[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-after-the-sky-fell":3,"chapter-after-the-sky-fell-after-the-sky-fell-chapter-205":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},2281061,4462,"Chapter 205: 196. Investment and Peril","after-the-sky-fell-chapter-205",205,"\u003Cp>196. Investment and Peril\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the first floor of Peace Financial Tower was crowded with people—all relatives and friends of the residents—who chose to take shelter here rather than flee Tianchang City with their families, hoping to avoid the dangers of nightfall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Yi, you’ve really come into your own lately—excellent! If your father knew how capable you’ve become, he’d be so proud. This time, Uncle Biao’s benefited from your influence; otherwise, I wouldn’t have known where to hide these past few days. Lin Yue’s been acting strange—suddenly sold her house in Anding District, and now she’s got nowhere to go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Biao greeted Li Yi warmly upon seeing him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t say that, Uncle Biao—we’re all familiar with each other; helping out is only natural. But you said Lin Jie sold her house in Anding District? How’s that possible? I didn’t know anything about it,” Li Yi said, surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Yue walked over and said, “Don’t listen to Uncle—he’s talking nonsense. I’ve always rented in Anding District; I never had the money to buy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t want Li Yi to know she’d sold her Anding District house to fund the Guiding Technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Biao suddenly remembered—Lin Yue had warned him not to reveal this. He slapped his forehead. “Right, right—it’s a rental. I’ve just started as a medium and seen too many unclean things; my head’s been fuzzy, I must’ve misremembered.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi glanced between Uncle Biao and Lin Yue, then said, “Is that so? I feel you’re hiding something from me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How could that be? You’re overthinking, Li Yi. Right now, you and Lin Yue should discuss your next mission.” Uncle Biao smiled. “As for the old district, I can’t help you. I’m going to chat with your father—I’ve been watching the news; many dormant ones have been waking up. I wonder if your father will wake up soon—if he does, I’d like to treat him to a drink.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My parents are in the room over there. If you go, tell Zheng Lan to open the door for you,” Li Yi said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got it.” Uncle Biao nodded and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Yi.” At that moment, someone called out from the first floor again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi turned toward the voice and saw Lu Jue waving at him from a sofa nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lu Jue.” His expression shifted, and he walked over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi noticed Lu Jue wasn’t alone—he was with a group of cultivators, including Kong Sheng, who’d helped him fight Ning Wu; Zhao Xiaoxiao, who’d worked with him; and Fang Hang, Cheng Pingfang, and others he’d rescued in the danger zone. These cultivators ranged from mediums to sensitives, their strengths uneven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But all had some connection to Li Yi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Yi.” As he approached, they all greeted him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone, hello.” Li Yi nodded in return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Jue said, “Li Yi, I have something to discuss with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?” Li Yi asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Under the current situation, if we cultivators remain scattered, we’ll accomplish nothing. So I talked with them, and they all want to invest in you—hoping you’ll enter the Golden Academy and become a Cross-Boundary One. I just want to know if you agree,” Lu Jue said bluntly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Invest in Li Yi? That’s good—but we’re not short on money. If you’re investing, you’ll need to contribute real effort, high risk, and it could cost lives.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Yue walked over, her gaze sharp and serious. “You all know the situation. Across Tianchang City, everyone’s seeking key figures to invest in—Li Shaoqing, Yang Yilong, and Investigator Gu Mengping have the most backers because they’re the strongest and most likely to become Cross-Boundary Ones with the highest chance of return.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But Li Yi has enormous potential—he’s still growing, so many overlook him. But I believe he’ll rise above them. If you’re just testing the waters, I advise you to walk away now—don’t end up losing friends over it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Yue was glad someone wanted to invest in Li Yi, but she refused to let them treat it as a casual gamble—this wasn’t the time for half-measures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lin Yue, we know what ‘investment’ means,” Fang Hang said seriously. “It’s hard to give charcoal in the snow, easy to add flowers to brocade. We’re investing in Li Yi now precisely because it’s snow and charcoal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Yi saved my life. He helped me. Now he’s fighting for a Golden Academy slot—I’m willing to help him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We didn’t come here to invest lightly,” Cheng Pingfang added firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xiaoxiao, the woman, said earnestly: “Lin Yue, I know you’re a Sensitivity expert and look down on us ordinary cultivators—but I understand Li Yi’s potential better than you. When I worked under Yang Yilong, I wanted to invest in him then, but he refused. My mind hasn’t changed since.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned to Li Yi: “From the start until now, I’ve saved twenty million. This time, I’m putting it all behind you—don’t think it’s too little.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Yi, whether it’s money or effort, I won’t hesitate. Please consider this seriously,” Kong Sheng said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To him, no one in Tianchang City was a better investment than Li Yi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d dealt with Li Yi—he knew he was trustworthy, not the kind to cut the bridge after crossing. So he dared to gamble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it were anyone else, he wouldn’t even glance their way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Yi, you know these people—make your decision,” Lin Yue said, watching him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All eyes turned to Li Yi, waiting for his answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi’s expression was calm as he thought. After a moment, he spoke: “Your trust and investment mean a great deal to me—but right now, the old district, the abandoned district, the danger zone—events keep piling up. If you invest in me, you can’t stay out of the danger. As Lin Jie said, one misstep could cost your life.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For example, tonight: the Investigator Bureau is launching Operation Exorcism to cleanse the old district of corpses and vengeful spirits. High risk. Many will die. Consider whether you want to join.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Jue immediately said, “I’m in. Wherever you need me, just say the word—I won’t refuse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Me too,” Fang Hang touched his severed arm. “I lost a hand, but I’m still Sensitivity-level—I can help.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Same here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t hesitate—they’d clearly already decided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To them, Li Yi wasn’t just a friend—he was the hope of crossing over. Only by firmly investing in him did they have a chance to reach the Cross-Boundary realm. Otherwise, with their potential, they’d never leave Tianchang City. If a second Heavenfall came, they’d be trapped here, helpless with their families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was a fate no cultivator could accept.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they shrank back now, refusing to fight, they deserved to perish when disaster struck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone here had flaws—but none were fools. Even Zhao Xiaoxiao now unswervingly chose to invest in Li Yi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d witnessed how fast he’d risen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators. This time, she wouldn’t miss the chance again. She staked everything—bet it all—to reclaim what she’d lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing their resolve, Li Yi opened his mouth to speak—but Zheng Lan hurried over: “Li Yi, a helicopter just landed outside. Investigator Bureau personnel—they say they have urgent business with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi immediately handed Zheng Lan a Soul-Returning Pill he’d prepared: “I know. Give this to them. They’ll know what it is—no need to explain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Lan didn’t ask further. She took the pill and rushed out of the tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Investigator Bureau staff received the pill, expressed their gratitude, and the helicopter took off at high speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, they were delivering it to Zhang Lei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Gong’s guarantee, no one doubted the pill’s authenticity—only that it might work as hoped: to awaken the comatose Zhang Lei and stabilize the worsening situation. With Pi Te Daoist, Gu Mengping, Lin Yue, and other frontline fighters, the scene couldn’t be held alone—Zhang Lei’s presence was essential.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this brief interruption, no one asked questions. They waited silently for Li Yi’s reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi finally spoke: “Since you’ve all made your decision, I won’t say more. Tonight’s mission—thank you for your effort.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Yi accept, everyone exhaled in relief—and then smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet their joy quickly turned solemn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Investment meant risk and responsibility. This mission was their test of worth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Yue, seeing Li Yi accept their investment, felt both joy and regret. Joy because Li Yi was finally building his own team. Regret because these investors were too weak—not one Sensitivity expert. But then again, if they were Sensitivity experts, they’d have invested in Li Shaoqing, Yang Yilong, or Pi Te Daoist long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Never mind—at least we have a good start. Better than nothing,” she thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As everyone began preparing, dusk fell unnoticed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night drew nearer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this time, Li Yi had Zheng Lan arrange accommodations and gather supplies for all—though not abundant, enough to sustain them for over ten days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d assumed Peace Financial Tower could weather these days in peace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until—suddenly, a gunshot rang out, jolting everyone in the tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Gunfire? Sounded close—outside the building.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A vehicle’s speeding toward us—urgent. They’re in danger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s the Investigator Bureau’s specialized Superb M200 sniper rifle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, everyone on the first floor stood up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi moved first—his arm glowed as he activated the Guiding Technique, gripping the Hanging Spear and charging out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others followed immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cultivators moved fast. Within seconds, all reached the plaza outside the tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pickup truck raced in, swerved violently, nearly overturned, then screeched to a halt at the gate. Zheng Gong and Yuan Mingjin each raised sniper rifles, firing at something behind them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two more shots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure was struck—collapsed to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a rotting corpse—pale, bloodless—but somehow still moving. Even shot, it twitched, as if ready to rise again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After struggling briefly, its body was too shattered to move—then a cold, phantom shadow drifted out from within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s… a spirit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone present had activated their Medium Sense—they saw the spirit instantly, faces paling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, such vengeful spirits in Earth’s environment would be corroded by polluted energy and vanish completely. But this spirit resisted briefly—didn’t dissolve immediately. Instead, it snarled and lunged at Zheng Gong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Gong panicked, fired again—no effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bullets passed through the spirit harmlessly, while the spirit itself began invading his consciousness, threatening to erase his mind and seize his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at that critical moment, a phantom bronze spear shot through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It struck the charging spirit dead-on, pinning it to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spirit writhed, shrieked, its face twisted in terror—but to no avail. As time passed, its ethereal form rapidly faded—until it vanished entirely from this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dead?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone’s hearts tightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stared at the spear in astonishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They hadn’t known Li Yi’s spear was specifically designed to kill vengeful spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zheng Gong, Yuan Mingjin—are you alright?” Li Yi strode over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine, fine. On the way back, some unclean things latched onto us. Luckily, we drove fast enough to make it here—if not, we’d have died on the road. Pi Te Daoist was right: at night, these corpses will spread. Everyone nearby will be in danger,” Zheng Gong wiped sweat from his brow, still shaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Mingjin said: “To deal with these corpses, you need more than guns—you need ways to harm spirits. Otherwise, you kill one corpse, and a spirit immediately invades you. You won’t die, but your mind will be damaged—you’ll fall into a coma.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he finished speaking—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Yue suddenly appeared before them: “Watch out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that instant—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the shadows of the nearby greenery, a withered corpse lunged out—faster than a ghost, impossibly swift. In one or two seconds, it reached Yuan Mingjin’s side—but just as it prepared to strike, Lin Yue sensed the anomaly and threw a punch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the punch exploded, a fist-shaped imprint instantly appeared on the corpse’s body, then the residual force hurled it backward; it rolled several times across the ground before finally coming to a stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A normal cultivator struck by Lin Yue’s punch would never rise again, but this corpse stood upright immediately as if unharmed, its lifeless eyes glowing with eerie light as it stared at the group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a fully formed walking corpse, with a cultivation base not low—close to Spiritual Awareness,” Lin Yue said grimly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? This corpse has the power of Spiritual Awareness?” Lu Jue, Kong Sheng, and others were stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this the evil presence in the old district?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even a single wandering corpse released into the wild has such power—no wonder everyone in the old district fled. If they hadn’t run, they’d have no chance of survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister Lin, don’t move—I’ll kill it.” Li Yi showed no fear. Before his words had even faded, he lunged forward; his qi surged, his blood boiled, and in an instant, heat radiated from his body outward. Then everyone saw Li Yi like a blazing furnace, his entire form glowing red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this red glow shot straight into the sky like war smoke, profoundly strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Li Yi moved, his agitated blood could no longer be contained—he snatched up the hanging corpse spear from the ground and charged at the corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpse seemed to sense the danger of the hanging corpse spear and stepped back several paces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Yi moved too fast—he instantly raised the spear and thrust it forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpse dodged instantly, mimicking Lin Yue’s move: it clenched its fist and slammed it toward Li Yi, moving with unbelievable speed, catching everyone off guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi’s intuition warned him—he unleashed a killing technique from his Transmission Martial Arts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Top Heart Elbow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the two clashed, the corpse was no match—it was blasted backward by a terrifying force, stumbling and retreating repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the Blood Burning Technique, Li Yi’s qi was overwhelmingly abundant; in raw power, he was no weaker than Lin Yue, a Spiritual Awareness expert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seizing the moment the corpse had failed in its attack, Li Yi swung the spear violently and struck the corpse’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bizarre thing happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spear passed through the corpse’s body as if it weren’t there, forcibly sweeping out the vengeful spirit trapped within, revealing it plainly before everyone’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good,” Lin Yue murmured in approval.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She now understood: Li Yi’s spear did not harm the body—it harmed only the soul. Vengeful spirits that possessed dead bodies to become walking corpses feared this kind of weapon most; a single strike could wound their essence and render them powerless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vengeful spirit struck by Li Yi’s hanging corpse spear lay broken on the ground, writhing and screaming, then rapidly disintegrated under the corruption of polluted energy, finally vanishing completely.\u003C\u002Fp>",2441,"2026-06-20T01:27:02.229Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","041153800c0b6b2d162ac606392be0b402e59200b56364dd3fc1cdb385e7a27f","after-the-sky-fell-chapter-206","after-the-sky-fell-chapter-204",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fafter-the-sky-fell-cover.jpg"]