[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-after-the-sky-fell":3,"chapter-after-the-sky-fell-after-the-sky-fell-chapter-78":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},2280934,4462,"Chapter 78","after-the-sky-fell-chapter-78",78,"\u003Cp>79. The Sharp Knife\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Self-preservation of a strange object?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This eerie skull mural indeed possessed unimaginable strange power; it seemed Li Yi could not destroy it easily, but the more difficult it was, the more he had to do it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such an evil thing, even if it was a strange object, what did it matter? Destroy it—it’s better off gone than left to cause harm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, Li Yi unhesitatingly pulled the bolt again, the second red bullet already chambered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, he raised his rifle and aimed once more at the skull mural on the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he made this move, immediate changes occurred nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the surrounding shadows, one mummy after another emerged—these were cultivators trapped and dead within the illusion; their consciousness had vanished, yet their bodies remained, controlled by the eerie mural, becoming mindless undead, and they retained their former combat strength, not to be underestimated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though your skull mural is evil, I have a gun.” Li Yi fired the trigger the instant the mummies had not yet moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, he was not disturbed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a gunshot, the bullet flew forth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at the same moment, all the appearing mummies erupted in unison, shrieking and wailing like awakened demons, charging straight at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, the mummy blocking the way exploded as if struck by a shell, its shattered limbs spraying outward, motionless thereafter; yet the other mummies paid no heed, still rushing toward Li Yi as if determined to tear him apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boom!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A violent tremor shook through, as if the entire building had swayed—the red bullet struck precisely upon the skull mural on the white jade wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The power of the strange object clashed with the power of the firearm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But something astonishing happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white marble skull mural, taking a direct hit from a super-class sniper rifle, remained completely unharmed; the bullet had shattered into fragments, scattering everywhere, yet the skull remained smooth, pale, and glowing faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What the hell, it’s still intact?” Li Yi stared, stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This firearm could kill superhuman beings, yet it had no effect at all against this strange object.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now there was no time to dwell on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The remaining mummies had reached him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mummies dead for who knows how many days think you can kill me?” Li Yi roared, discarded his rifle, and swung a punch forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Crack!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The punch exploded— instantly shattering the skull of the charging mummy, then the withered, shriveled body collapsed to the ground, twitched twice, and fell still; clearly, once the corpse was damaged beyond a certain point, even the skull mural could no longer control it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his punch worked, Li Yi’s confidence surged; now like a ferocious beast charging into a flock of sheep, he struck with fists and feet toward the approaching mummies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he absorbed some attacks, his clothing possessed astonishing defensive power—these assaults were utterly negligible, easily absorbed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In mere moments, the last few mummies were slain outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though these mummies retained their former strength, they lacked their former minds—movement and combat were rigid, incapable of adaptation or retreat, mere puppets on strings; unless their numbers were overwhelming, they posed no real threat to me.” Li Yi evaluated after disposing of the mummies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he turned his gaze coldly back to the skull mural not far away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I refuse to believe I can’t destroy this damned thing. Last shot was blocked by mummies, weakened some of its power—I’ll try another.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He now refused to accept defeat, loaded another special bullet into the sniper rifle, pulled the bolt, and chambered it in one fluid motion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Again aiming at the same spot, Li Yi pulled the trigger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to see if two bullets striking the same point would stack damage and shatter the skull mural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boom!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rifle roared; the massive recoil forced Li Yi back half a step, but cultivators’ bodies were robust—this recoil meant nothing. His eyes gleamed brightly as he fixed them on the mural ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bullet struck precisely at the center of the skull’s brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The collision unleashed tremendous force; the ground trembled, then the bullet shattered, fragments flying everywhere, kicking up dust and broken stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mural remained intact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The skull, as before, held a sacred seal, seated upon a lotus throne, serene, half-smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn, still useless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi cursed under his breath, forced to admit his super-class M200 sniper rifle truly could not shatter this suspected strange object mural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it couldn’t be shattered, it couldn’t be destroyed—meaning the illusion enveloping the building still persisted; Zhang Lei and the others remained trapped inside, unable to escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then a question surfaced in Li Yi’s mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If my weapons can’t destroy this mural, why does it control the mummies to protect itself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is it afraid of?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or what does it fear?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Put another way: Li Yi must possess something capable of destroying this mural—only then would the skull mural sense danger and need to control mummies to attack Li Yi, even to defend itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flash of insight struck Li Yi’s mind—he suddenly realized something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He yanked something from his pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was half a bronze knife coin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet strangely, the bronze knife coin now emitted a faint blue glow, appearing divine and extraordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Strange objects themselves can serve as weapons. This skull mural isn’t afraid of my sniper rifle—it fears this broken knife coin I carry. If I’m right, this bronze knife coin can destroy the mural.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi stared at the broken bronze knife coin in his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt certain this guess was correct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then let’s try it—no one’s here, and I’m not worried about exposing this broken strange object.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took a deep breath, stowed the sniper rifle, gripped the broken knife coin, and strode swiftly toward the white jade wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi remained alert, watching for any imminent danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the surroundings were safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eerie skull mural may have appeared in this world too recently to have accumulated many mummies; after clearing the first batch, none had reappeared. Had it been given time to control hundreds or even thousands of mummies, he’d have had no choice but to flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi stood before the skull mural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No longer affected by the illusion, he raised the knife coin and slashed hard against the mural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bronze knife coin was utterly blunt—yet now it left a deep gash on the otherwise indestructible skull mural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi froze: “This coin’s usually useless, can’t even cut my palm—yet now it can damage other strange objects? This coin isn’t simple—it hides other secrets.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then realized: this broken knife coin was no ordinary strange object. This was his first time using it as a weapon—and it had produced such an effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet by damaging it, he might have turned a complete strange object into a broken one, drastically reducing its value.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this crack had made the illusion, once capable of enveloping the entire building, now extremely unstable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi clearly saw an invisible halo outline rapidly shrinking, while the glow emitted by the skull mural instantly dimmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, the illusion was fading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at the same time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Gong and Fan Feng, on guard duty, suddenly turned pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because they saw many vehicles approaching from all directions—no notifications, no warnings—they simply crossed the Investigation Bureau’s perimeter, ignoring all alerts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s going on?” Zheng Gong asked, uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Feng’s face darkened: “It’s the vagrants from the Ruined District. Their noses are sharp—they smell opportunity and come running. Watch out; these are ruthless bastards. Your Investigation Bureau ID won’t scare them—only absolute strength and brutal force will make them retreat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But they’re still trapped inside the building, reinforcements haven’t arrived, and we’re the only ones here.” Zheng Gong’s face paled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No choice—we’ll have to hold them off as long as we can.” Fan Feng exhaled sharply. “You handle negotiations; I’ll cover you from the shadows. Maybe they’ll hesitate because of my sniper rifle and buy us some time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.” Zheng Gong gritted his teeth and nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The distant vehicles had arrived, stopping at the building’s entrance—counting carefully, exactly ten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the vehicles halted, doors swung open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A large number of cultivators stepped out—dressed in outdated clothes, skin rough, hair disheveled, yet their eyes glinted with ferocity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who could survive long-term in the Ruined District was no ordinary person—they were all ruthless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this group wasn’t without a leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A burly bald man, eyes narrowed, studied the building before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was Wei Bin, a master who had awakened his spiritual sense, a notable figure in Tianchang City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, kid, where’s your boss Zhang Lei? Dead inside? I heard rumors this building might contain a strange object, so I came to check. If I’m lucky, I’ll even collect Zhang Lei’s corpse.” Wei Bin glanced at Zheng Gong with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Vagrants from the Ruined District, you’ve crossed the line. Leave now, or face the consequences.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Gong glared at the group; though uneasy, he showed no sign of retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wei Bin, kill him immediately. Zhang Lei’s probably dead today. Once we take over this building, whatever’s inside is ours.” A man with a sinister gaze spoke suddenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, true—but first, we must deal with their sniper. Being watched constantly won’t do.” Wei Bin suddenly looked up and grinned toward a window on a nearby building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Feng, aiming his sniper rifle at them, turned pale, every hair on his body standing on end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could he lock onto me from this distance?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kind of awareness was terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>",1602,"2026-06-20T01:26:56.586Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","cb2996ea418ec3961bef8a4e838e6dff82f39fdef5d1d39aad7995854e48004a","after-the-sky-fell-chapter-79","after-the-sky-fell-chapter-77",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fafter-the-sky-fell-cover.jpg"]