"But I never expected that she would have the means you left her, to break through the cage and become the first to ascend!" the eerie truth explained.
Yun Fan asked, "What lies beyond the cage that makes you so afraid to break it?"
"Beyond the cage is extremely cruel, and you don't need to know! Of course, for the you of ten thousand years ago, no matter how cruel, it would have been your paradise. But for the you of today, it's best not to know so much!"
At these words, Yun Fan understood what he meant.
Yun Fan then said, "I'll help you break free, and you give me power!"
"No problem!"
The eerie truth chuckled playfully, knowing Yun Fan would agree because he had no other choice.
However, Yun Fan unexpectedly said, "The condition is that you must first give me half of your power. The rest will be given to you after you are free!"
This was Yun Fan's demand.
The eerie truth said, "Rest assured, I am a person of my word!"
In fact, once Yun Fan helped him break free, he planned to kill Yun Fan, as Yun Fan was a dangerous individual.
If Yun Fan were killed, he would be invincible in this world. Even the Sanqing who had dominated ancient times would not be his match.
For he was the eerie truth, and even outside this world, he had a place. However, at this moment, he dared not leave this cage.
Yun Fan said, "You give me what you promised first, or we're done talking!"
The eerie truth was slightly enraged but still said, "Alright, follow me!"
Then, Yun Fan arrived at the place where the eerie truth was imprisoned and discovered that a bone filled with demonic power had firmly embedded the eerie truth within it.
He hadn't expected the eerie truth to be a scroll, which exceeded his expectations. A scroll that had gained sentience and was so powerful.
Its strength was comparable to that of a powerful immortal being.
At this point, the eerie truth fulfilled half of his power to Yun Fan. He wasn't flustered at all, as he could always reclaim this power once he was free.
As expected, at that moment, Yun Fan began to absorb the power he was given. After digesting this eerie power, Yun Fan realized he had reached the peak of the Giant realm.
There was still a gap to the so-called immortal realm, but it wasn't large, at least in terms of cultivation.
In terms of power, he was still far behind the immortals; they were not comparable at all.
After absorbing it, the eerie truth said to Yun Fan, "Demon Ancestor, it's your turn. As long as you can refine your bone, I can break free. This shouldn't be difficult for you!"
Yun Fan said, "It's indeed not difficult!"
"Then let's begin!"
The eerie truth said again, "As long as you help me break free, you will stand among the immortals, at the pinnacle of this world!"
"Alright!"
Yun Fan nodded.
At this moment, Yun Fan began to refine the bone. He had to admit that his devouring power was formidable. Under his refining, the bone constantly dissipated.
Even his own rib bone from ten thousand years ago couldn't withstand the relentless devouring.
The eerie truth clearly felt the seal loosening, and he would soon regain his freedom.
As long as Yun Fan refined it one more step, he would be completely free. However, at that moment, his expression changed drastically.
It wasn't for any other reason than Yun Fan refining his very essence along with the bone. This sight startled him greatly.
"Kid, what do you think you're doing?"
He roared at Yun Fan.
Yun Fan said, "Refining my bone, and your power along with it!"
"You're seeking death!"
He was furious. He had thought the Demon Ancestor's intelligence had declined, that he wasn't as clever as he was ten thousand years ago. He didn't expect to be outmaneuvered by Yun Fan.
"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
Yun Fan said, "Not afraid, because you can't break free at all. Did you think I didn't know you were scheming against me? How laughable!"
"Detestable!"
He roared at Yun Fan, "You're only a Giant, you can't sustain this!"
"Before, I couldn't. But don't forget, I absorbed half of your power. I can now afford to take my time!"
"I won't let you succeed!"
At this moment, the eerie truth began to resist. Those ancient eerie runes landed on Yun Fan. Yun Fan clearly felt his vitality weakening and decay spreading throughout his body.
"Kid, you will die! But I won't!"
The eerie truth was enraged.
Yun Fan sneered, "What a coincidence! I practice the Demonic Path, and I specifically counter your kind of eerie existence. Even if you're just a scroll, it's no exception!"
Hearing this, the eerie truth was greatly startled. He had overlooked this point. Indeed, these runes caused Yun Fan no harm at all.
Instead, they were directly refined by Yun Fan.
The eerie truth was completely furious. He unleashed his most primitive eerie power to attack Yun Fan, but unfortunately, in the face of Yun Fan's counter, he was helpless.
It could be said that if the enemy wasn't Yun Fan, he would have had a hundred, no, ten thousand ways to kill them.
But now, he was utterly helpless, only able to watch as his essence was slowly refined by Yun Fan.
"Since you broke your contract, I curse you with eternal damnation!"
The eerie truth shouted at Yun Fan.
Yun Fan said, "Fine! Eternal damnation it is! Do you think I'm afraid of you!"
He thought this was just the eerie truth's unwilling roar, but the next moment, the curse descended upon him.
"See how terrifying I am! It's not too late to turn back now!"
He taunted Yun Fan.
Yun Fan said, "Dream on!"
The next moment, he used the strongest devouring power within the Demonic Path to refine these curses, and then further devoured the eerie truth.
In his unwillingness, the eerie truth was gradually devoured by Yun Fan.
"Kid, even if you refine me, you won't change the outcome, let alone break free from the cage. The stronger you get, the more the Sanqing will notice you, and they won't let you go!"
However, Yun Fan said, "Coincidentally, I don't intend to let them go either!"
Then, he completely refined the eerie truth.
The eerie truth's power was completely integrated into his body. Instantly, Yun Fan's strength grew continuously.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, he quickly broke through to the immortal realm. After all, with his special physique, he didn't need to undergo tribulation.
Entering this realm was merely a natural progression.
However, he was still a step short. He entered a peculiar realm, poised between Giant and Immortal, becoming a half-step immortal.
This realm was rather awkward, as only he occupied such an awkward position. At least, he had never heard of anyone else being in this realm.
Compared to the Giant realm, it was much stronger, but slightly inferior to the Immortal realm, making it incredibly awkward.
He hadn't expected that his breakthrough would require so much power. Even after refining the eerie truth, he was still a step short.
This was quite problematic.
At this point, Yun Fan had no choice but to return, estimating that he would need the power of another immortal to break through.
He had to admit, as his strength grew, so did his appetite. No wonder the Demonic Path was the most powerful existence in this world.
The power it required was far greater than that of ordinary people, so being the strongest in the same realm was not excessive at all.
Of course, it wasn't unreasonable.
At this moment, Yun Fan planned to return to the Heavenly Demon Hall and find another way. However, he was unaware that the Heavenly Demon Hall was currently facing an unprecedented catastrophe.
The instigators of this catastrophe were the Emperor and Pangu. After the chaos of heaven and earth, the Emperor emerged first, followed by Pangu.
In comparison, he was slightly stronger than the Emperor, as his vitality was not as depleted. Of course, in terms of sheer power, he was much stronger than the Emperor.
After all, he was the senior disciple. Not only was he stronger than the Emperor, but he was also on par with Nuwa at her peak.
Of course, he was also Yun Fan's love rival and mortal enemy, but Nuwa had never loved him.
Now, he and the Emperor had arrived together, each seeking their own gain. Pangu wanted Nuwa, while the Emperor sought revenge.
Of course, they both had a common goal: to kill Yun Fan.
They knew that Yun Fan had long been their mortal enemy. Taking advantage of Yun Fan still being a Giant, they could kill him.
Because Yun Fan's Demonic Physique was too heaven-defying, even they were astonished. In this latter age of spiritual decline, coupled with the chaos of heaven and earth, Yun Fan could still rise.
How monstrous was that! If Yun Fan were not killed and allowed to ascend to the Immortal realm, they would be the ones to die.
Nuwa sensed their arrival and leaped up to meet them.
They were fellow disciples, but at this moment, there was no joy of reunion, only a palpable tension.
"Junior Sister! We meet again!"
Pangu smiled at Nuwa, his affection evident in his eyes. Even though Nuwa already belonged to Yun Fan, he still loved her to the core.
Nuwa said, "Senior Brother, I don't wish to see you!"
"Junior Sister, have you truly never liked me? What the Demon Ancestor is willing to do for you, I am also willing to do, and even more so for what he is not willing to do. Can this not earn your true heart?"
Pangu's tone was filled with disappointment.
Nuwa said, "Senior Brother, before, we only had sibling affection between us, nothing more. As for now, we are enemies because you want to kill Yun Fan!"
"Hahahaha!"
Pangu let out a hearty laugh. "I never expected that my ten thousand years of waiting would ultimately be in vain. I don't seek immortality, only to be with you. I never imagined that all I would receive in return is such a cruel truth!"
"So be it! Since I cannot have you, I will destroy you, and the Demon Ancestor will not have you either!"
A murderous intent flashed in Pangu's eyes, and he looked at Nuwa no longer with gentle affection, but with unmasked slaughter.
Emperor sneered, "Senior Brother, this is the way! We are men of great ambition, how can we be held back by a woman? Moreover, his trial of love has passed, which proves she belongs to Yun Fan. She is not worthy of your love!"
"Attack together, I will destroy her!"
Pangu declared.
"Good!"
At this moment, the three of them engaged in a fierce battle, wielding deadly blows, utterly disregarding their past camaraderie.
At this moment, each of them wanted to kill the other.
Unfortunately, Nuwa had not yet recovered to her peak. Facing two opponents, she had no chance of victory, especially with both of them fighting with deadly intent.
Therefore, at this moment, she was no match and could only defend passively.
The trio of Giants, along with the newly ascended Nine Heavens Xuannü, also joined the fray.
However, in the face of Immortal powerhouses, even with a numerical advantage, the Giant powerhouses could not win. At best, they could only delay the two Immortal beings.
Fighting against Immortal beings, the Giant powerhouses had to be extremely cautious; a single misstep could lead to instant death.
This was the disparity.
"A few ants dare to stop this Emperor? Who gave you the courage?"
Emperor sneered, sending the Water God flying with a palm strike and then stepping on the Fire God.
Even though Nine Heavens Xuannü and Athena had arrived to help, they were powerless against such an overwhelming disparity.
It wasn't that their talent was too weak; in fact, any one of the four could have broken through to Immortality.
Of course, this would have been in normal times. In this era of spiritual decline, they were helpless. The divine power had already shattered.
Except for a freak like Yun Fan, it was impossible for anyone else to break through to Immortality.
The four remained silent, determined to inflict heavy damage on the Emperor even if it cost them their lives.
As for Nuwa, she was locked in combat with Pangu.
Pangu said, "Junior Sister, give up! In this era, you are no longer at your peak, and you are no match for me!"
"The Demon Ancestor doesn't truly love you, otherwise, he would have come to your aid at this moment, instead of hiding like a coward!"
Nuwa said, "He has merely gone out. When he returns, it will be your demise!"
"You're overthinking it. After I deal with you, I'll personally go and kill him!"
This was Pangu's objective.
Nuwa said coldly, "You will not succeed!"
"Hahahaha!"
Pangu laughed, "You're panicking. While it pains me, I can't help but laugh. For in the end, you cannot protect him!"
Nuwa said, "Even if it means sacrificing my life, I will drag you down with me!"
At these words, Pangu, whose jealousy was already strong, nearly collapsed. He hadn't expected Nuwa to be willing to sacrifice her life for Yun Fan.
He hadn't imagined that after being a sycophant his entire life, he would still lose to Yun Fan.
He roared in frustration, "Why? Why can't I win your heart even when I'm willing to lay down my life, yet you're willing to die for him?"
Nuwa said, "You are not truly willing to lay down your life!"
"No, I am!"
Pangu said, "Can you not see the sincerity of my feelings for you?"
"You are mistaken!"
Nuwa said, "Think back ten thousand years ago, when I was killed by our master, why didn't you speak a single word for me? Let alone risk your life, you didn't even dare to help me. Do you still claim you were willing to avenge me?"
This question deeply struck Pangu's heart. It was true that ten thousand years ago, he had witnessed their master kill his junior sister.
But he had remained indifferent. It wasn't that he didn't want to help Nuwa, but under their master's awe-inspiring authority, he simply didn't dare.
Now, with this old matter brought up, his heart ached. If he were given another choice, he would have undoubtedly chosen differently.
"I apologize, Junior Sister!"
Pangu asked, "If I had pleaded for you back then, or even offered to die in your place, would you have liked me?"
Nuwa shook her head, "What has passed cannot be redone, nor can it be undone. What is gone is gone!"
"Very well, I have the answer I seek. Junior Sister, you may now rest in peace!"
At this moment, Pangu attacked Nuwa with immense speed, unleashing power that surpassed his peak. He wanted the answer that even if he had acted back then, Nuwa still wouldn't have loved him.
Because Nuwa only loved one person, and that person was Yun Fan.
At this moment, Nuwa was being pushed back, while the four Giants were in an even more miserable state, covered in blood.
The disparity was such that sheer numbers could not overcome it.
Just as Pangu and Emperor believed victory was within their grasp, they found that the laws of heaven and earth were becoming even more chaotic.
They were suffering backlash, weakening them further.
"No!"
They roared in frustration. Nuwa and her companions were unaffected by the backlash because they had stayed in the Heavenly Demon Hall for so long, their demonic energy isolating them.
"Don't rush. Once we kill them, our lost divine power will be replenished, and we might even regain our peak!"
Pangu comforted Emperor.
Emperor nodded, "It seems that's the only way. Senior Brother, let's finish this quickly, otherwise, the backlash from the forces of heaven and earth will cost us half our lives!"
"Agreed!"
The two looked ahead with a playful glint in their eyes.
Nuwa's face was pale, and she was completely listless, as her Five-Colored Spirit Stone's divine power was almost depleted.
Once it ran out, her already weakened state would make her no match for Pangu.
As for the quartet, their situation was even more dire.
Especially the Fire God and Water God; another fatal blow would certainly kill them.
Giants were still Giants. Facing Immortals, to have come this far was a testament to their utmost effort and meticulousness.
On the brink of despair, Yun Fan returned.
Upon seeing Yun Fan's return, Nuwa quickly said, "Husband, hurry and leave! They want to kill you!"
"Master, don't worry about us!"
The Fire God urged.
But at this moment, Yun Fan's face was filled only with rage, nothing else. These two Immortals were truly too overbearing.
If he had returned even a moment later, their lives might have been forfeit.
Therefore, at this moment, he disregarded their pleas and stepped before the two Immortals.
"Demon Ancestor, I thought you would be a coward, but you have finally appeared. It's good, so we can capture you all at once!"
The wounded Pangu sneered at Yun Fan.
Emperor also said, "Even if you appear, it won't change the outcome!"
Yun Fan said, "You two, you wanted to kill me, didn't you? They have already paid too much for me. From now on, I will face you!"
"Did I hear you correctly? You intend to face us both alone?"
Emperor mocked, "Can you even withstand one move?"
To them, Yun Fan's action was utterly ridiculous.
Yun Fan said, "You heard correctly. The grievances from ten thousand years ago will be settled today. You wait for me, and I will settle our grievances afterward!"
"Senior Brother, what do you think?"
Emperor asked Pangu.
Pangu said, "Agreed. Let's wait for him to finish his affairs. After all, they are all our prey, and there's no hurry for this moment!"
"Good!"
Emperor nodded. They both wanted to kill Yun Fan with their own hands, so at this moment, they were eager to see how their prey would struggle before its death.
If they looked back to ten thousand years ago, they would never have dared to be so presumptuous. It was precisely because they had been too insidious back then that they now wished to slowly torture Yun Fan to death.
At this moment, Yun Fan approached them.
"Husband, you cannot fight them. Hurry and leave! If you wait a few hundred more years, you can counter-kill them!"
Nuwa said, "Even if it means sacrificing my life, I will severely injure them to create time for you!"
"Exactly! Even if it means self-destruction, we will buy you time!"
The Giants also stated resolutely.
To be honest, Yun Fan was deeply moved at this moment. Along the way, although he had advanced rapidly, he had always had countless supporters.
It was precisely because of these selfless supporters that he had come this far. The world said he fought alone,
but only Yun Fan knew that he was never truly alone.
At this moment, Yun Fan said, "Don't worry, you just focus on recovering. Don't worry about me. I have found the eerie truth and broken through to half-step Immortal. While I may not be able to defeat them, I can certainly protect myself!"
Hearing this, their eyes were filled with sadness.
"No, what if you fail?"
Nuwa refused Yun Fan's suggestion.
The others also disagreed. They would rather die themselves than let Yun Fan be in danger.
Yun Fan continued to comfort them, "It's alright, I won't die! You should believe me, because I am the Demon Ancestor!"
"Demon Ancestor!"
Their eyes flickered. Yes, at this moment, they should trust Yun Fan to create a miracle, because the name Demon Ancestor had once been their faith.
And it still was.
Before they could agree, Yun Fan strode forward.
Although Yun Fan knew that with his half-step Immortal strength, he might not be able to change the outcome, at this moment, he had no choice but to go forward resolutely.
This path had been incredibly difficult, but he knew this was definitely not the final ending.
One day, he would break free from this cage, and all who obstructed him would perish.
"Two, do you dare to come to the barren lands for a battle?"
Yun Fan asked.
At these words, the two sneered, "Demon Ancestor, we already guessed your intentions. Are you afraid of destroying this place? There's no need for such trouble. After we kill you, this place will be destroyed anyway!"
"It doesn't matter. Since you enjoy struggling, we'll let you struggle a bit longer!"
Then, the two followed Yun Fan to the barren lands.
The barren lands of the Divine Realm were extremely desolate, about ten thousand miles away from the Heavenly Demon Hall. Seeing that he would not affect the Heavenly Demon Hall, Yun Fan said, "Alright, let's fight here! Gentlemen, how do you like the burial ground I've chosen for you?"
"Ridiculous! Do you think you're still the Demon Ancestor of ten thousand years ago? Now, you are merely an ant we can crush at will!"
Pangu said, "Attack!"
Then, the two attacked Yun Fan without hesitation.
At this moment, they only wanted to defeat Yun Fan quickly and then torture him to death slowly.
Emperor attacked first, unleashing a punch.
"Bang!"
Instantly, the barren lands trembled. Emperor's expression changed. He had thought a single punch would cripple Yun Fan.
However, to his surprise, that punch only managed to match Yun Fan's strength.
"What's going on?"
Pangu also noticed something amiss. Yun Fan seemed to have become much stronger than before, and not by a small margin.
But looking at Yun Fan's cultivation realm, he clearly wasn't an Immortal. How had he achieved this?
Yun Fan said, "Gentlemen, did you really think I was a soft persimmon to be squeezed at will?"
"Why is this happening?"
The two looked at Yun Fan in confusion.
Yun Fan said, "Have you ever heard of half-step Immortal?"
"What?"
The two were surprised that Yun Fan had broken through to half-step Immortal, but they had never heard of such a realm.
"Hmph! A mere trick!"
The two didn't take it seriously.
At this moment, Pangu joined the fray. The two combined their power, unleashing an attack that leveled ten thousand mountains in the barren lands.
Yun Fan was at a disadvantage in this move.
But the two couldn't be happy, as they discovered that Yun Fan possessed the strength to fight them individually. This was already very dangerous.
If they hadn't come together this time, and Yun Fan had fought them one-on-one, who knew what would have happened.
"We underestimated you. Unexpectedly, we almost succeeded in a surprise attack!"
Pangu said, "But your path ends here!"
Yun Fan said, "Gentlemen, it is your era that should end!"
Then, he ferociously charged at the two. The battle between the three caused devastating chaos.
Yun Fan was fortunate that he had moved ten thousand miles away from the Heavenly Demon Hall, otherwise, this battle would have turned the Heavenly Demon Hall into dust.
Half-step Immortal was indeed very powerful. He didn't know if he could fight an Immortal before, but now he knew that combined with his Demonic Path power, his strength was no less than Emperor's, although still slightly inferior to a peak Pangu.
But the current Pangu was not at his peak.
"Die!"
The next moment, Yun Fan charged directly at Emperor, focusing his attention on him.
Because he knew that to win, one of them had to be dealt with first, and clearly, Emperor was the weaker one.
"Senior Brother, help me!"
Emperor was startled by Yun Fan's ferocity. He hadn't expected Yun Fan to abandon everything and attack him directly.
Pangu naturally wouldn't let Yun Fan have his way and constantly attacked Yun Fan.
At this moment, Yun Fan felt intense pain, but he knew he had no choice.
After dozens of exchanges, he finally found an opening and pierced Emperor's head with a single blow.
Before Emperor could even let out a cry, his head was pierced by Yun Fan's punch.
But Yun Fan didn't let his guard down, because he knew that as long as the soul was not extinguished, it wouldn't be fatal for Emperor.
Therefore, he relentlessly focused his attacks on Emperor's soul.
Emperor was terrified. He hadn't expected Yun Fan to be so desperate.
He was so focused on killing him that he disregarded his own fatal injuries. It was impossible for him not to break down.
"Demon Ancestor, you forced my hand!"
Finally, Emperor chose to burn his soul, intending to annihilate Yun Fan. However, Yun Fan had already attached his devouring power to Emperor's soul.
And then began to devour his soul!
"Ah!"
Emperor let out a scream of agony, the pain of his soul burning vividly displayed.
"Even if I die, I will kill you!"
Emperor was enraged. The reason he had been so brutally beaten earlier was his lack of desperation.
But now, Yun Fan's actions had completely infuriated him, so no matter what, he would annihilate Yun Fan.
When he fought with all his might, Yun Fan suffered severe injuries on both sides, finally kneeling on the ground, appearing to be at the end of his rope.
At this moment, Pangu sneered at Yun Fan, "Demon Ancestor, I must say, you are very intelligent. But unfortunately, Immortality is not something you can fathom. As long as you are not Immortal, you can never kill an Immortal!"
Emperor, with only half his life remaining, was still angry. Earlier, Pangu had not tried his best to save him, clearly indicating that Pangu had also plotted against him.
However, he was in his weakest state and did not expose it. He vowed that once he recovered to his peak, he would settle scores with Pangu.
However, Yun Fan had already seen through his little scheme.
Thus, Yun Fan, enduring the intense pain, said to Emperor, "Emperor, do you still want to fight me?"
"Of course, I will not let you go!"
Emperor gritted his teeth, looking at Yun Fan. Not only had his subordinates, True Martial God and Dragon God, been wiped out by Yun Fan,
but he himself had almost met the same fate. Therefore, his hatred for Yun Fan was beyond measure at this moment.
Yun Fan said, "Aren't you afraid that after you two join forces and kill me, Pangu will then attack the weakened you? Don't forget, even if you kill me, you will have very little fighting strength left!"
At these words, Emperor was startled. Indeed, he had not considered such a serious issue.
Although they were fellow disciples, in private, each wanted to be the boss of the Divine Realm and stab the other in the back.
If Pangu were to attack him after killing Yun Fan, he would likely suffer an even worse fate.
After all, he only had half his life left.
At this moment, Pangu said to him, "Junior Brother, don't be swayed by this kid's words. We are fellow disciples, how could I possibly attack you?"
"Then why didn't you try your best to help me earlier?"
Emperor's tone was somewhat hostile. He had definitely felt earlier that Pangu didn't want to save him, seemingly wishing for him to perish with Yun Fan.
At this moment, Pangu was somewhat displeased, "Junior Brother, if I hadn't intercepted him for you, do you think you would still be alive now?"
Emperor was filled with indignation. Earlier, half his life had been devoured by Yun Fan's devouring power, allowing him to barely survive.
Originally, Pangu could have prevented all this, but he hadn't, and a rift had formed between them.
At this moment, Emperor said outwardly, "How could I not trust Senior Brother? I was merely venting my frustration from being tormented by him!"
Pangu breathed a sigh of relief and then said to Emperor, "Junior Brother, he's finished. You can deal with him and vent your anger! As for restoring your soul, it's not difficult. Leave those prey to you, as my compensation!"
Emperor said, "Alright, Senior Brother, you said it yourself!"
"Of course, as you know, I, your Senior Brother, have always been a man of my word!"
At this moment, Emperor walked towards Yun Fan, a mocking smile on his face, "Kid, so what if you manipulated my Senior Brothers? You still cannot escape death!"
"Once you die, I will not only kill the ants you've beaten in the Divine Realm, but I will also kill the ants in the mortal realm!"
He looked at Yun Fan playfully.
For Immortal powerhouses, although they could not travel to the mortal realm due to the constraints of heavenly laws, destroying the mortal realm was simple.
They could simply divert the chaotic heavenly laws towards the mortal realm, and the mortal realm would be doomed.
This was because the mortal realm had no power to resist the laws of heaven and earth.
His words reminded Yun Fan. Yun Fan had previously considered how to protect the mortal realm. Now, he made a bold decision in his heart: to sever the connection between the mortal realm and the Divine Realm. Once he repaired the laws of heaven and earth, he could reopen the gate to the mortal realm.
At this moment, the arrogant Emperor charged forward, intending to finish him off. However, Yun Fan remained calm, as all his preparations were for this very moment.