Simultaneous travel: I am proving the great way in the heavens.

Chapter 189 A hopeless future! The secret of the origin of the Qi body, the product of the three levels of reverse birth and the divine spirit!
Feng Baobao only thought about it for a moment, then nodded and agreed, saying, "Okay, but don't lie to me."

Luo Fu laughed and said, "Don't worry, maybe there is no one else besides me who can help people find your own family."

When Luofu officially took Feng Baobao under his command.

Down the mountain.

The military and the company worked together and almost finished interrogating Zhang Chulan and others.

When Luo Fu's thoughts were exposed through Zhang Chulan and others, the company and military members responsible for interrogating them all fell silent.

"What a big tone! This Luo Fu doesn't just want to break the population red line. He wants to overturn the order between ordinary people and extraordinary people that has existed for thousands of years."

The military representative said angrily.

As for the members of the company, ordinary people were naturally filled with indignation, but people like Wang Zhenqiu, Xiao Zizai, Lao Meng and others all chose to remain silent.

"Luo Fu's strength is amazing." Zhang Chulan thought about it and took the initiative to remind him: "Your weapons may not be able to hurt him, just like Dong Feng before, he just turned his hand and sent the countless separated warheads out of the atmosphere."

"We already know this." The military representative nodded, and the look he showed when he looked at Zhang Chulan softened a bit. He no longer regarded him as an enemy as he did just now.

"This Luo Fu not only has the ability to manipulate gravity, but also has a strange spatial ability that allows him to move his own position at will, and is also connected to a special different dimension."

Zhang Chulan pretended to be brave and asked, "Can I ask how you plan to deal with Luofu?"

"Zhang Chulan, you haven't cleared yourself of the suspicion yet. What do you want to do by asking so many questions?" Wang Zhenqiu asked with a smile.

"You..." Zhang Chulan suddenly became angry.

However, when people from the military and the company began to discuss how to deal with Luofu, who attempted to subvert the order of ordinary people and aliens.

A barely perceptible buzzing sound quickly spread throughout the tent.

As a biologist, Lao Meng immediately warned: "Everyone be careful, there are many...many poisonous insect-like things gathering together! This..."

Lao Meng had only said half of his words.

Inside the tent, everyone was stunned for a moment.

In full view of everyone, countless tiny poisonous insect-like creatures gathered from the ground bit by bit.

First the feet, then the legs, quickly forming an image familiar to everyone.

"Chen Duo?" Wang Zhenqiu's eyes widened suddenly, and he looked at Chen Duo with surprise, saying: "What's wrong with you? You can actually use poisonous insects to gather into a body. It's incredible, it's simply incredible."

"I am here to convey Master Luofu's intentions."

Chen Duo glanced at everyone with an indifferent expression.

Old Meng couldn't help but reveal a look of grief, and said, "Chen Duo, why... why are you like this?"

As a biologist, Lao Meng truly felt the fundamental change in Chen Duo.

In his eyes, Chen Duo in front of him was not a human being at all, but a collective consciousness like a beehive.

Countless poisonous insects gathered together to form the girl named Chen Duo, and any one of the poisonous insects is a part of Chen Duo.

Chen Duo...is no longer a human being at all.

"Uncle Meng." Perhaps because he saw Old Meng, there was a hint of human emotion in Chen Duo's tone.

"I am fine now. It was the master who gave me a chance for a new life."

"But..." Lao Meng looked distressed and said, "You...you are no longer a human being."

Chen Duo smiled and said, "I have never been a human, right? I am a dragon."

"No, that's not it." Lao Meng shook his head vigorously and said, "You are a human being. Your name is Chen Duo."

"My name is still Chen Duo, and I remember everything that happened. Am I no longer the same person I used to be?" Chen Duo tilted his head and looked at Lao Meng.

Lao Meng's tears were streaming down his face, but he didn't know how to refute Chen Duo.

Because there is no way to explain Chen Duo’s problem in depth.

This question itself has already gone deep into the three ultimate questions of biology, ethics, and even philosophy. This is a question that has no answer at all.

Tens of thousands of years of history, thousands of years of civilization, countless people with lofty ideals have wanted to answer this question. Unfortunately, to this day, this question still has an answer that can be recognized by everyone.

"I don't know who you are or what your relationship is with Nadutong, but since you have already sided with Luofu, you are the enemy of the company and the country." The military representative looked at Chen Duo solemnly and said, "Tell me, what does Luofu want to convey by sending you here?"

"The master does not want to be your enemy. As long as you do not attack the master, he will not affect the world." Chen Duo said.

With a sneer, the military representative said, "I am a soldier. Soldiers have the duty of obeying orders. The order I received is to eliminate the rebels. As for negotiations, this is not within the scope of my mission. You can either surrender or choose to fight us. As for the rest, you should talk to someone else."

Chen Duo nodded, not quite understanding, and said, "But if you refuse, you will all die."

"Are you threatening me?" The military representative's face darkened and he said, "As a soldier, I will never be intimidated by the threat of death."

"But I have already penetrated deep into your bodies. As long as the leader gives the order, you will die in my hands instantly." Chen Duo explained.

"Chen Duo, what did you do?" Lao Meng was shocked.

Chen Duo said: "Uncle Meng, I am Gu, and Gu is me. I am everywhere around Trinity Gate."

After a slight pause, Chen Duo said something that made everyone present shudder.

"Every move you make, including your breathing, allows countless Gu to enter your body, including you, Uncle Meng."

Although Lao Meng has evolved his animal master to the level where he can communicate with microorganisms, and has changed from an animal master to a biologist, Lao Meng's ability to communicate with microorganisms is, after all, just an ability.

But Chen Duo's dragon is the instinct of life.

Even as a biologist, it is impossible for Lao Meng to communicate with all microorganisms all the time, but Chen Duo can.

Without making any sound, Chen Duo had already penetrated the dust-like dragon into the bodies of all those present.

The damage that silkworms cause to the human body is unimaginable.

This is far more terrifying than any germ warfare or biological warfare.

Even the military representative who had just vowed that soldiers were not afraid of death threats changed his expression at this moment.

Not being afraid of death is one thing, but having your life in the hands of others is another.

When he saw the military representative, his expression suddenly changed.

Lao Meng suddenly became anxious and hurriedly said, "Chen Duo, what does Luo Fu want?"

Chen Duo looked at Lao Meng calmly and said, "I have already said it just now. The leader does not want to be your enemy, but he is not afraid of being your enemy either."

"Impossible." Even though they knew that their lives were in the hands of the inhuman girl in front of them, the military representative still said stubbornly under the threat of death: "The country will never compromise with Luofu because of your threats. Your ability is indeed terrifying, but even if we all sacrifice and die here, you will only face a more severe blow. Surrendering is your only choice."

buzzing...

There was another burst of obvious noise.

This time, everyone saw that several tiny poisonous insects flew to Chen Duo's body and sank into Chen Duo's body in an instant.

Chen Duo seemed to have received some orders. He said, "The Sect Master just conveyed a message to me again. The Sect Master knows your thoughts. He does not want to cause the conflict between him and you to lead to the loss of lives and countless casualties. Therefore, the Sect Master will give you a chance."

The military representative's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly stretched out a finger and put it on his earlobe, as if he had heard some news.

After a moment, the military representative said with a complicated expression: "The superiors have issued a new order. Luo Fu of the Trinity Sect and the aliens currently in the Trinity Sect can leave for Nasen Island."

Nodding, Chen Duo said, "The master agreed."

In fact, in Luofu's view, being targeted by the country has nothing to do with ordinary people.

Although there is a clear distinction between extraordinary people and ordinary people, it is undeniable that extraordinary people and ordinary people are in completely different directions of being human.

Extraordinary people are born from ordinary people. They are like a very small number of special individuals among the human group.

When ordinary people combine with ordinary people, there is a probability that an alien will be born, and when aliens combine with aliens, there is also a probability that an ordinary person will be born.

Even between extraordinary people and ordinary people, the odds of having children are 50-50.

Luo Fu had never thought of completely destroying ordinary people to an extreme extent. He didn't even have the idea of ​​fighting for power.

Just like the Super God Universe and the Xiongbinglian, with its long lifespan, the Xiongbinglian does not need to rush to become the dominant force on Earth. As time goes by and generations pass, power will eventually converge towards strength.

Let me ask, in this world where everyone is second to none, is there anyone who is qualified to replace Luofu?

As long as Luofu doesn't act recklessly and make the society completely unbearable for ordinary people, and even doesn't hesitate to collude with aliens to target them, then Luofu will inevitably become a god-like existence in this world in the future.

Of course, to achieve this step, first of all, the most basic point is to allow Luofu and ordinary people to reach a level of non-aggression.

To achieve this step, the first thing is to make each other understand the extent of each other's strength.

In the Trinity Gate.

Countless dust-like insects quickly gathered together and formed the shape of Chen Duo in the blink of an eye.

For a moment, all the strangers couldn't help but widen their eyes.

In fact, Chen Duo's performance has reached an unacceptable level.

No matter how strange a person is, he is still a human being, but what about Chen Duo? She has obviously exceeded the limits of being a human being and has completely transformed into another kind of life.

"This... this girl..."

When Trinity School was first established, Lu Jin had met Chen Duo more than once.

But never before had Chen Duo brought him such a huge shock.

"Master!" Chen Duo looked at Lu Jin expressionlessly, then said to Luo Fu, "They have agreed to your request."

"Really?" Luo Fu smiled and said, "It seems that it's almost time. Since we want to show our strength, we have to give these people enough time to prepare."

"What are you going to do?" Lu Jin asked puzzledly.

Wang Ye's eyes narrowed, and he sighed, "Has it finally come to this?"

Looking at Zhuge Qing standing aside, Wang Ye and Zhuge Qing seemed to have reached an agreement on the soul level.

They said to Luofu in unison: "Master Luofu, I wonder if you can help ordinary people? You should know that if you go to war with the countries in this world, then... ordinary people will inevitably be severely affected, and even..."

"Don't worry." Luo Fu waved his hand, interrupting the two and said, "With my current strength, even if I simply manipulate gravity, it is enough to subvert the earth. As long as the countries understand that I am no longer the alien they know and can be manipulated at will, they will naturally know what to do!"

Wang Ye and Zhuge Qing felt helpless as they did not get the results they wanted.

In their opinion, the hopeless future they saw in the interior was probably unstoppable.

Luo Fu ignored Wang Ye and Zhuge Qing's thoughts.

For him, the most urgent task at the moment is to get all the eight unique skills into his hands first.

After all, after truly feeling the specialness of the Eight Wonders through Feng Baobao, Luo Fu naturally hopes to turn the Eight Wonders into his own abilities.

Who made Luofu unable to truly build a system of its own?

The innate Qi is the foundation of Luofu, but Luofu's own strength comes from the abilities he shares.

If Luofu wants to completely integrate his own abilities and forge his own path, in addition to the various widely circulated strange skills, the most suitable method is to use the Eight Wonders.

Who makes the Eight Great Skills like a bug in the system of the Innate Qi, or is it that they subtly interfere with the realm of Tao?
After giving instructions to these strange people who had come to rely on him, countless space ripples instantly appeared.

In an instant, all the people present were brought into this blessed land.

Lu Jin and the others only felt a flash before their eyes, and the next moment, they appeared in a beautiful environment with mountains and rivers.

Standing on the mountain and looking into the distance, you can see thousands of miles of plains and rivers scattered all over the place, which looks like a fertile land on earth.

"Here..." Feng Zhenghao widened his eyes, looked around curiously, and said, "Is this the paradise of Luofu Zhenren? This... this is like a world of its own."

When other strange people were shocked by Luofu’s paradise.

Luofu, who had brought everyone into the paradise, disappeared in a whirlpool.

The gravitational ability has reached the level where it can observe and even decipher electromagnetic waves.

No matter whether Qu Tong was hiding or Baron and the others, they could not hide from Luofu's perception. After being found by Luofu, Qu Tong and Baron had almost no intention of bargaining, and honestly handed over the Shuangquanshou and the Liuku Xianthief.

This time, Luofu integrated the eight unique skills.

After all, Luofu had actually collected quite a few of the Eight Great Skills before.

But this time, he completely caught all the fish that had escaped the net.

What Luofu didn't expect was that among the Eight Wonders, the owner of Daluo Dongguan was not Gu Jiting, but the Gao family in the northeast.

Yes, among the four famous families in the alien world, each of them actually possesses one of the Eight Wonders.

The Tongtian Talisman is in the hands of Lu Jin of the Lu family, the Juling Qianjiang is in the hands of the Wang family, the Shuangquan Hand is in the hands of the Lu family, and the Daluo Cave is in the hands of the Gao family who is not very conspicuous and even voluntarily gave up the position of the Ten Lords.

As one of the four famous families, the Gao family was once able to compete with the Wang, Lu, and Lu families.

But the Gao family suddenly fell silent a few years ago, and even voluntarily gave up their position as one of the Ten Lords.

Only at this moment did Luo Fu understand the whole story.

The Gao family is indeed very powerful, but it is also the one that has suffered the most from being cheated among the four famous families.

Each of the eight unique skills has very serious side effects, and Daluo Dongtian happened to fall into the hands of the Gao family.

The only difference from what one might imagine is that the Gao family did not obtain the property through trickery and plunder like the Wang family and the Lu family. Instead, the process was somewhat similar to how Lu Jin obtained the Tongtian Talisman from Zheng Zibu.

The Daluo Cave was given to the Gao family by Gu Jiting himself.

In theory, he doesn't want the unique skills he has learned to be lost.

The Gao family was ecstatic after obtaining the Daluo Cave, but because of this, they were cheated and almost fell out of the list of the four famous families.

In fact, compared with the other eight great skills, the danger of Daluo Cave is undoubtedly the strongest.

The process by which Luofu discovered that Daluodong Temple was in Gao's family was quite coincidental.

While observing electromagnetic waves and searching for Baron and Qu Tong, Luo Fu unexpectedly sensed a strange electromagnetic wave coming.

To be precise, this is something that seems to be a combination of the Yang God and electromagnetic waves.

In an instant, Luo Fu figured out that the owner of this electromagnetic wave was none other than Gao Erzhuang from the Gao family.

And this girl, sadly, was also a victim of Daluo Cave Temple.

Although her innate ability is indeed to manipulate radio waves, the so-called practice of the Wu Liu School's alchemy method has caused her innate ability to mutate, and her yang spirit actually has the effect of electromagnetic waves. This is purely a reason to deal with the outside world.

The so-called mutation of Gao Erzhuang's abilities was, in fact, just the effect caused by Daluo Dongguan.

The ability of Daluo Dongguan is essentially not just the observation of the outside world, but even includes the concept itself.

And worldview is precisely a kind of concept.

After obtaining the Daluo Cave Observation, Luofu finally understood how dangerous this most mysterious of the Eight Wonders Skills was.

The Daluo Cave Observation and the inner scene are extremely closely connected.

In the inner scene, the individual can be like the Creator or God of Creation, and achieve an omnipotent effect.

But this ability is only limited to the inner scene, like an addictive metaverse.

The Daluo Cave Observation is a special method to change the inner scene and reality through one's own cognition.

In Luofu's opinion, this is the most terrifying part of Daluo Cave. It already has some of the effects of the Marvel Universe, the Reality Gems, Chaos Magic, and the ultimate illusion Izanagi in the Ninja World.

However, the effect of Daluo Cave Observation is too difficult to grasp. Any slight change in individual consciousness will lead to unpredictable consequences.

Changes in concepts, before they affect the outside world, will first backfire on oneself.

Countless people in the Gao family met a tragic end because of Daluo Cave.

For example, Gao Erzhuang accidentally combined the Wu Liu school's alchemy method with her own innate supernatural powers while practicing Daluo Dongguan. This was not a special mutation, but the impact caused by the change in Gao Erzhuang's own worldview.

Theoretically it is controllable, but in reality, even a slight change in cognition can lead to extremely serious consequences.

Gao Erzhuang was considered lucky. Others who practiced Daluo Dongguan, not only left half of their bodies, but some even disappeared without a trace. They were no longer in the inner world or in reality.

In Luofu's view, Daluodongguan is more like an enhanced version of eyes, which uses its own ability to perceive the world, and like an inherent barrier, it moves its own mental landscape from the inner scene to reality.

No wonder Daluo Cave is so mysterious.

The truth is, the ability of Daluo Dongguan requires too high a level of self-cognition, and it is even impossible to admit the slightest self-doubt. Otherwise, if the mental image concept changes, it will bring about irreversible backlash in an instant.

Luofu wanted to obtain Daluodongguan, and the Gao family offered it to him without any resistance.

The truth is, after so many years of acquiring the Daluo Cave Observation, the Gao family has lost countless people to these eight unique skills.

For the Gao family and the company, it would be best if Luofu suffered backlash after obtaining the Daluo Cave.

After obtaining the most mysterious Daluo Cave from the Gao family, Luofu had already mastered seven of the eight great skills. The only thing left was the source of his Qi body, which was like that of a Nascent Soul, in Zhang Chulan.

Feng Zhenghao has the power to capture spirits and dispatch generals. If Luofu wants it, he only needs to ask for it, and this decisive Ten Lords will offer it on his own initiative.

With the Tongtian Talisman in Lu Jin's hands, the Lu family's coffin has been pinned on Luofu. Just a Tongtian Talisman would be no problem for Luofu to get if they wanted it.

Fenghou Qimen was offered by Wang Ye on his own initiative, and even included the Zhuge family's Wuhou Qimen and Samadhi True Fire.

Luofu had already obtained the Divine Machine when he was in Biyou Village.

Through Baron and Qu Tong, Luofu got the Six-Storage Immortal Thief and the Double-Handed Hand before Daluo Dongguan.

Now that only the source of Qi was left, after leaving Gao's house, Luo Fu headed straight towards Zhang Chulan.

Zhang Chulan was ordained by the Heavenly Master and became the 66th Heavenly Master of the Heavenly Master’s Mansion.

It's a pity that he hasn't actually completed the succession ceremony yet.

After all, because of the contradictions and conflicts between the country and Luofu, almost all the aliens were implicated.

Zhang Chulan was no exception, especially since he was Luo Fu's childhood playmate. This made it even more impossible for the country to relax its vigilance against Zhang Chulan.

Now, in the blink of an eye, so many famous and upright sects have chosen to follow Luofu. Who knows whether Zhang Chulan, the 66th generation Heavenly Master, will also choose to start a new sect and follow Luofu?

A space vortex flashed by.

Still at the foot of the Trinity Gate, the troops were still in the camp.

The sudden appearance of the space vortex immediately aroused the vigilance of the entire military camp.

Seeing Luofu suddenly appear in front of him.

Zhang Chulan's heart tightened, and he looked at Luo Fu warily, saying, "Master Luo Fu, what do you want to do? Didn't you make a gentleman's agreement with the country?"

"Don't worry, my coming here this time has nothing to do with the previous gentleman's agreement." Luo Fu waved his hand and smiled, and the invisible gravity instantly enveloped the surroundings.

Whether it was the soldiers rushing over or the company members who were on high alert.

In an instant, he was pinned to the ground by the sudden increase in gravity.

Wang Zhenqiu, Xiao Zizai, Lao Meng and the others prostrated themselves on the ground, unable to move at all.

Perhaps the only person who was least affected was Tian Jinzhong, who once had a master-disciple relationship with Luofu.

But even so, Tian Jinzhong is now at most a centenarian. Who made Tian Jinzhong not only wear handcuffs specially used to restrain aliens, but also a collar around his neck?
"Then what do you want to see me for? It's not because of the Heavenly Master Degree in me, right?" Zhang Chulan smiled bitterly, his tone showing dissatisfaction with Luo Fu.

After all, Zhang Zhiwei, the master who made Zhang Chulan feel the love of family, had to choose to die because of Luofu.

Luo Fu shook his head and said, "The Heavenly Master's Degree is meaningless to me. What I need is the source of the Qi in your body."

"The origin of Qi body?" Zhang Chulan was stunned for a moment, then immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

Although the previous Nascent Soul explosion made Zhang Chulan very wary of the source of Qi in his body.

But this thing has been deeply integrated with him. Trying to deprive him of it may even cause Zhang Chulan's own death.

In this situation, Luofu's proposal to ask for the source of Qi body was, in Zhang Chulan's opinion, simply an attempt to kill himself.

After struggling for a moment, Zhang Chulan looked at Luo Fu desperately and said, "Hu Zi, do you really want to kill us all?"

"Of course not." Luo Fu walked to Zhang Chulan and said, "Don't worry, I know that the Nascent Soul formed by the source of the Qi body is already connected to your life. Once you lose the Nascent Soul, you will also die. What I need is only the source of the Qi body, not the formed Nascent Soul."

As he spoke, Luo Fu opened the five fingers of his right hand and instantly placed his palm on Zhang Chulan's forehead.

The invisible force instantly penetrated into Zhang Chulan's body and continued to flow along the eight extraordinary meridians.

As if stimulated by Luofu's power, the Nascent Soul in Zhang Chulan's body opened its eyes instantly.

A mysterious innate Qi began to circulate.

What Luofu needs is exactly the operation process of this innate Qi.

Luofu tried to do two things at the same time. On the one hand, he continued to suppress all the soldiers and aliens in the mountains of Sanyi Gate with gravity, while analyzing the mystery of the origin of Qi body.

But soon, as Luofu's understanding of the origin of Qi body deepened, his expression couldn't help but become strange.

After understanding the mystery of the origin of Qi, Luofu finally discovered what it meant that there are thousands of great ways, but all lead to the same destination.

In Luofu's view, the origin of Qi is essentially a product that combines the three levels of reverse life and the spirit of the gods.

The three levels of reverse life before being innovated by Luofu were aimed at reversing the three processes of life and refining oneself back to the state of innate Qi. If one follows the rules, one becomes a human being, and if one goes against the rules, one becomes an immortal.

The spirits of gods can even restore all spells to their original state of innate Qi.

The combination of the two concepts gave birth to such a wonderful existence as the source of Qi in Zhang Chulan's body.

The origin of Qi is known as the end of the art. Without knowing the origin of Qi, Luo Fu might think it is a bit exaggerated.

But now, after personal experience, he has realized why he is so famous. Zhang Xilin, or Zhang Huaiyi, boasts that the source of Qi body he has comprehended has surpassed that of his fourth brother Wu Gensheng.

The rootless divine spirit simply restores all magic spells to the state of primordial Qi.

As for the source of Qi, it is the magic of sorting out that transforms the restored innate Qi into nourishment for the Nascent Soul in one's own body.

Just like a ten-month pregnancy, a new self is born with the innate qi.

Eventually it breaks out of the cocoon and becomes a butterfly, returning to its original state and achieving its ideal goal of becoming an immortal.

The origin of the Qi body has indeed surpassed the rootless divine spirits.

The divine spirit can only restore the original innate Qi state of the spell, but the source of the Qi body can absorb the innate Qi and condense the innate ancestral Qi that is essentially beyond everything. The innate Qi condensed by the source of the Qi body can even be described as the original ancestral Qi.

Once a pure innate Qi baby formed by the primordial ancestor Qi breaks out of its cocoon and becomes a butterfly, in theory it is a method of ascending to heaven that is almost more perfect than the third level of reverse rebirth.

Once the Qi body source flow is cultivated and the baby is formed in the body, then, in theory, all the magic spells formed by the innate Qi will not be able to harm the Qi body source flow practitioner. Isn't this the end of magic?
In front of the primordial Qi that is superior to all innate Qi, how can ordinary innate Qi magic be used?
After comprehending the baby in Zhang Chulan's body.

Within Luofu's body, the vast innate Qi began to gradually gather and formed a brand new baby.

This baby is absolutely no different from Luofu, and even seems like a concrete manifestation of Luofu's power.

There is a severe mark of the seven emotions and seven sins between his eyebrows, his ears are like swords and spears, and he has a pair of long horns on his head. Although he only has two eyes, he looks like Chi You. He has six arms, but they do not have the shape of cow hooves.

It can be said that the baby in Luofu’s elixir at this moment is the true form of Luofu.

At the moment when this baby was condensed, the baby formed by pure innate Qi, or the primordial Qi, seemed to be somewhat impatient with the environment of the lower Dan. With a leap, as if moving through space, it used Luofu's body as the world and came from the lower Dan to the middle Dan.

The little Nascent Soul that came to the middle elixir seemed equally dissatisfied. It leaped again and moved out of thin air to the upper elixir of Luofu.

At this time, the little Nascent Soul seemed to be finally satisfied.

Luo Fu's consciousness also began to run through the baby, and there was no distinction between the infant and the main body.

It looks like a small Nascent Soul, but in fact it is completely integrated with Luofu.

In Zhang Chulan's perception, the changes that took place in Luofu at this moment were particularly obvious.

It was as if Luofu had become his master in an instant.

Zhang Chulan, who was unable to mobilize his innate Qi due to the restraints, felt a strong sense of uneasiness in every cell of his body.

(End of this chapter)