ps: Here comes the 7,000-word chapter, the final finale.***
"Hahahahahahahaha" Chaos stood in the sky. At this moment, his body began to collapse. From above his head, a ball of milky white brilliance floated out. In the brilliance, Chaos' uninhibited laughter came: "Things
It’s a foregone conclusion! I will become the master of the new era, and all of you will become dust of the past!”
After saying that, the ball of light floated directly up and merged into the bundle of eyes on the huge head. At this moment, the dull eyes of the bundle of eyes suddenly became full of blood, full of ferocity and killing. Finally, from the crack in the void,
, the true form of Chaos completely emerged from it.
It was a snow-white beast with a frog-like shape, but its head was larger than its body. There was a bunch of eyes on the huge head. It had a huge bloody mouth, and there were still holes on both sides.
There is a pair of dragon whiskers.
The next moment, the huge body of Chaos completely turned into streams of milky white chaotic energy, which was poured into Zhuge Buliang's Tianling Cap. The milky white light occupied the entire sky, and Zhuge Buliang's body was completely submerged in it.
in.[
"What should I do if he completely possesses Zhuge Buliang's body?" The most anxious person at the moment is undoubtedly Yin Mengli. If Zhuge Buliang's body is occupied by chaos, there is no doubt that Zhuge Buliang will disappear here.
A piece of heaven and earth is trapped.
Everyone seemed a little anxious, even the ancestors of the hundreds of tribes and the Buddha and the Saint both had solemn expressions on their faces.
"Believe him!" The beauty in purple just said lightly and said nothing more.
In just the blink of an eye, all the chaotic brilliance like a tide had poured into Zhuge Buliang's body. Zhuge Buliang's whole body seemed to be made of white crystal, crystal clear, and even the blood vessels and meridians in his body were...
Can see clearly.
"Boom!"
Inside Zhuge Buliang's body, there seemed to be a rolling torrent, surging and unstoppable, as if he was about to explode.
"brush!"
The next moment, Zhuge Buliang had opened his eyes, and his pupils were completely occupied by white, without any emotion at all.
"What happened?" Everyone was horrified.
At this moment, the beauty in purple suddenly waved her hand, as if forming a hand seal. The seven divine points on Zhuge Buliang's chest suddenly burst out with dazzling light. At this moment, the seven divine points flew out of his body.
came out and were displayed on Zhuge Buliang's head, forming the shape of the Big Dipper.
"boom!"
"boom!"
"boom!"
Seven light beams fell in succession, forming a Beidou Formation at Zhuge Buliang's feet. Starlights rose up from the Beidou Formation, criss-crossing, completely blocking the space where Zhuge Buliang was. The starlight spread, covering the surrounding area.
Everything within a few thousand meters is enveloped, forming a vacuum space and a small independent world.
"Ah! What is this!" A chaotic and surprised voice came from Zhuge Buliang's body.
Immediately afterwards, white light gushes out from Zhuge Buliang's body again, turning into chaos. His eyes were full of horror as he looked around. I saw a series of interlaced formations, filling the surrounding space.
All closed.
"boom!"
Chaos rushed up and hit the surrounding restrictions, but a purple starlight spread out, and Chaos was pushed back.[
"Azi, what are these?" asked the ancestors of hundreds of tribes.
The beauty in purple smiled faintly and said: "This is specially prepared for Chaos. After the Immortal Emperor and Demon Ancestor learned the truth about Chaos 20,000 years ago, they transformed the seven sealed star stones. Each star stone contained
We created a formation specifically designed to restrain chaos. However, the first treasure body had already died at that time, and we could not cultivate a new seven-star treasure body for the time being, so we had to give up."
"In other words, this is an excellent weapon left by the Immortal Emperor and Demon Ancestor to deal with Chaos?" the ancestors of hundreds of tribes suddenly said.
"Not bad!" The beauty in purple nodded lightly.
"ah!!"
Chaos roared, his eyes full of unwillingness. Just now, he poured more than half of his strength into Zhuge Buliang's body. However, the seven divine points in Zhuge Buliang's body suddenly rioted. Although Chaos quickly
Withdrew from Zhuge Buliang's body, but most of the power of chaos in his body still remained in Zhuge Buliang's body.
Moreover, being in this sealed world, Chaos felt that the remaining power of his was still disappearing little by little, being taken away by the Big Dipper Formation.
"Hehehe, it's surprising, isn't it?" At this time, Zhuge Buliang raised his head. At this moment, his eyes were no longer dull, but filled with the light of wisdom.
"You should have disappeared!" Chaos said in disbelief.
Zhuge Buliang smiled and shook his head, and said: "Chaos, you have done all your scheming, but you have overlooked one thing: I have obtained the inheritance of the Sky Eye Clan!" As he said that, the flesh between Zhuge Buliang's eyebrows moved away, and a pair of
Shining golden eyes appeared on his forehead.
"This is this!" Chaos exclaimed.
Zhuge Buliang smiled and said: "Before you told me your plan, I was indeed prepared to be a sinner for the ages. But you didn't know that the forbidden magic of the Sky Eye clan can see into the future and predict the future! On the eve of the war,
, I used the forbidden technique of the Sky Eye Clan to predict the outcome of this final battle, but unexpectedly I saw some pictures you least expected to see! Hehehehe, so in order to draw out the you hidden in the end.
, I will follow my plan. In your opinion, everything is going according to your plan, but don’t you feel the chaos? Your clone has completely lost its breath since entering my body."
"Did you say you?" Chaos's eyes were full of fear and bloodshot.
"Hahahaha!" Zhuge Buliang said with a smile: "Yes, after it entered my body, the formations in the seven divine points were actually activated, completely erasing his consciousness. And the power that belongs to your clone
, and everything belongs to me, and everything after that is just me acting! How about it? Very disappointed, right?"
The huge beast body of Chaos trembled, and his eyes were covered with bloodshot eyes. He said ferociously: "Hateful! It's really hateful! After all the mechanisms have been exhausted, everything is in vain. I didn't expect that in the end I would be tricked by the Immortal Emperor and the Demon Ancestor.
!!I’m not willing to give in! I’m really not willing to give in!!”
Chaos looked up to the sky and roared, his voice full of anger and grief.
Everyone looked at the situation in the Beidou Formation from a distance, and they all came to their senses at this moment, and a shout of excitement suddenly burst out. As time went by, Chaos, who thought it would win, was defeated in the hands of the Immortal Emperor and Demon Ancestor in the end.
What made him even more unexpected was that even Zhuge Buliang, who was his pawn, actually played against him in the end.
The ancestor of the hundreds of tribes said: "Actually, I have always wanted to question, why did chaos arise?"
The beauty in purple frowned slightly and said regretfully: "Speaking of which, he and the Immortal Emperor are compatriots. Do you still remember the battle that year?"
"Hey, what do you mean?" The ancestors of the hundreds of tribes seemed to have thought of something when they heard this, and there was a look of horror in their eyes.
The beauty in purple nodded and said: "It calls itself Chaos, because it is the incarnation of the energy of Chaos that produces spiritual intelligence."
[
In the Beidou Formation, Chaos roared unwillingly, its voice full of grief and anger.
Zhuge Buliang showed a sneer on his lips and said: "You are doomed to fail!"
"I don't accept it! I just don't accept it!" Chaos roared in a low voice: "Why, why is it me who is the tragic one! He and I were both born in Chaos, why did God care for him so much? He opened up the ancient world.
Immortal Realm is respected by thousands of people, but he used my power! It should be me who should be respected by thousands of people! I want to create a new era, and I want to make this land of sin reappear.
Heaven and earth, what is wrong with this! Why can’t the world understand me?!”
"Wrong, very wrong." Zhuge Buliang said calmly.
"Why? Don't you want to see a new era? No fighting, no fighting, that is the real paradise!" Chaos hissed.
Zhuge Buliang shook his head lightly, and said with a mocking smile: "Indeed, after you become the only master, you can control the fate of thousands of creatures. There is no fighting, no killing, and it is fun. But in such a world,
There is a lack of balance. Heaven and earth belong to everyone in the world, and it cannot be yours alone."
"It's you who are ignorant!" Huan Chaos shouted unwillingly.
Zhuge Buliang took a deep breath and raised his hand. At this time, the demon monk who was far away from the Beidou Formation seemed to feel something. He took out the golden Bagua furnace, opened the furnace lid, and a shocking dragon roar came from the golden furnace.
came from the Bagua furnace. Immediately afterwards, the bricks flew out from it, turning into a golden stream of light and flying towards the Beidou Formation.
The Beidou Formation is originally a small world that is isolated and no one can enter or exit. But Zhuge Buliang is the master of the seven divine points, so he can naturally control the operation of the Beidou Formation. The bricks flew in and did not receive any obstruction, and he successfully entered.
Arriving at the Beidou Formation, Zhuge Buliang held it in his hand.
"Ouch!"
The sound of a dragon roar came, Banzhuan buzzed excitedly, and a golden dragon flew out and wrapped around Zhuge Buliang's arm. The current Banzhuan is a complete fairy treasure, and it has been passed through the Bagua furnace
Its tempering has raised its quality to an incredible height.
Zhuge Buliang held the brick with his backhand, looked at Chaos coldly, and shouted: "Come on! I will fight you for the final decisive battle!!" After saying that, Zhuge Buliang had already taken a step forward and rushed towards Chaos, holding in his hand
The bricks were lifted up and knocked down hard.
Now Chaos has lost most of its power, and all of this power has entered Zhuge Buliang's body. And under the restraint of the Beidou Formation, the power of Chaos is decreasing little by little. There is no suspense in this battle.
, but Zhuge Buliang still decided to give Chaos a happy understanding.
"Ah!!! Fight! I want to fight!!" Chaos roared, with a hint of ferocity and madness in his eyes as he rushed towards Zhuge Buliang.
"boom!"
A violent roaring sound sounded in the Beidou Formation, and Zhuge Buliang and Chaos both retreated.
Hundu's huge body tilted up, with two thick hind limbs like a frog, and then he rushed up violently, opening his mouth and spitting out a chaotic thunder.
"Boom!"
Chaos Thunder entered the White Dragon Sea and rushed towards Zhuge Buliang with bared teeth and claws.
"broken!"
The bricks fell down, shattering the chaotic thunder. Zhuge Buliang rushed to the top of Chaos, and the bricks turned into the size of a sky monument, and slammed Chaos down hard, shaking the entire Beidou Formation.
Follow the shaking.
Zhuge Buliang stepped forward, came behind Chaos, lifted Chaos' mountain-like body, and slammed it against the light wall around the Beidou Formation, and there was a "bang bang bang!"
Muffled sound.
The entire Beidou Formation shook violently due to the battle between Zhuge Buliang and Chaos. Everyone watched the battle in the Beidou Formation nervously, each one silent. This last battle is extremely important to everyone, it is the key to the decision.
This battle is also a battle that represents the faith of this world and must not be lost.
This scene could be seen even in the Primordial Immortal Realm. At this moment, everyone was so nervous that it was difficult to breathe.
"Boom boom boom!"
The war continued, and Zhuge Buliang and Chaos remained evenly matched. However, Chaos had no entity. It was just a condensed form of the energy of Chaos, and was far from able to exert the true power of the power of Chaos.
"boom!"
Zhuge Buliang smashed Chaos' head into pieces with a brick, but soon the energy of Chaos condensed into a new head. Chaos opened his mouth so big that it seemed like it could swallow up the sky and the earth, and Zhuge Buliang killed Zhuge Buliang all at once.
Devoured in.
"Oops!"
All the immortals were shocked, but the beauty in purple, the ancestors of hundreds of tribes, and the Buddhist saints looked calm and still watched intently.
"puff!"
In the horrified eyes of everyone, Zhuge Buliang burst out of Hundu's belly and poked a big hole in Huandu's back. Then the bricks fell again, destroying half of Huandu's body.
"Ah!! You die!" Chaos opened his mouth and spat out a burst of chaotic thunder again.
Zhuge Buliang swung his fist down, and also fired out a beam of Chaos Light, which impacted back the Chaos Thunder. Finally, the thunder light suddenly exploded in Chaos' mouth, and the huge head with bunched eyes shattered again.
This battle can be described as tragic. Chaos' body was torn apart by Zhuge Buliang many times, but it was finally reorganized. But before he could realize anything, the bricks fell, shattering Chaos' reorganized body again.
Lose.
Gradually, Zhuge Buliang has gained an overwhelming advantage. The power of chaos has been deprived bit by bit by the Beidou Formation. His body has become weaker than before, and his size has also shrunk several times. What remains in his body
The power of chaos has almost been squandered.
"boom!"
Zhuge Buliang's body became as tall as a mountain at this moment. He stepped on Chaos under his feet and shouted: "Chaos! You lose!!"
"You are using my power to fight me, and I don't accept it!" Chaos roared.
"Hmph! The power of Chaos is the power of heaven and earth, not you alone!" Zhuge Buliang shouted, then he opened his mouth wide, and a suction force came, sucking up the entire body of Chaos and swallowing it into his stomach.
.
"Ah! Let's fight again! Let me out!" A chaotic and ferocious roar came from Zhuge Buliang's body.
"It's the same no matter how many times I fight! You have no strength to fight anymore, Chaos, just admit defeat! The kind of world you mentioned cannot exist at all." Zhuge Buliang said, and then suddenly waved his hands. After a moment,
The Beidou Formation turned into streaks of starlight intertwined together, and all the formation patterns criss-crossed and condensed into a divine sword with clear purple light. On top of the divine sword, the power of the stars floated, shining with charming and colorful light.
"They are back." At this time, the beauty in purple raised her head and looked into the void, with a touch of affection blooming in her water-like eyes.
"Boom!"
High in the sky, the huge crack in the void did not disappear when chaos came. At this moment, two figures transformed into light walked out of the crack in the void. As soon as these two figures appeared, the entire world seemed to be illuminated.
As if it was bright, the originally blood-colored sky now became more colorful. Two powerful auras descended on the world, immediately attracting everyone's attention.
"Those are the Immortal Emperor and Demon Ancestor!" The ancestors of hundreds of tribes exclaimed in surprise, "Have they returned?"
"It's the fairy spirit, the fairy spirit body of the two of them." said the beauty in purple.
At this time, Zhuge Buliang also raised his head, looked at the two figures appearing in the void, and murmured: "Are these the two legendary figures? It seems that they are already prepared."
"Look! Not only the immortal spirits of the Immortal Emperor and Demon Ancestor are here, but also the immortal spirits of all the immortals who died in the war that year are here!"
Sure enough, behind the Immortal Emperor and Demon Ancestor, more than thirty figures transformed into light appeared, standing respectfully behind the two great immortals.
"Father, is this you, father?" Yin, who was standing in the crowd, floated into the air, her pretty face already covered with tears, and she stared deeply at one of the figures.
"Demon Ancestor, Demon Ancestor, I am a monkey, you are back, right?" The six-eared macaque also ran out. It had followed the Demon Ancestor back then, so it naturally had deep feelings for the Demon Ancestor.
"Welcome the Immortal Emperor and the Demon Ancestor to return!" At this moment, everyone bent down and bowed deeply towards the two great immortals. Of course, except for the beauty in purple, the ancestors of the hundreds of tribes and the Buddhist saints, they and the immortals
The Emperor Demon Ancestor was originally a figure of an era.
There was also a drop of crystal tears left in the corner of the purple-clothed beauty's eyes. After pondering for a moment, she said: "Everyone, please pour all your strength into the sword of the stars, and draw a successful end to the twenty thousand years.
.”
After the words fell, the immortal spirits of the Immortal Emperor and Demon Ancestor in the void crack were the first to move. They turned into two rainbow lights and merged into the purple star sword. Then, the three following behind the Immortal Emperor and Demon Ancestor
The ten fairies made the same move.
"What are they doing?"
The beauty in purple said: "The Immortal Emperor and Demon Ancestor will use their own immortal bodies to strengthen the Star Sword."
"What! So you're talking about the Immortal Emperor and Demon Ancestor Association?" Everyone's eyes widened in surprise.
The beauty in purple didn't speak anymore. She looked at the demon ancestor fairy spirit integrated into the sword of stars. She smiled softly. Purple light surged in her body, holding her body and flew towards the sword of stars. Finally, the beauty in purple clothes
His whole body was integrated into the Sword of the Stars.
"Azi, she still chose to follow the Demon Ancestor." The ancestors of the hundreds of tribes sighed, and then opened the space, and the magnificent Immortal Lord Tower flew out from the broken space. From the Immortal Lord Tower, eleven sarcophagi flew out,
A fairy flew out of each sarcophagus,
"Everyone, we need your strength." The ancestors of the hundreds of tribes said.
As soon as the words fell, the eleven immortal spirits let out a long roar together, then flew towards the Sword of Stars and merged into it.
Then, under the leadership of the ancestors of hundreds of tribes and the Buddha, everyone poured their spiritual power into the Sword of the Stars. A series of colorful spiritual lights intertwined and poured into the Sword of the Stars.
The Sword of Stars, which was integrated into everyone's spiritual power, surged with brilliance, blooming into colorful rays of light, filling the world with dreamlike colors.
The ancestors of the Hundred Tribes and the Buddha looked at each other, and the two ancestor-level immortals took a step forward. The ancestors of the Hundred Tribes said: "Brother Zhuge, I have wronged you. Everyone in the Ancient Immortal Realm and even the Three Realms will always remember your name.
.salute!!"
After saying that, the ancestors of the hundreds of tribes bowed deeply to Zhuge Buliang. The Buddha and Saint beside him also bowed their waists. Falling to the sky, Shen Guiyun, the thong-armed ape, the six-eared macaque, Yi Nan, and the demon monk
, Immortal Suzaku, the old blind man, Su Xiaobai, Nan Yuehui, Chang and others all also understood, and at this moment they all bowed respectfully to Zhuge Buliang.
The people who were far away in the Ancient Immortal Realm all looked at each other when they saw this scene, including the people from the Great Immortal Sect who had once been against Zhuge Buliang, and they also lowered their heads at this moment.
"I never expected that the person who saved this world would be him."
"Yeah, I didn't expect that this person who is called the Demon King by the world would be the savior of this world."
At this moment, many people made such lamentations.
On top of a mountain, there were people from the Mortal Alliance who were stuttering, chattering, and Xiao Yunyou looked regretful. Concubine Xiang Yi and Pang Xiner were also among these people. The two of them had already burst into tears and were hugging each other.
Holding hands together tightly.
Liu Mang, Hua Yaoren, Xiao Ye looked at each other and said words.
Lu Zihan stared at the scene in mid-air and finally closed his eyes.
"Tian'er, remember, your father is the real hero in the world." Concubine Xiang Yi said.
"Yes!" Zhuge Tian stood behind his mother, staring deeply at the scene of the battlefield outside the sky.
Among the crowd, a woman in a pink dress and a woman in a plain robe were standing there. They were also staring at the scene in the sky. Finally, the two turned and left, seemingly unwilling to continue watching.
Go down.
"Old Taoist Amitabha, I fought side by side with this savior." In the crowd, a slovenly old Taoist priest recited the Buddha's name and said as if he was proud to show off.
The outer battlefield.
Zhuge Buliang looked at the Sword of the Stars, which was imbued with the spiritual power of the immortals, with a faint bitter smile on his lips.
"Zhuge Buliang! Do you want to die with me? Release me quickly, and together we will become the masters of the new world!" Chaos screamed in Zhuge Buliang's body, but he could not escape from Zhuge Buliang's body.
The ancestors of the hundreds of tribes looked solemn and said: "Who will hold the sword?"
After the words fell, a white figure stood up and Yin Mengli said: "Senior, I will hold this sword!"
"Yes!" The ancestors of the hundreds of tribes said nothing more, and nodded with complicated expressions.
Yin Mengli floated up and came to Zhuge Buliang, holding the divine sword surrounded by five-color fairy light in her hand. The five-color glow made Yin Mengli even more charming.
"Hahaha, it turns out you have been lying to me all this time, and you have not forgotten me at all." Zhuge Buliang said with a smile on his face.
Yin Mengli's face was also full of tenderness at this moment: "Of course, how could I forget such a precious memory? Only a fool like you would believe it."
"Hehehe, yes, I was really stupid, I didn't know until the last moment." Zhuge Buliang smiled bitterly.
"Do you remember what you promised me?" At this moment, Yin Mengli suddenly asked.
"Of course I remember, we held hands and walked under the phoenix tree together"
“Don’t break your promise.”
"Well, believe me." Zhuge Buliang nodded heavily.
A gratified smile hung on the corner of Yin Mengli's mouth, and she slowly closed her eyes. A crystal teardrop fell down and blew away with the wind, seemingly turning into a dazzling star.
"puff!"
In the end, Yin Mengli stabbed out the sword, and the sword of stars, which was imbued with the spiritual power of the immortals, penetrated Zhuge Buliang's chest.
"ah!!!"
In Zhuge Buliang's body, the heart-rending roar of chaos came out. The Star Sword exploded into pieces, turning into colorful sword energy and instantly enveloped Zhuge Buliang.
"You must remember, this is our mutual promise." At the last moment, Yin Mengli finally couldn't bear it anymore, her beautiful face was covered with tears, and she shouted towards Zhuge Buliang, who was swallowed up by the colorful sword energy.
.
But at this time, Zhuge Buliang could no longer answer her words. The five-color sword energy shattered his body. Zhuge Buliang gradually disappeared like dust. But at this moment, the sky eye between his eyebrows suddenly cracked and shot out a beam.
golden light
Time flies, and a hundred years have passed since the battle on the Tianwai battlefield. But within these hundred years, no one can forget the battle on the Tianwai battlefield. That battle will always be recorded in the prehistoric fairyland
In the history of China, the three words "Zhuge Buliang" are destined to remain in history. This legendary figure, who was dubbed the Love Demon King by the world, single-handedly saved the world in the end, has brought unprecedented miracles to everyone.
His name will coexist with the Immortal Emperor and Demon Ancestor.
The entrance to the Tianwai battlefield is not closed. Every ten years, all the great sects, cultivators of hundreds of tribes, and demon ancestor monks in the prehistoric fairyland will come here to pay homage to those who lost their lives in the battle that year.
In order to commemorate the eternal three people, three monuments were erected at the junction of the Ancient Immortal Realm and the Tianwai battlefield. Two of the monuments were engraved with the names of the Immortal Emperor and the Demon Ancestor. But the third one was engraved with a hand
The majestic young man holding the bricks has a heavenly eye on his forehead.
"Qingqing, come here and pay homage to your grandfather."
Concubine Xiang Yi and Pang Xiner took the hand of a little girl to the statue. The little girl was cute and innocent. She blinked her big cute eyes and looked at the statue in front of her, then turned to look at the statue.
Zhuge Tian, who was behind him, asked in a childish voice: "Dad, is he grandpa?"
"Yes." Zhuge Tian fondly touched the little girl's head.
"What kind of person is grandpa?" the little girl asked innocently.
"Your grandfather is a hero in the world." Zhuge Tian looked up at the tall and majestic statue and murmured, as if he was lost in distant memories.
"Oh, where is grandpa? Why doesn't he come to see Qingqing?" the little girl asked, blinking.
Zhuge Tian touched the little girl's head, his eyes were slightly red, but he still smiled and said: "Hehehe, don't worry Qingqing, grandpa will definitely like you very much when he sees you."
At this time, a white shadow fell down, and it was Yin Mengli. Concubine Xiang Yi and Pang Xiner looked at each other, smiled, and nodded towards Yin Mengli. Yin Mengli also smiled and gestured to the two of them, and then looked at the statue in front of her in trance.
At this time, two more figures fell down. One of them was wearing a plain robe, but it could still be seen that it was a woman. Next to her was a beautiful woman wearing a pink dress.
"Who are they?" the little girl asked, pointing to the two of them.
Concubine Xiang Yi looked back at the woman in plain robe and the pretty woman next to her, smiled bitterly, and said, "He was your grandfather's hungry friend back then."
"Oh." The little girl nodded in understanding, lowering her head and biting her little finger, not knowing what she was thinking about.
"Xiao Qingqing?"
"Huh?" The little girl suddenly raised her head, looking at the battlefield outside with a pair of cute big eyes, and scratched her little head in confusion.
"Qingqing, what's wrong?" Zhuge Tian squatted next to the little girl.
The little girl looked at the battlefield outside the sky in confusion, and said in a childish voice: "I heard someone calling my name."
(over)
(Calculating the time, it has been a little more than a year since the beginning of Banzhuan. I am very grateful to all brothers for accompanying Xiaozhu and witnessing Xiaozhu’s strength step by step. "Banzhuan" is officially completed today.
, I feel a bit reluctant to say it myself. But an end means a new beginning. I believe those who know Xiao Yao know that Xiao Yao likes to write something that is a continuation or prequel. The new books "Panda Also Cultivates Immortality" and "
"Brick" has some connections. As for the connections, I believe everyone will know after reading it. I hope brothers can continue to support Xiaoyao's new book. "Panda Also Cultivates Immortality" will be another legend.)