Immortals of the End Times

Noticing General Gu Xiu's wary gaze, Zhao Wuji weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

"Now I have soul control over the White Bone Cave Master, the Supreme Cave Master Bai Chengshang, and the heavily injured Sea Mountain Cave Master Lan Canghai."

The first two have already completely submitted, so there's not much pressure on them.

However, Lan Canghai was, after all, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Although he was currently controlled by the Netherworld Talisman Water and the Blood Gu Insect King, his sea of ​​consciousness was still fiercely resisting.

If I were to forcibly subdue this ancient cultivator general, I fear it would exceed the capacity of my divine sense.”

More importantly, Xinghe Daoren's primordial spirit was sealed within the Pot Heaven space and suppressed by a large number of talismans and gu.

If we are distracted by dealing with General Gu Xiu now, and if Daoist Xinghe seizes the opportunity to counterattack in the future, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Thinking of this, the cold glint in Zhao Wuji's eyes gradually faded, and his fierce aura also subsided.

General Gu Xiu opposite him immediately felt a sense of relief, as if a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

He was secretly alarmed: "This new master of Linglang Cave clearly showed hostility towards me just now."

After assessing the situation and considering the two mysterious cultivators who had just left, he abandoned his idea of ​​using the blood talisman given to him by Huang Shang to subdue Yan Lan.

Taking a deep breath, he bowed to Yan Lan and said, "Cave Master Yan, the situation was tense just now. I saw that Cave Master Zhao had already appeared, so I did not take action immediately. Please forgive me."

He paused, his gaunt, skeletal face turning serious, and said, "Now that your cultivation level should be stable, come back with me and hand over the Zhenhai Stele to Lord Huang Shang."

"how?"

Yan Lan raised a brow and sneered, "Now you know how to say nice things? When you were hiding in the shadows watching the show, you didn't seem to be in a hurry for the Zhenhai Stele."

Her red dress fluttered in the wind, the tip of her spear pointed diagonally at the sea, and she continued, "I said I could take the Zhenhai Stele to Huang Shang, but not now."

"Once I've cleared the Sword Tomb and emerged, I will naturally hand this stele to him."

"You!" General Gu Xiu's face darkened, and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes.

But upon noticing Zhao Wuji glaring menacingly to the side, he forcibly suppressed his anger and said coldly, "The Sword Tomb is extremely dangerous. The master has warned you as well. Now that the spiritual energy is about to recover, there may be old monsters in the Sword Tomb that will awaken."

Yan Lan scoffed, "What dangers haven't I seen in my years of cultivation? Stop spreading alarmist rumors!"

Seeing that his attempts to dissuade him were futile, General Gu Xiu could only sigh and say, "In that case, I shall take my leave. I hope that Cave Master Yan will take good care of himself."

He glanced at Zhao Wuji one last time, then transformed into a streak of black light and disappeared into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Yan Lan watched Gu Xiu's departing figure and snorted coldly: "Pretentious! Does he really think I grew up eating candied hawthorns? Huang Shang is giving me so many chances, there must be something wrong with that."

Zhao Wuji watched Gu Xiu leave, lost in thought.

He had a vague feeling that this ancient general seemed to know a lot about the sword tomb, or rather, Huang Chang knew a great deal about the sword tomb.

"Senior Uncle, what problem have you noticed?"

Zhao Wuji withdrew his gaze and looked at Yan Lan.

Yan Lan put away the Nine Revolutions Primordial Spear, looked down at the spirit ship, and said, "It's a long story. The fierce battle just now has greatly depleted my spiritual energy. I need to recuperate for a while and find a safe place to talk later."

Why did you take control of the Blue Ocean below? Why not just kill it?

"Wouldn't it be a waste to kill a late-stage Nascent Soul expert?"

Zhao Wuji shook his head, flipped his hand, and revealed the Insect King with its back covered in ferocious blood patterns in his palm. He said, "Uncle-Master, are you curious about how I was able to command the White Bone Cave Master to work for me?"

It relies on this Gu curse technique.”

Yan Lan's expression shifted, her eyes widening in astonishment. "You mean, the Bloodline Curse? You've already developed a similar spell?"

"More or less." Zhao Wuji nodded and suddenly made a hand seal.

On the spirit ship below, Lan Canghai suddenly sat up as if by magic, startling the seven surviving disciples around him.

He turned to face his disciples, his voice cold, and said, "From this day forward, my Hai Shan Cave Heaven submits to True Man Zhao."

This horrifying scene immediately silenced the entire audience.

Immediately, all seven disciples were in an uproar, and some were about to voice their opposition.

But in an instant, Lan Canghai made a hand seal and used a spell similar to the Bewitching Heart Curse to control him.

Zhao Wuji observed coldly, inwardly sighing: All the powerful forces in this world are indeed birds of a feather. This is true in the South, and it's also true in the East Sea. He wondered if the Qilin Sword Sect of Beiyun Dizhou was truly as righteous as rumored.

However, Lan Canghai is now in his hands, which is a typical example of the big fish eating the small fish.

"Nephew, what are you doing?"

Yan Lan suddenly covered her red lips, a hint of surprise flashing in her beautiful eyes. She subconsciously pressed her lower abdomen, her expression strange as she said:

"Nephew, your uncle still has your worms inside him, you wouldn't..."

Yan Lan covered her abdomen with her hand, "You wouldn't control your senior uncle like that too, would you?"

Zhao Wuji was taken aback at first, then chuckled and shook his head: "Uncle, you're overthinking it. This mind control technique seems simple, but it's actually extremely mentally taxing. Just cultivating the Gu worms alone requires a lot of resources."

He paused, then said seriously, "Besides, how could this disciple dare to disrespect my senior master?"

"That's pretty much it~"

Yan Lan then smiled, her slender hand gently patting her chest, causing her proud curves to tremble slightly, which made Zhao Wuji quickly look away.

Yan Lan's beautiful eyes turned to Lan Canghai, who had indeed settled down below, and she said happily.

"I still have many questions about the Zhenhai Stele, and now I can ask this old blue dog."

Are there any other powerful individuals within the Sea Mountain Cave Heaven?

Zhao Wuji suddenly asked.

Yan Lan shook her head, a sharp glint in her eyes. "There was an old ghost named Wen who ambushed me when I was breaking through, but I've already killed him."

Currently, the only Concentration Cave Master in the Sea Mountain Grotto Heaven is Lan Canghai.

“Alright, let’s go to Haishan Cave to rest first. This spiritless environment outside is also a problem.”

The two immediately used whatever materials were available to steer a spirit boat and headed to the Sea Mountain Cave with Lan Canghai and the others.

However, less than half an hour later.

Zhao Wuji and Yan Lan have arrived at Haishan Cave.

The cave is filled with misty vapors and surrounded by sacred springs.

However, the concentration of spiritual energy was not very high, which clearly indicated that the spiritual veins were quite depleted.

"Cave Master!"

When the disciples along the way saw Lan Canghai, they all knelt down and bowed in respect.

The two followed Lan Canghai into the main hall, which was closest to the spiritual vein at the core of the cave.

But in a side hall next to the main hall, dozens of emaciated children were sitting cross-legged.

They were arranged in a formation of seven stars surrounding the moon, with a transparent jade tube inserted into the spine of each person. A pale golden spiritual energy flowed through the tubes, continuously flowing into the center of the formation and into the spiritual veins.

The children had empty eyes and skin ashen as paper, yet their expressions were extremely devout. Upon seeing Lan Canghai, they all called out in clear voices, "Greetings, Cave Master!"

"What kind of evil formation is this?" Zhao Wuji frowned and asked.

“Every July, our Haishan Cave Heaven collects ‘celestial children’ from the surrounding sea kingdoms.”

Under Lan Canghai's control, he spoke frankly, "Young boys and girls are born with pure spirituality. Even if they lack spiritual aptitude, using this marrow-extracting and spirit-transforming array to refine their spirituality can delay the depletion of their spiritual veins by three times."

"Bastard!"

Yan Lan slammed her fist on the shoulder. Looking at these girls, she couldn't help but think of her own and Hua Qingshuang's tragic childhood.

With a flick of his sleeve, he shattered the jade tube of the nearest young girl.

Unexpectedly, the moment the jade tube broke, it triggered a chain reaction.

The jade tubes on the backs of all the boys and girls shattered simultaneously, and their bodies immediately withered away, as if their life force had been almost completely drained. Their already emaciated bodies instantly became dried corpses.

Yet, in the innocent eyes of each person, a long-lost sense of clarity and liberation seemed to emerge.

Although Lan Canghai was under control, a hint of madness still flashed in his eyes as he watched the children who were maintaining the spiritual veins and delaying their depletion die: "On the road to immortality, how can one not be stained with blood?"
These children were offered to me by their own families; how can you blame me for being heartless?
"It is truly remarkable that the spiritual veins of my Sea Mountain Grotto have sustained two Nascent Soul cultivators. These children offering themselves as sacrifices for my Great Dao is their good fortune!"

"You old dog!"

Yan Lan's eyes flashed with murderous intent. Although she was ruthless and could do anything, she knew she couldn't bring herself to harm a child.

"I spared your life not so you could keep making noise here."

Zhao Wuji suddenly made a hand seal, and Lan Canghai immediately screamed and rolled on the ground in pain, saying to Yan Lan.

“Uncle Master, if we want to get to the Sword Tomb, we will need this person to clear the way.”

Yan Lan snorted and frowned, "I know that this old dog is now under your control, junior nephew, which is well deserved."

Her phoenix eyes were sharp, and with a flick of her sleeve, she produced a Dharma tablet that radiated spiritual light. The tablet was simple and heavy, engraved with intricate patterns and ancient Xia seal script.

He raised his hand and lifted Lan Canghai up from the ground, saying coldly, "Old dog Lan, now it's time to talk about the Zhenhai Stele."

Lan Canghai stared longingly at the Zhenhai Stele, then looked at Zhao Wuji. After seeing Zhao Wuji nod, he said, "The Zhenhai Stele... is a relic of the Haishan Sect, the predecessor of my Haishan Cave Heaven. It is said that the inscription on the stele is the Nine Tripods inscribed during the time of Yu the Great's flood control."

But for thousands of years, no one has been able to decipher its mystery.

The only purpose of this stele seems to be to suppress the seawater, using the seawater to combine with spiritual energy to condense the essence of the East Sea and slow down the depletion of the spiritual veins..."

"The inscriptions on the Nine Tripods from the time of Yu the Great's flood control? They can slow the depletion of the spiritual veins? No wonder Lan Canghai is relentlessly pursuing me."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wuji's eyes flickered slightly. He stepped forward slowly and gently stroked the surface of the Zhenhai Stele.

At first glance, it was just an ordinary antique, but when his fingertips touched the inscription, the third Yin Pearl in his body trembled slightly, as if there was a resonance!
"Ok?"

Zhao Wuji was startled and quietly probed the inscription with his divine sense, but did not detect any further information.

"This inscription... can actually trigger the Yin Pearl? It seems to be another one of the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Techniques?"

He was secretly delighted, but outwardly remained calm, pretending to ponder, and said, "This stele is indeed extraordinary. I feel that these inscriptions are very intricate. If I can decipher their mysteries, perhaps I can gain something from them."

"I refined this stele in a mere instant, and I don't know if it's because of the Dao inscriptions provided by that old ghost Huang Shang."
"Nephew, if you wish to study it, you can take it and study it before it is given to Huang Shang."

Yan Lan shook her head at Zhao Wuji, then with a flick of her sleeve, she shrunk the Zhenhai Stele and sent it into Zhao Wuji's hand. She then sneered, "Old dog Lan, you've guarded this treasure for so many years, yet you haven't even scratched the surface. What a waste!"

Lan Canghai nodded blankly, offering no rebuttal.

"The Daoist inscription given by Huang Shang?"

Zhao Wuji's gaze was deep, and his fingers gently caressed the inscription, feeling the subtle connection between the Yin Pearl and the inscription.

"Master Uncle, where is that Daoist inscription?"

"show you."

Upon hearing this, Yan Lan flicked her slender hand, and an ancient jade slip gleaming with a dark golden hue flew out of her storage bag.

Zhao Wuji took the jade slip and saw many Daoist characters within it with his divine sense. The Yin Pearl in his sea of ​​consciousness suddenly became restless again.

"This is."

His pupils contracted slightly as his divine sense swept over the Daoist inscriptions flowing across the surface of the jade slip. He saw that the twisted runes were exactly the same as the patterns on the Zhenhai Stele, yet they contained hidden mysteries in the subtle details.

Each stroke ended with a spiderweb-like transparent thread that quietly wrapped around Yan Lan's soul.

"wrong!"

Zhao Wuji suddenly made a hand seal, and the blue light of the Netherworld Technique burst forth from his eyes.

In view, Yan Lan's soul flames were intertwined with the Zhenhai Stele, forming a chain-like structure.

Deeper within the inscription lurked a cloud of dark yellow mist, which slowly grew stronger with each breath she exhaled.

"what happened?"

Before Yan Lan could finish speaking, Zhao Wuji's eyes suddenly flashed with a faint blue light, piercing like a sharp sword.

She felt a shiver run through her body, as if all her cover had been stripped away and she had been seen through completely. She instinctively hugged her arms and cried out in surprise.

"Not good!"

Zhao Wuji frowned and said in a deep voice, "My master's soul has actually established a connection with the Zhenhai Stele."

He made a hand seal with his fingertips, and the Azure Light of the Netherworld Technique shone like silk threads, attempting to sever the soul resonance between the Daoist inscription and the stele inscription.

"what!!"

Yan Lan suddenly screamed, her delicate body trembling violently, and she staggered backward as if struck by lightning.

She felt as if her soul was being entangled in thousands of silken threads and being forcibly pulled out of her body, the pain almost causing her to kneel down.

"Uncle!"

Zhao Wuji quickly withdrew his hand, his face as solemn as iron: "This Dao inscription is bait! When my master uncle refined the Zhenhai Stele with the Dao inscription, his soul was already bound to it. The more he refined it, the deeper the bond became."

His voice suddenly turned cold: "I'm afraid that in the end, my master will refine himself into a weapon spirit!"

"I knew that old devil was up to no good!"

Yan Lan's phoenix eyes flashed with murderous intent, and a fierce look appeared on her pale face.

She endured the pain and looked into her mind, but could not detect anything unusual.

But the excruciating pain I felt just now was definitely not an illusion.

"The reason I haven't returned yet is because I suspect that old monster is up to no good."

She gritted her teeth, "That's why I wanted to enter the Sword Tomb first to acquire some resources and improve my strength, but I didn't expect I had already fallen into a trap."

Zhao Wuji's heart stirred, and he swept his sword finger across the Zhenhai Stele. The Yin energy within the Yin Pearl transformed into fine golden threads that seeped into the inscription.

As the inscription was illuminated inch by inch, nine phantom images of ancient bronze vessels and a vast map suddenly appeared on the stele, disappearing in a flash.

"Hmm?" Zhao Wuji stared at the map that had just flashed by, feeling that its outline was seven parts similar to the Great Wilderness and Nine Provinces, with one area clearly marked with the location of the East Sea.

"The inscription on this Zhenhai Stele actually contains clues about the Nine Tripods of Yu the Great? No wonder Huang Chang coveted it so much."

He gathered the jade slip with his five fingers, turned to look at Yan Lan whose expression was uncertain, and gently comforted her, "Uncle-Master, there's no need to worry. You've only begun to refine this stele. As long as you don't continue, you won't be refined into a spirit."

As he spoke, he lightly stroked the surface of the stele with his fingertips, feeling the profound rhythm within: "Once I decipher the connection between this inscription and the Daoist text, I will surely be able to resolve this calamity for my master!"

Yan Lan's tense expression eased slightly.

She had always trusted this junior apprentice implicitly, and immediately nodded, saying, "Then I'll have to trouble you, junior apprentice."

"Uncle-Master, why are you being so polite with me?" Zhao Wuji shook his head and smiled, putting away the jade slip and the Zhenhai Stele.

Having endured a fierce battle and the strain on her soul, Yan Lan was already exhausted. Hearing this, she seized the opportunity to wink slyly and said, "Then I'll trouble you again, my junior nephew, to give your senior uncle acupuncture treatment to help him recover."

Zhao Wuji was surprised, but then nodded in agreement: "Since you have asked, I will do my best. It just so happens that I also need to ask you about the Sword Tomb."

He looked around and instructed Lan Canghai to provide a quiet place for meditation.

After the two entered the meditation chamber...

Zhao Wuji flipped his palm and took out his family's golden needles. A spiritual light flowed from his fingertips as he said, "Uncle-Master, please relax. I will use acupuncture to help you recover."

Yan Lan leaned lazily against the jade couch in the room, her red dress as fiery as fire. She took off half of her dress, revealing her smooth back, the red dress making her skin look as white as snow.

Her phoenix eyes were slightly closed, but a smile played on her lips: "When did you change your golden needles? Is it because the Nine-Turn Wind Feather Needles that your senior uncle made for you were not good?"

"Don't worry, Uncle Master. I've already refined that set of golden needles into the Blood Fiend Needle Sword, which I plan to use to forge a magic weapon. From now on, I'll use this set of golden needles to save people, and that set of blood needles to kill!"

Zhao Wuji smiled calmly, concentrated and made a hand seal. Twenty-eight golden needles floated up like swimming fish, their tips emitting a faint blue light.

His gaze swept over Yan Lan's meridians, and with a light touch of his fingertip, the golden needles fell like shooting stars, precisely piercing into the major acupoints all over her body.

"Um……"

Yan Lan hummed softly, feeling a warm current flow into her needle tip, nourishing her parched meridians like a spring breeze and gentle rain.

The residual internal injuries and fatigue in her body quickly subsided under the gentle cleansing of this spiritual energy.

Zhao Wuji's divine sense stirred slightly, and he sensed that the flow of spiritual energy within her body was gradually becoming smoother.

He gently twirled the needle's end with his fingertips, using his medical skills to guide the medicine's penetration. He then told Yan Lan about his trip to the East Sea to find the Fungus Demon Island.

Yan Lan narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly and said with her red lips, "An isolated island occupied by fungal demons? Although the East Sea is vast, if there really is such an island, it would have been discovered by cultivators long ago, unless the entire island has been covered by a concealment formation for so many years."

She changed the subject, gave a soft "hmm," and her delicate brows furrowed slightly. Feeling the pressure of the acupuncture needles on her back, she said in a slightly trembling voice, "Speaking of islands, there are many islands within the Sword Tomb."

The islands themselves formed a great array that not only concealed the Sword Tomb but also restricted entry, allowing only those with extremely high swordsmanship to enter.

I hadn't entered the Sword Tomb before because I hadn't yet mastered the technique of transforming sword energy into rainbows. Although I recently mastered it, I was intercepted by Old Dog Lan.

Perhaps if there is a Fungus Demon Island, it should be located within the Sword Tomb.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wuji's eyes flickered slightly, and he pondered, "It seems that I must go to that sword tomb."

Yan Lan raised her red lips slightly, a mischievous glint in her eyes: "Your swordsmanship is so outstanding, even better than your needlework."

It's likely that they will surpass even the true sword cultivators of the Qilin Sword Sect and Penglai Sword Pavilion.

"You'll definitely gain a lot from going to the Sword Tomb, maybe even a divine sword. At the very least, it will accelerate the forging of your own magic sword into a magical treasure."

As she spoke, she twisted her serpentine waist and changed into a comfortable position so that Zhao Wuji could administer acupuncture.

Zhao Wuji pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "Uncle Master, you admire the Sword Tomb so much, could it be that you've been wanting to invite me to explore it with you all along?"

Yan Lan snorted lightly, her red robe fluttering, and said arrogantly, "What? Your senior uncle is taking you to find opportunities, and you're still not happy?"

"If it weren't for the fact that your cultivation has improved so much, your master wouldn't have bothered with you, you slippery little devil."

Zhao Wuji shook his head and chuckled: "That's not it, it's just that the Sword Tomb is dangerous, I think we should make more preparations..."

"Hmph!" Yan Lan interrupted him, her phoenix eyes sharp. "If it weren't for those small fry setting up an ambush, would I have been in such a sorry state? Besides..."

She suddenly stood up and leaned closer, her breath sweet as orchids: "There are many islands within the Sword Tomb, and those old fogies from the Qilin Sword Sect and Penglai Sword Pavilion might even try to stop us. If there really is a fungus demon, it must be deep within the islands. Wouldn't it be perfect if we joined forces?"

Zhao Wuji's ears burned slightly, but he remained calm and composed: "What my senior master says is absolutely right."

"In that case, I will accompany my master on this journey!"

Seeing this, Yan Lan nodded in satisfaction: "That's more like it!"

As the two chatted, Yan Lan's complexion had mostly recovered.

Zhao Wuji immediately stopped the needles and then regulated his breathing.

He then ordered Lan Canghai to send over all the good resources from Haishan Cave Heaven to enhance the strength of the Pot Heaven Space.

As for the two spiritual veins within the Haishan Cave Heaven, one of them is almost exhausted.

Zhao Wuji has no plans to make any moves for the time being.

This Hai Shan Cave Heaven is quite large in scale, and its power is comparable to that of the Linlang Cave Heaven.

But the cruelty of their methods was even greater.

Although Linlang Cave also exploits its gray-robed disciples by mining and farming, it can at most be considered a heartless foreman.

This Sea Mountain Grotto directly used human lives to fill the spiritual veins, borrowing the innate spirituality of young boys and girls to delay the depletion of the spiritual veins, and extensively searched for children in the surrounding sea kingdoms.

This behavior is exactly the same as that of the Linggan King in "Journey to the West" who eats young boys and girls.

Ironically, the King of Inspiration was a goldfish raised in Guanyin's lotus pond.

This sea-mountain grotto is actually a grotto under the jurisdiction of Penglai Sword Pavilion, the leader of the righteous path in the East Sea.

Then, thinking back to the Wang family within the territory of the Qilin Sword Sect in Beiyun Dizhou...
It seems that in this degenerate age, even the so-called righteous sects are only concerned with their own immediate surroundings.

Although Zhao Wuji secretly called himself "Tiannan Laozu".

However, they only engaged in Robin Hood-like activities to help the poor, never bullying the weak, let alone using human lives to fill the spiritual veins.

Lan Canghai respectfully presented five ancient spirit stones, over six hundred source crystals, and many local specialties from the sea.

Zhao Wuji immediately ordered, "Send all these boys home."

As for whether the spiritual veins of Haishan Cave Heaven will be depleted more quickly as a result.
He wasn't worried at all.

Before this spiritual vein completely dries up, he will definitely try his best to move the entire thing into the Pot Heaven Space.

"Since these people don't know how to properly manage spiritual veins..."

Zhao Wuji smiled slightly, "Then I'll take over."

He sensed with a slight movement of his divine sense that Bai Chengshang and Wei Ding had returned empty-handed.

“This Black Fiend Cave Master is quite slippery,” Zhao Wuji shook his head and sneered. “He’s used all his cultivation to escape.”

He immediately gave the order: "No need to pursue any further. You shall return to Tiannan immediately."

After the two men left to carry out their orders, Zhao Wuji waved his sleeve and dismissed Lan Canghai.

He then stepped out of the meditation room, his palm glowing with spiritual light, and the Pot Heaven Space unfolded in the hall like a scroll painting.

"Daoist Xinghe." Zhao Wuji stepped into the space, his eyes flashing with a sharp light. "It's time to ask this old monster about the secrets of the Sword Tomb and the Nine Cauldrons of Yu the Great."

at the same time.

Outside the strait beyond the Sword Tomb in the East China Sea, several sword-themed boats lay quietly anchored.

Sword cultivators from the Qilin Sword Sect and the Penglai Sword Pavilion stood at the bow of the boat, their robes fluttering, their sword aura chilling.

A young sword cultivator from Penglai Sword Pavilion chuckled, his gaze sweeping over the sparse figures of cultivators in the distance. He shook his head and said, "It seems that not many powerful sword cultivators from various places have come this time."

The sword cultivator from the Qilin Sword Sect beside him remained indifferent, his fingertips lightly stroking the hilt of his sword at his waist. He said calmly, "In this age of declining Dharma, those small grotto-heavens outside may not even have complete sword dao inheritances. How could they possibly produce many powerful sword cultivators?"

He slightly raised his gaze to the churning misty sea in the distance, and said in a calm tone: "Even if they come, they are nothing more than those who are not skilled in swordsmanship. They may not even be able to withstand the sword energy outside the Sword Tomb."

Upon hearing this, the young sword cultivator smiled slightly: "Indeed, those who can truly enter the depths of the Sword Tomb are ultimately the orthodox sword cultivators like us."

(End of this chapter)