval between sensing danger and its arrival was too short—almost simultaneous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could he dodge that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only if he could foresee the enemy’s moves, predict the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Meng Kuohai had broken through to the realm of Primordial Spirit, he was not yet a true Primordial Spirit expert—his ruined body held him back, preventing him from perceiving his surroundings as freely as a true Primordial Spirit master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bullet struck him again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But fortunately, his damaged body still managed to twist aside, avoiding a direct hit—yet the bullet scraped across his back, tearing away a massive, bloody chunk of flesh, as if his skin had been peeled off alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His spine was also injured, causing his Qi Condensation to instantly collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Kuohai’s towering frame crashed to the ground, rolling over a dozen times before finally stopping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just as I expected—in the final few hundred meters, he couldn’t dodge the bullet. Looks like this bastard is finally dead. Good. Let me give him one more.” Li Yi re-aimed and fired without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Kuohai knew he was finished. He could no longer control his Qi Condensation; he couldn’t close the final distance. With such grievous wounds and the enemy’s next attack already prepared—death was inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But these last two hundred meters—he would cover them himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I refuse to accept this!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a final surge of life, Meng Kuohai let out a deafening roar, reaching both hands toward the sky, as if gripping the air. A surge of Qi Condensation coalesced into an invisible spear, and with his last strength, he hurled it straight at Li Yi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he finished, he was struck directly—the upper half of his mangled body exploded into a pile of fragments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This firearm, capable of killing transcendent beings, was indeed not something a mere mortal Qi Condensation expert could withstand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he hadn’t expected it would take eight shots to kill him—what a waste of bullets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still trying to strike me even as you die?” Li Yi’s intuition warned him—but the warning vanished moments later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qi Condensation spear had lost most of its force after flying over a hundred meters; by the time it reached the pavilion, its energy was spent, becoming only a gust of wind that blew off a few roof tiles—causing Li Yi no harm whatsoever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Meng Kuohai was indeed a formidable warrior. A Qi Condensation expert’s Qi could normally kill only within a hundred meters—but this man’s Qi had flown nearly two hundred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he closed another hundred meters, Li Yi might have been in real danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this world has no “what ifs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Qi Condensation expert, challenging the superhuman M200 sniper rifle, had lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking back, it had been a truly even, exhilarating battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi couldn’t help breaking into a cold sweat—he was so tense that had that gust of wind been any stronger, he might have caught a cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the crisis was not over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The greatest threat, Meng Kuohai, was dead—but his five Qi Refining companions still lived. Now they charged toward Li Yi in wild, scattered runs, their speeds astonishing, as if they understood the rifle’s power and intended to close the distance for hand-to-hand combat, denying him any chance to fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This five hundred meters won’t be easy to cross. Want to fight me up close? Fine. You’ll each pay with your lives.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi’s expression remained calm. He cycled the bolt and chambered a round—this time, he didn’t even need to aim before firing at one of the Qi Refining experts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the Qi Refining expert named Meng Yuan was struck. He had no time to react—his body exploded on the spot, dead instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Meng Yuan!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others cried out in grief, their rage burning hotter—they longed to rush Li Yi and crush him to dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You bastards are terrifying. Even a sniper rifle doesn’t scare you. If I don’t kill you, how can I sleep at night?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi’s face was expressionless. As a trained sniper with Primordial Spirit cultivation and his glowing vertical pupils locked on, within five hundred meters, hitting a Qi Refining expert was virtually impossible to miss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swiftly cycled the bolt again and fired at the second Qi Refining expert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the target was sprinting, prediction was basic skill for Li Yi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qi Refining expert named Fang Jin was struck—his body exploded, leaving no remains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xiong screamed in anguish, his eyes turning red with madness—he wanted to tear Li Yi apart alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you’re brothers? Fine. I’ll kill you first—so you can join him.” Li Yi’s vertical pupils locked onto him again, and his sniper rifle fired once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bullet flew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The instant before, Fang Xiong had been screaming in grief; the next, he too met his end, his blood mingling with his brother’s, their souls spilled upon the earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi prepared to fire again—but found his rifle was out of ammunition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One magazine held ten rounds, plus one in the chamber—eleven rounds total, all spent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he had spare magazines ready. He swiftly swapped them, preparing to kill the remaining two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet just as Li Yi finished reloading and before he could cycle the bolt, two figures had already arrived at the pavilion—one from the left, one from the right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Coward! Using hidden weapons? Give me your life!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Yanwei’s eyes were bloodshot as he roared, gathering his Qi Condensation into a fist and lunging at Li Yi with maximum speed, trying to stop him from using that strange device—if he failed, the sacrifices of his comrades would be meaningless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve killed so many of our Meng family. You must die.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, Meng Cai, the female martial artist, screamed in fury and delivered a punch of her own, giving Li Yi not a single chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To reach this point, they had lost one Qi Condensation expert and three Qi Refining experts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cost was too heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they would not betray this sacrifice. Both believed that if the enemy couldn’t use that strange device, close-range combat would surely kill him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing them charge, Li Yi realized he had no chance to fire again—but his expression remained calm. He dropped his rifle and raised both fists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that moment, his powerful body unleashed an unimaginably fierce punch force—stronger and more terrifying than when he had killed the two masters of Sanyang City. Even as he struck left and right simultaneously, it was like thunder exploding, air currents swirling violently, radiating an aura of invincible dominance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three fists met—Li Yi fought two at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that instant, Meng Yanwei’s face turned pale. He was a Qi Refining expert in his fifties, among the weakest of the group. He’d assumed this enemy who used hidden weapons must be weak—but now, with this punch, he realized how naive he’d been.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the punch force erupted and martial energy spilled, both Meng Yanwei and Meng Cai were violently thrown back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Meng Yanwei, the seasoned Qi Refining expert, spat a mouthful of blood, his arm snapping instantly. He collapsed to the ground, unable to rise—clearly, the outcome had been decided in a single blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How could you have this kind of strength?” Meng Cai, too, was thrown back several steps, her blood surging violently. Her face showed shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi slowly withdrew his fists, standing firm, his glowing vertical pupils sweeping over them: “Do you have some misunderstanding? I can’t defeat Qi Condensation experts—but I never said I couldn’t beat Qi Refining experts. In this realm, I am undefeated. You two don’t actually believe you can overpower me just because I’ve put down my weapon, do you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How naive and foolish. You sacrificed four lives just to reach me, thinking you could defeat me—yet all you’ve done is come here to die. Can you really accept this outcome?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t believe it. I won’t let you live.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Cai’s killing intent surged. She had cultivated nine dantian points, her blood and qi at their peak, having defeated countless Qi Refining experts. She considered herself the strongest under Qi Condensation—yet now, after one punch, she’d been pushed back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She couldn’t accept this result.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She convinced herself it was only because she’d rushed in after a long sprint, her qi unbalanced, her strike hasty—her power had been insufficient, not because she was weaker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come. Fight again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Cai stepped forward, shaking the ground, unleashing her martial energy as she charged Li Yi once more.\u003C\u002Fp>",2047,"2026-06-20T01:26:56.586Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","52865835e44fa9e6cef810b41ab9b4d0aae2f2782d0c4838fdcd69bc137b1b2a","after-the-sky-fell-chapter-169","after-the-sky-fell-chapter-167",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fafter-the-sky-fell-cover.jpg"]