[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-after-the-sky-fell":3,"chapter-after-the-sky-fell-after-the-sky-fell-chapter-820":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},2281676,4462,"Chapter 820: Flesh and Skin","after-the-sky-fell-chapter-820",820,"\u003Cp>When the woman in the hall opened her eyes, the entire world fell silent, as if the Jingxin Nunnery contained only Li Yi and her, the sandalwood incense rapidly fading, replaced by an odd, faint fragrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This scent was unique—not from heaven, earth, or nature, but seemingly emanating from the human body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The source of the fragrance was the woman in the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You are the lay practitioner who cultivates the White Bone Contemplation? Yu Lian offers her respects.” A soft, melodious voice followed, as the woman stepped slowly from the hall, smiling, her gaze lightly scanning Li Yi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Li Yi was also studying her: her face, delicate and pale, bore an expression of boundless compassion, untouched by time, yet her eyes held something peculiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her gaze shifted, brimming with countless allurements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath her thin, plain robe, the curves of a voluptuous, intoxicating body were faintly outlined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a sight was profoundly incongruous on a renunciant; if this woman closed her eyes, she would seem a disciplined, enlightened cultivator—but when open, she resembled a beautiful woman suppressing desperate, burning desires.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two impressions clashed yet coexisted, instantly bringing Li Yi’s mind back to the White Bone Murals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The White Bone Murals were like this: they could plunge you into desire, or reveal all illusions, letting you see beings as mere bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the murals were illusions—this woman was real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re strange. No wonder you seduced Zhang Fanyin into cultivating with you.” Li Yi frowned, his hand tightening around the Crimson Gold Sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A thousand people, a thousand faces; without desire, without form—different minds see different things. What kind of person do you see in me, lay practitioner?” Yu Lian smiled faintly, continuing forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath her thin robe, her voluptuous silhouette flickered in and out; her eyes revealed a scorching desire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seductive,” Li Yi said without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Yu Lian showed no anger, still smiling: “It seems your worldly heart remains unquenched, your six senses unclean. Though you cultivate the White Bone Contemplation, you still cling to the appearance of flesh and skin. Don’t you know: to see a beautiful woman is to see a skeleton?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi replied: “It seems Master has already transcended the mundane, purified your six senses, and no longer clings to flesh and skin. If so, why wear clothes at all? Why not shed them and meet others in the flesh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had he spoken than Yu Lian smiled, unfastened her plain robe, and let her faintly visible, voluptuous form sway slightly—her garments slipped entirely away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But something strange occurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before him was not the intoxicating body he imagined, but a skeleton—each bone translucent, like jade carved by divine hands—yet atop it rested a living, fleshy head, evoking inexplicable horror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lay practitioner, do you find the flesh beneath my robe beautiful?” Yu Lian turned slowly, swaying her body; the luminous bones moved, offering no beauty, only terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All this is your delusion. You see a beautiful woman and assume she harbors lust; you glimpse her silhouette through cloth and imagine a seductive body. If you had truly penetrated the White Bone Contemplation, how could desire arise? How could you harbor impure thoughts toward me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Lian now clasped her hands together, speaking softly: “All worldly desires are illusions. If you learn to let go and cultivate with me, you shall one day attain Bodhi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi said nothing, slowly drawing his Crimson Gold Sword from his waist—immediately, boundless divine light erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, your killing intent has arisen—the sword has been drawn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi sneered: “You saw me draw my sword and assumed I meant to kill, that I had murderous intent. But if you had truly perfected your cultivation, you would have seen nothing: no sword in my hand, no killing intent. Clearly, you’ve long been wary of me—that’s why you thought this. Your heart holds not compassion, but hostility.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Lian froze, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi gave her no time to ponder: “Then Master, tell me—will this sword strike down, or not?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, his Crimson Gold Sword rose, brimming with killing aura, radiant with divine light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Lian clasped her hands together: “Lay practitioner, this sword will surely strike me. Please abandon your killing intent and turn back to the shore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wrong,” Li Yi said. “I haven’t moved. The sword hasn’t moved. It’s your mind that moved. I merely assumed a posture—that’s all. Who is clinging to form? You or I?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, Yu Lian’s expression changed. She felt a tightness in her chest, as if trapped in an inescapable predicament; after years of disciplined cultivation, her meditative heart now felt wounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can’t even attain Bodhi yourself, yet you try to deceive me with sophistry? Die.” Li Yi suddenly roared, slashing downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten thousand feet of divine light erupted, instantly engulfing all before them. Yu Lian offered no resistance, letting the light consume her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything before him vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi blinked—and found himself back in reality. Sandalwood incense filled the air, faint chants echoed, pilgrims came and went in endless streams. The flesh-and-blood Bodhisattva statue in the hall still bowed its head, serene and compassionate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only change: on the nearby cushion, Yu Lian, the mature, beautiful nun with waist-length black hair, trembled violently and spat out a mouthful of blood—crystalline, fragrant, perfuming the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, what happened?” Zhang Fanyin rushed over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m unharmed. I intended to guide this lay practitioner into the Jingxin Nunnery, to aid your cultivation and help you achieve White Bone Bodhisattva status. But I didn’t expect…” Yu Lian fell silent, her gaze on Li Yi outside, complex and unreadable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just three words had wounded her meditative heart. Truly, he was no ordinary White Bone Contemplation cultivator—not only were his six senses unclean and his killing nature deep, but he naturally understood Zen. He was truly a great demon, impossible to guide toward Bodhi. “So it was you who conjured that illusion,” Li Yi said, scanning his surroundings. The illusion had lifted—he still stood where he’d been, his Crimson Gold Sword still sheathed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In reality, only an instant had passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The methods of this world were truly peculiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after shattering the illusion, this woman remained extraordinary. Her strength likely far surpassed that of the Bu Huai Master he’d fought—after all, Bu Huai had never possessed the ability to plunge him into an illusion so instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi thus regarded her with deep caution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhang Fanyin, I’ve kept my promise to you. I came here to meet your master, hoping to eliminate the one who misled you, grateful for your gift of the cross-realm device. But now it seems unnecessary. You’re better off staying in this world.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi’s gaze flickered, swept the scene once more, then turned and left without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Fanyin said nothing. She couldn’t keep Li Yi, nor did she wish to return to Earth—but her White Bone Bodhisattva cultivation remained incomplete, leaving her with quiet regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearby, Yu Lian slowly rose, sighing: “I never expected to meet such a great demon just before my completion. My meditative heart is wounded. Unless I convert him, I shall never attain Bodhi in this life.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her form vanished from the hall, reappearing moments later in the distant sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi, just beginning to ride the clouds to flee, immediately saw Yu Lian blocking his path. His face darkened; without hesitation, he drew his Crimson Gold Sword again, slashing forth a blinding crimson-gold blade of light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heaven and earth seemed cleaved by that single strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Yu Lian merely formed a sacred seal. Instantly, chants of Dharma filled the heavens—dharma conches, drums, bronze bowls—all manifesting, emitting their sounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were eight tones, merging into one, like a celestial dragon chanting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boundless Dharma sounds echoed, instantly shattering the sword’s annihilating light, erasing its power completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi’s eyes narrowed slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d guessed Yu Lian was strong, but not this extraordinary. His strength had been tested in this world—he’d slain the Bu Huai Master, and considered himself top-tier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet she’d blocked his strike with nothing but a spell—no weapon, no effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was she a Demon King-level expert?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine spell,” Li Yi said. “So, Master Yu Lian, you lost the argument and now resort to force? I told you, Zhang Fanyin was lying—she claimed the cultivators here don’t fight or kill, they cultivate in peace. With such power, how could they possibly avoid conflict?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Lian replied: “I won’t force you to stay. But your killing intent is too strong. I ask only that you return to the Jingxin Nunnery for a few days, so I may chant sutras daily to dissolve your inner malice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And if I refuse?” Li Yi said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Lian said: “Then I shall follow you, until your inner malice is dissolved.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you plan to haunt me until you brainwash me?” Li Yi frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Lian clasped her hands together, silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi had no patience for further talk. He immediately summoned Cloud Riding and fled swiftly. If his opponent was this powerful, he’d test whether he could shake her off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But clearly, it wouldn’t be easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi flew fast, yet Yu Lian’s divine ability was astonishing—each step carried her dozens, even hundreds of kilometers ahead, always appearing before him before he could escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi wasn’t surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If her strength was truly this great, escape was nearly impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lay practitioner, give up. Return with me to the Jingxin Nunnery,” Yu Lian urged again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi said nothing. He dropped from the sky. He understood: to escape her, the only way was to cross realms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once he left this Dharma Realm, everything would be resolved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he dared not pull out the cross-realm device directly—if it were destroyed, he’d be trapped here forever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to prepare it in advance within the Crimson Gold Five Elements Bracelet, then suddenly open the cross-realm gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi used his magic power within the Crimson Gold Five Elements Bracelet, secretly activating the device.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using three rare objects as energy sources, he locked onto Earth’s cross-realm coordinates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1681,"2026-06-20T01:27:08.613Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","ec6b46dedd1abda8e85981c03d10778518a15e1ee423cc4c3a0a51396893e333","after-the-sky-fell-chapter-821","after-the-sky-fell-chapter-819",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fafter-the-sky-fell-cover.jpg"]