Chapter 645
Epilogue
Sword Gate Holy Land.
Countless disciples, disciples, deacons and elders stared intently at the three holy masters in the sky.
They only knew that their own Holy Master had just fought with Huangtian Holy Master and Tianyan Holy Master, but it was difficult to tell the outcome. Naturally, they were extremely nervous and waited anxiously for the next development.
And the three Holy Lords they were watching stood in the air, and stared at the ruins of the Sword Palace covered by the vast purple mist with bated breath, waiting for the result of the final battle between Jiangnan and the Nightmare Holy Lord.
As the "body" of the nightmare lord, the vast purple meaning is isolated from all prying eyes and thoughts, and no one knows what happened in it.
Time passed by minute by minute.
The entire Jianmen Holy Land was silent except for the discreet discussions of the disciples, especially in the ruins of the Sword Palace where no one lived, it was even more dead silent, so quiet that it made one's heart numb.
sunrise.
The fiery red sun jumped out from the eastern skyline, shedding light and gentle warmth, illuminating everything in the world.
Finally, as if dispelled by the morning light, the vast purple mist began to dissipate slowly, and the dilapidated hall, collapsed pillars, broken and messy gravel and rubble were reflected in the eyes of the three holy masters.
On top of the ruins with broken eaves and broken walls, a seductive woman in a long purple dress gently waved her hand, as if piercing through the fog, revealing her graceful posture on the top of the mountain formed by the piled up ruins, which is beautiful and impressive fascinated.
——The Lord of Nightmares.
At this moment, she was transformed into a human body again, put on a palace dress, and stepped barefoot on the broken rubble.
At that moment, the eyes of the three holy masters in the sky suddenly focused!
--ended!
The final battle that determines the outcome of the battle is over!
So, the result?
Lord Sword Saint looked at Nightmare, even though his celestial power and dao were blocked by Heavenly Evolution Lord, his vision was still there, and it was easy to see that - although Nightmare Lord's posture was a little weak now, as if Quite tired like that.
But at least she wasn't hurt.
On the other hand, looking at Jiangnan... Where is Jiangnan?
After the vast purple mist cleared, where was the shadow of that mysterious young monk?
The results, then, almost speak for themselves.
"You two, I won the bet." The Sword Master lowered his eyes, looked at Tianyan and Huangtian beside him, and said so.
Tianyan Shengzhu frowned, he always felt that Jiangnan would not lose so easily - even if Nightmare Holy Master took a slanted sword, had extraordinary attainments in the soul, and was extremely powerful, but it was absolutely impossible to defeat Jiangnan. For such a simple and easy matter, it is impossible not to pay any injuries and costs.
Tianyan Shengzhu scratched his head and opened his mouth, wanting to refute.But he looked around, but he really didn't find any shadow of Jiangnan, so he had to shut up again.
But the Holy Master Huangtian at the side didn't care about you so much, and shook his head like a rattle: "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Jiangnan, there is no way I will lose!"
Both Sword Master and Tianyan Shengzhu glanced at her, but didn't pay much attention to it.
——They knew that this girl had always been simple-minded, and she would believe what she was sure of, so they didn't care too much about it.
But only this time, both of them guessed wrong-in many respects, Holy Master Huangtian was indeed dumbfounded, but only when it came to fighting, her judgment was extremely accurate.
in particular……
The little girl swallowed her saliva, as if she was recalling that day, that terrifying figure that just a vague outline crushed her battle world.
And Jiangnan even defeated such a guy.
That being the case, how could he lose in the face of a Holy Master?
He takes the head to lose?
Seeing the stubborn look of Huangtian Holy Lord, Sword Holy Lord also sighed, "Forget it, come with me to ask Nightmare yourself."
"Although I haven't seen your friend now, Nightmare will at most make him suffer, and he won't kill him—she looks like that, but in fact she doesn't want to kill anyone."
"After this matter is over, whether you want to return to Tianyan Domain or stay in Jianmen, in short, don't think about going to Tianwang Peak anymore."
After all, he stepped on the void and walked towards the ruins of the Sword Palace.
After a few breaths, the three Holy Masters had already stood behind the Holy Master Nightmare, and the Sword Master coughed twice, "Nightmare, can you win? Where is that Jiangnan fellow Taoist?"
No response.
The Sword Master frowned slightly, and his heart skipped a beat: "Nightmare? Nightmare!"
With the last call, he suddenly raised the volume.
Only then did the Lord Nightmare wake up from a big dream. Turning around, his beautiful face was pale, and his clear eyes were staring straight at the Sword Master.
Then, he made a move that the three Holy Masters did not expect.
She rushed over and hugged Sword Master tightly in front of the two of them, but said nothing.
Seeing that Holy Master blushed, he looked at the other two with some embarrassment, and then patted her on the back, "Thanks for your hard work..."
It's just that before he finished speaking, his body shook.
——At first, he thought it was because the Nightmare Lord and Jiang Nan were too tired to show such a young girl's attitude.
But as the skin touched, he could clearly feel the emotion of the woman in his arms.
She is trembling.His whole body, including those hands tightly hugging his back, was trembling slightly!
It was a trembling that I tried my best to suppress, but still couldn't hold back!
The Lord of Nightmare...in fear!
This alien holy master, who practiced the way of the soul and was unrivaled in the entire fairyland, was actually terrified!
Juggernaut Lord felt dry mouth for a while, he had never seen the other party so scared.
——In the short midnight just now, what exactly did she experience?
At the same time, Holy Master Huangtian and Holy Master Tianyan also saw the clue, and were taken aback.
But before they could speak, a pair of hands protruded from the void where Jiangnan Zhanli had been before.
Those five fingers are slender and white, like the hands of a mortal scholar who has no strength to bind a chicken.
But these two hands are firmly grasping the void at this moment, forcefully tearing open a crack!
It's like an ancient evil beast that tore through time and space, and stepped into the world from a distant unknown place.
At that moment, no matter whether it was the Sword Master, Tianyan, or Huangtian, they all felt very clearly——It was different.
Although the figure in front of him is still the familiar face of Jiangnan, but now he is completely different.
The former Jiangnan had no breath in his body, and looked extremely weak, just like a mortal,
But now, although his clothes and body shape have not changed much, it seems that there is a frightening and terrifying power hidden in that thin body!
Like a ghost in human form!
Coupled with the trembling and trembling figure of the Nightmare Holy Master... the three Holy Masters felt their scalps go numb at the same time!
"Uh... are you all still there?"
As if being uncomfortable being stared at by everyone, Jiang Nan cleared his throat before uttering a word.
"Jiangnan Jiangnan! You won, right?" Huang Tian, a little girl with a face full of anticipation, ran over and grabbed his sleeve, and asked hastily.
Tianyan Shengzhu is equally curious, so look over here.
Jiang Nan smiled and didn't answer directly, but just looked at the Nightmare Lord.
As if feeling the sight, the latter turned around, bowed his head, saluted respectfully, and said with great sincerity and gratitude, "Thank you, Your Excellency... for your grace of not killing me."
After the words fell, the entire ruins of the Sword Palace became dead silent. Only the calm morning sun cast the light of the morning light on the five people equally, casting long shadows on the ruins.
So far, although Jiangnan and Nightmare Lord have not given a clear answer, several Holy Masters have already got the answer.
——The winner is Jiangnan.
In the eastern sky, the sun has passed halfway.
After the battle that shocked the entire Jianmen Holy Land ended, although the final result was not announced, countless disciples in the Jianmen Holy Land also retreated and returned to their daily practice and affairs.
Outside the Sword Palace, there is a side hall and a quiet room.
The Sword Master and the Nightmare Lord sat opposite each other.
Just now, after Jiangnan came back, he didn't say much except to make them understand the result. He just used the excuse that they were fighting a big battle, so he rested first and talked about it tomorrow when he had enough energy.
After finishing speaking, he led the two Holy Masters, the Chu couple and others back to the golden wheel.
The Sword Master also brought the Nightmare Lord to a side hall in the Holy Land of Jianmen to recover from his injuries.
The seal of Tianyan Shengzhu was also released when the two sides separated temporarily.
——That was originally a ban to prevent the sword master from still having the power to fight. Now that everything is over, there is no need to continue.
Although the sword master's injury was not serious, it did not hurt the source after all. Coupled with the abundant energy and blood and terrifying resilience of the existence in the fairyland, it only took an hour to heal itself.
As for the Nightmare Lord, who didn't suffer any injuries at all, what he had to say was that the power of his soul was drawn by about [-]% by Jiangnan, making him look tired and weak.
And this can also be recovered on its own with meditation, but it takes a little longer.
But even if the original power was drawn, the Nightmare Lord did not dare to have any resentment towards Jiangnan, only...awe.
——When a certain existence surpasses people by a star and a half, they will still be unwilling, resentful, and want to save face; but if they are faced with a terrifying gap like Tianyuan, few people will be able to fight again.
It's like a neighbor punches you, and you try to return it, even if you can't beat him, you can turn into an old king and put a hat on him; but if an erupting volcano burns your backyard, even if you bleed heartily, You also don't want to punch it or put a hat on it.
The former is not very good against the opponent, and the latter is not very good against Kumba.
In short, after understanding the completely irreparable and terrifying gap between the two sides, the Nightmare Lord... was convinced of his defeat.
But one thing to say, she finally understood, the Sword Master is still puzzled!
——What the hell happened to you? You look like a different person?
"Nightmare..." Seeing that the opponent was a little calmer than before in the ruins, the Sword Master asked just now, "What happened to make you look like this?"
It's good not to ask, but to ask is like stepping on a hornet's nest.Nightmare Holy Master, when he recalled the outrageously towering golden body, he could only feel a chill rising from behind, and it was difficult to calm down!
After a long time, she took a deep breath, forced herself to suppress the palpitations, shook her head and said, "...don't ask."
Sword Master: "..."
After waiting for a long time, he still couldn't ask, so he gave up.
After all, if you lose, you lose. Even if you figure out everything, it can't change anything.
But at this juncture, Nightmare Lord slowly shook his head: "Don't try to be an enemy of him anymore, don't even have a little thought."
the first time.
This is already the first time the Sword Master has lost his composure when he sees the Nightmare Lord today.
"Is he really that scary?" He frowned and asked thoughtfully.
Fortunately, the Nightmare Lord did not prevaricate this time. She raised her head, extremely serious and sincere.
nod.
"This is the first time in my life that I have seen... such a powerful person." When she was speaking, she recalled the terrible experience that was like a nightmare, her lips were trembling, and she added with a wry smile, "If... …Such a terrifying existence can still be called a human.”
The Sword Master was silent for a long time, finally heaved a long sigh, nodded and said: "Don't worry, I will never cause any trouble for him again."
"It's good...it's good..." Holy Master Nightmare took a deep breath, and then he felt a little relieved.
"However, if you say a thousand things and ten thousand things, what does this matter have to do with us?"
The Master Sword Saint looked calm, shook his head and said:
"We are saving their lives as much as we are stopping them. But since they are determined to go on, determined to face the unspeakable horror, so stubborn, so stubborn, how can we say more, more What are you going to do? Just like the saying in the mundane world, good words are hard to persuade the damned ghosts, let them go."
Nightmare Holy Master's eyes flickered when he heard the words.
"Tomorrow, according to the bet I made with Tianyan, I will tell them everything. At that time, if you still insist on going your own way, then it has nothing to do with the two of us."
"I don't know what their purpose is in going to the Holy Land of Tianwang Peak, but no matter whether it's that brave crazy girl, Tianyan who can't figure out the details, or Jiangnan who makes you afraid... they are destined to never Can't reach the Holy Land."
Sword Saint Master didn't notice her strangeness, looked out of the window, and said quietly, "After all, it's not us who really prevent them from climbing Tianwang Peak, it's those two..."
"...Who would have expected this?" Suddenly, after the voice of the Sword Master fell, the Nightmare Master said suddenly.
In just one sentence, the Sword Master looked at her as if he had seen a ghost, his eyes full of horror!
There is no doubt that the Nightmare Lord knows the twists and turns just like him.
But since she knows the truth, why does she still think that the results of Jiangnan and others will change?
"...you understand what you're talking about?" He frowned.
Lord Nightmare nodded, "If it's Jiangnan, everything is possible..."
She didn't say what happened next, and the Sword Master didn't ask, but both of them knew what it meant.
Seeing Nightmare Lord's determined expression, Sword Master was startled suddenly, as if he suddenly understood something.
Until just now, I seemed to have underestimated Jiangnan.
Perhaps, it was really as Tianyan once said.
——"That's a monster, that's a monster, that's a person who saves or destroys the world, that's a god."
Countless disciples, disciples, deacons and elders stared intently at the three holy masters in the sky.
They only knew that their own Holy Master had just fought with Huangtian Holy Master and Tianyan Holy Master, but it was difficult to tell the outcome. Naturally, they were extremely nervous and waited anxiously for the next development.
And the three Holy Lords they were watching stood in the air, and stared at the ruins of the Sword Palace covered by the vast purple mist with bated breath, waiting for the result of the final battle between Jiangnan and the Nightmare Holy Lord.
As the "body" of the nightmare lord, the vast purple meaning is isolated from all prying eyes and thoughts, and no one knows what happened in it.
Time passed by minute by minute.
The entire Jianmen Holy Land was silent except for the discreet discussions of the disciples, especially in the ruins of the Sword Palace where no one lived, it was even more dead silent, so quiet that it made one's heart numb.
sunrise.
The fiery red sun jumped out from the eastern skyline, shedding light and gentle warmth, illuminating everything in the world.
Finally, as if dispelled by the morning light, the vast purple mist began to dissipate slowly, and the dilapidated hall, collapsed pillars, broken and messy gravel and rubble were reflected in the eyes of the three holy masters.
On top of the ruins with broken eaves and broken walls, a seductive woman in a long purple dress gently waved her hand, as if piercing through the fog, revealing her graceful posture on the top of the mountain formed by the piled up ruins, which is beautiful and impressive fascinated.
——The Lord of Nightmares.
At this moment, she was transformed into a human body again, put on a palace dress, and stepped barefoot on the broken rubble.
At that moment, the eyes of the three holy masters in the sky suddenly focused!
--ended!
The final battle that determines the outcome of the battle is over!
So, the result?
Lord Sword Saint looked at Nightmare, even though his celestial power and dao were blocked by Heavenly Evolution Lord, his vision was still there, and it was easy to see that - although Nightmare Lord's posture was a little weak now, as if Quite tired like that.
But at least she wasn't hurt.
On the other hand, looking at Jiangnan... Where is Jiangnan?
After the vast purple mist cleared, where was the shadow of that mysterious young monk?
The results, then, almost speak for themselves.
"You two, I won the bet." The Sword Master lowered his eyes, looked at Tianyan and Huangtian beside him, and said so.
Tianyan Shengzhu frowned, he always felt that Jiangnan would not lose so easily - even if Nightmare Holy Master took a slanted sword, had extraordinary attainments in the soul, and was extremely powerful, but it was absolutely impossible to defeat Jiangnan. For such a simple and easy matter, it is impossible not to pay any injuries and costs.
Tianyan Shengzhu scratched his head and opened his mouth, wanting to refute.But he looked around, but he really didn't find any shadow of Jiangnan, so he had to shut up again.
But the Holy Master Huangtian at the side didn't care about you so much, and shook his head like a rattle: "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Jiangnan, there is no way I will lose!"
Both Sword Master and Tianyan Shengzhu glanced at her, but didn't pay much attention to it.
——They knew that this girl had always been simple-minded, and she would believe what she was sure of, so they didn't care too much about it.
But only this time, both of them guessed wrong-in many respects, Holy Master Huangtian was indeed dumbfounded, but only when it came to fighting, her judgment was extremely accurate.
in particular……
The little girl swallowed her saliva, as if she was recalling that day, that terrifying figure that just a vague outline crushed her battle world.
And Jiangnan even defeated such a guy.
That being the case, how could he lose in the face of a Holy Master?
He takes the head to lose?
Seeing the stubborn look of Huangtian Holy Lord, Sword Holy Lord also sighed, "Forget it, come with me to ask Nightmare yourself."
"Although I haven't seen your friend now, Nightmare will at most make him suffer, and he won't kill him—she looks like that, but in fact she doesn't want to kill anyone."
"After this matter is over, whether you want to return to Tianyan Domain or stay in Jianmen, in short, don't think about going to Tianwang Peak anymore."
After all, he stepped on the void and walked towards the ruins of the Sword Palace.
After a few breaths, the three Holy Masters had already stood behind the Holy Master Nightmare, and the Sword Master coughed twice, "Nightmare, can you win? Where is that Jiangnan fellow Taoist?"
No response.
The Sword Master frowned slightly, and his heart skipped a beat: "Nightmare? Nightmare!"
With the last call, he suddenly raised the volume.
Only then did the Lord Nightmare wake up from a big dream. Turning around, his beautiful face was pale, and his clear eyes were staring straight at the Sword Master.
Then, he made a move that the three Holy Masters did not expect.
She rushed over and hugged Sword Master tightly in front of the two of them, but said nothing.
Seeing that Holy Master blushed, he looked at the other two with some embarrassment, and then patted her on the back, "Thanks for your hard work..."
It's just that before he finished speaking, his body shook.
——At first, he thought it was because the Nightmare Lord and Jiang Nan were too tired to show such a young girl's attitude.
But as the skin touched, he could clearly feel the emotion of the woman in his arms.
She is trembling.His whole body, including those hands tightly hugging his back, was trembling slightly!
It was a trembling that I tried my best to suppress, but still couldn't hold back!
The Lord of Nightmare...in fear!
This alien holy master, who practiced the way of the soul and was unrivaled in the entire fairyland, was actually terrified!
Juggernaut Lord felt dry mouth for a while, he had never seen the other party so scared.
——In the short midnight just now, what exactly did she experience?
At the same time, Holy Master Huangtian and Holy Master Tianyan also saw the clue, and were taken aback.
But before they could speak, a pair of hands protruded from the void where Jiangnan Zhanli had been before.
Those five fingers are slender and white, like the hands of a mortal scholar who has no strength to bind a chicken.
But these two hands are firmly grasping the void at this moment, forcefully tearing open a crack!
It's like an ancient evil beast that tore through time and space, and stepped into the world from a distant unknown place.
At that moment, no matter whether it was the Sword Master, Tianyan, or Huangtian, they all felt very clearly——It was different.
Although the figure in front of him is still the familiar face of Jiangnan, but now he is completely different.
The former Jiangnan had no breath in his body, and looked extremely weak, just like a mortal,
But now, although his clothes and body shape have not changed much, it seems that there is a frightening and terrifying power hidden in that thin body!
Like a ghost in human form!
Coupled with the trembling and trembling figure of the Nightmare Holy Master... the three Holy Masters felt their scalps go numb at the same time!
"Uh... are you all still there?"
As if being uncomfortable being stared at by everyone, Jiang Nan cleared his throat before uttering a word.
"Jiangnan Jiangnan! You won, right?" Huang Tian, a little girl with a face full of anticipation, ran over and grabbed his sleeve, and asked hastily.
Tianyan Shengzhu is equally curious, so look over here.
Jiang Nan smiled and didn't answer directly, but just looked at the Nightmare Lord.
As if feeling the sight, the latter turned around, bowed his head, saluted respectfully, and said with great sincerity and gratitude, "Thank you, Your Excellency... for your grace of not killing me."
After the words fell, the entire ruins of the Sword Palace became dead silent. Only the calm morning sun cast the light of the morning light on the five people equally, casting long shadows on the ruins.
So far, although Jiangnan and Nightmare Lord have not given a clear answer, several Holy Masters have already got the answer.
——The winner is Jiangnan.
In the eastern sky, the sun has passed halfway.
After the battle that shocked the entire Jianmen Holy Land ended, although the final result was not announced, countless disciples in the Jianmen Holy Land also retreated and returned to their daily practice and affairs.
Outside the Sword Palace, there is a side hall and a quiet room.
The Sword Master and the Nightmare Lord sat opposite each other.
Just now, after Jiangnan came back, he didn't say much except to make them understand the result. He just used the excuse that they were fighting a big battle, so he rested first and talked about it tomorrow when he had enough energy.
After finishing speaking, he led the two Holy Masters, the Chu couple and others back to the golden wheel.
The Sword Master also brought the Nightmare Lord to a side hall in the Holy Land of Jianmen to recover from his injuries.
The seal of Tianyan Shengzhu was also released when the two sides separated temporarily.
——That was originally a ban to prevent the sword master from still having the power to fight. Now that everything is over, there is no need to continue.
Although the sword master's injury was not serious, it did not hurt the source after all. Coupled with the abundant energy and blood and terrifying resilience of the existence in the fairyland, it only took an hour to heal itself.
As for the Nightmare Lord, who didn't suffer any injuries at all, what he had to say was that the power of his soul was drawn by about [-]% by Jiangnan, making him look tired and weak.
And this can also be recovered on its own with meditation, but it takes a little longer.
But even if the original power was drawn, the Nightmare Lord did not dare to have any resentment towards Jiangnan, only...awe.
——When a certain existence surpasses people by a star and a half, they will still be unwilling, resentful, and want to save face; but if they are faced with a terrifying gap like Tianyuan, few people will be able to fight again.
It's like a neighbor punches you, and you try to return it, even if you can't beat him, you can turn into an old king and put a hat on him; but if an erupting volcano burns your backyard, even if you bleed heartily, You also don't want to punch it or put a hat on it.
The former is not very good against the opponent, and the latter is not very good against Kumba.
In short, after understanding the completely irreparable and terrifying gap between the two sides, the Nightmare Lord... was convinced of his defeat.
But one thing to say, she finally understood, the Sword Master is still puzzled!
——What the hell happened to you? You look like a different person?
"Nightmare..." Seeing that the opponent was a little calmer than before in the ruins, the Sword Master asked just now, "What happened to make you look like this?"
It's good not to ask, but to ask is like stepping on a hornet's nest.Nightmare Holy Master, when he recalled the outrageously towering golden body, he could only feel a chill rising from behind, and it was difficult to calm down!
After a long time, she took a deep breath, forced herself to suppress the palpitations, shook her head and said, "...don't ask."
Sword Master: "..."
After waiting for a long time, he still couldn't ask, so he gave up.
After all, if you lose, you lose. Even if you figure out everything, it can't change anything.
But at this juncture, Nightmare Lord slowly shook his head: "Don't try to be an enemy of him anymore, don't even have a little thought."
the first time.
This is already the first time the Sword Master has lost his composure when he sees the Nightmare Lord today.
"Is he really that scary?" He frowned and asked thoughtfully.
Fortunately, the Nightmare Lord did not prevaricate this time. She raised her head, extremely serious and sincere.
nod.
"This is the first time in my life that I have seen... such a powerful person." When she was speaking, she recalled the terrible experience that was like a nightmare, her lips were trembling, and she added with a wry smile, "If... …Such a terrifying existence can still be called a human.”
The Sword Master was silent for a long time, finally heaved a long sigh, nodded and said: "Don't worry, I will never cause any trouble for him again."
"It's good...it's good..." Holy Master Nightmare took a deep breath, and then he felt a little relieved.
"However, if you say a thousand things and ten thousand things, what does this matter have to do with us?"
The Master Sword Saint looked calm, shook his head and said:
"We are saving their lives as much as we are stopping them. But since they are determined to go on, determined to face the unspeakable horror, so stubborn, so stubborn, how can we say more, more What are you going to do? Just like the saying in the mundane world, good words are hard to persuade the damned ghosts, let them go."
Nightmare Holy Master's eyes flickered when he heard the words.
"Tomorrow, according to the bet I made with Tianyan, I will tell them everything. At that time, if you still insist on going your own way, then it has nothing to do with the two of us."
"I don't know what their purpose is in going to the Holy Land of Tianwang Peak, but no matter whether it's that brave crazy girl, Tianyan who can't figure out the details, or Jiangnan who makes you afraid... they are destined to never Can't reach the Holy Land."
Sword Saint Master didn't notice her strangeness, looked out of the window, and said quietly, "After all, it's not us who really prevent them from climbing Tianwang Peak, it's those two..."
"...Who would have expected this?" Suddenly, after the voice of the Sword Master fell, the Nightmare Master said suddenly.
In just one sentence, the Sword Master looked at her as if he had seen a ghost, his eyes full of horror!
There is no doubt that the Nightmare Lord knows the twists and turns just like him.
But since she knows the truth, why does she still think that the results of Jiangnan and others will change?
"...you understand what you're talking about?" He frowned.
Lord Nightmare nodded, "If it's Jiangnan, everything is possible..."
She didn't say what happened next, and the Sword Master didn't ask, but both of them knew what it meant.
Seeing Nightmare Lord's determined expression, Sword Master was startled suddenly, as if he suddenly understood something.
Until just now, I seemed to have underestimated Jiangnan.
Perhaps, it was really as Tianyan once said.
——"That's a monster, that's a monster, that's a person who saves or destroys the world, that's a god."