Chapter 286: Divine Position? (A Merged Chapter!)

Inside the manor, the lights were dim, and many areas were plunged into darkness.

"Anran, we..." Wang Bing's face showed a look of hesitation; her body snuggled against Zhuge Anran, pressing tightly against him, her face filled with hesitation.

Wang Bing was Zhuge Anran's girlfriend, and for the sake of this girlfriend, Zhuge Anran had even refused the arranged marriage within his family.

Toward Wang Bing, Zhuge Anran could be considered to have done his utmost.

Sometimes, when Wang Bing participated in a mission for the Qijiao Building, he would choose to follow along for no other reason.

The reason was simply to be able to look after Wang Bing.

"Anran, this mission..." Wang Bing was no fool, "That sheep, it might just be the monster... what... what should we do?"

In the manor, the humans and other livestock were all dead.

Only that sheep was still alive.

It was very likely that the sheep was the monster.

The missions of the Qijiao Building all had a method of resolution, while simultaneously being intertwined with terror and slaughter.

At this moment, since they knew the monster was a sheep, completing the mission would not be so easy.

It was possible that while executing the plan, they would be killed by that terrifying monster.

However, finding the method to resolve it at least offered a glimmer of survival.

Zhuge Anran frowned, and when he looked at Wang Bing, his gaze became gentle: "Let us continue to search for a while, learn more clues, and then consider other things..."

On the other side, the lecherous man wore an insidious smile: "Tang Qiang, should we put those two newcomers into the sheep pen and lure the monster back?"

Tang Qiang and Ganglie were already veterans.

The method to resolve this mission was actually easy to find.

The difficulty lay in the strength of the monster.

Tang Qiang pondered for a moment, a fierce look appearing on his face: "The longer we stay here, the more accidents there might be.

Just put... those two into the sheep pen!"

The lecherous man squinted his eyes: "Don't blame me; if you want to blame someone, blame this Qijiao Building for giving us such a mission."

Zhuge Anran was quite famous in the Qijiao Building and surely had many items on him.

If the two of them attacked Zhuge Anran, the probability of success would be extremely low.

Dealing with two newcomers, however, had a ninety-nine percent chance of success.

Moreover, having experienced so many missions, they had long since grown accustomed to life and death; they felt no psychological burden about attacking their companions.

Furthermore, if it meant staying alive, Tang Qiang could even sell out Ganglie right now.

"Let's go, let's go meet those two newcomers." Tang Qiang grinned.

He had obtained a magical potion in the Qijiao Building, and his strength and stamina had been greatly enhanced.

Suddenly using a Spear to attack the two newcomers, those two newcomers would have absolutely no ability to resist.

Tang Qiang and the lecherous man, holding their Spears, vanished into the darkness.

What they did not know was that behind them, a pitch-black figure was following, its eyes emitting a faint glow.

Time passed quickly.

Lin Chao took a book from the shelf and read it earnestly.

Zhao Ting stood to the side, her gaze flickering, looking left and right.

"The Great Cataclysm occurred, and the world underwent terrifying changes?

The Great Migration began?"

Looking at the content recorded in the book, Lin Chao was almost certain that this was the place where the Foreign Lands once existed.

Mutations occurred here, so those people of the Foreign Lands began to migrate, delusional about obtaining a new place to live.

Later, Saint Emperor Yusu used a Supreme Treasure to cause a great change in the heavens and earth, the Qi-Blood Martial Dao disappeared, and the Old Blood Clan gradually perished.

However, later on, the New Blood Clan slowly appeared.

"Let's go, it is time to complete the mission."

Lin Chao had already seen everything useful in the entire manor; there was no need to waste any more time here.

"Okay." Zhao Ting followed behind Lin Chao, not daring to leave at all.

In this small town, her only reliance was Lin Chao.

Walking out of the room, a trace of a smile appeared in Lin Chao's eyes: "Let's go, we are heading northeast."

He wanted to see exactly why the gods had cast their gaze upon this world and were using these people to carry out these missions.

Inside the manor, many places were plunged into darkness.

Walking in such an environment, even without a monster, Zhao Ting would still feel afraid in her heart.

"Mr. Xu Ling, how are we going to bring the sheep... the monster back to the sheep pen?" Zhao Ting asked, following closely behind Lin Chao.

The sheep was a monster, and so many mercenaries had already died.

If they just walked over there so brazenly, wouldn't that be courting death?

"Just go directly." Lin Chao's gaze was calm.

"Ah?" Zhao Ting was slightly stunned and did not quite understand, but she still followed Lin Chao.

If she were left alone here, she certainly would not be willing.

With two people, at least there was a sense of security, right?

Suddenly, a smile appeared on the corner of Lin Chao's mouth: "The sheep is coming."

"What?" Zhao Ting immediately looked around, her heart filled with extreme fear.

And at this moment, a scream rang out.

"Ah, don't... come over here!"

Bang, bang, bang!

Screams accompanied the sound of the Spear, piercing the silence of the night.

The lecherous man had a look of terror on his face.

A pitch-black figure was crawling on top of him.

He fired his Spear wildly, hitting the black shadow, but it could not break through its defense at all.

Tang Qiang felt terrified inside; he looked over and immediately met a pair of deep, dark eyes.

In those eyes, there was still a playful smile.

It was a black goat, its gaze human-like, as if it possessed emotional depth.

Tang Qiang was panicked and kept firing the Spear.

However, the bullets bursting from the muzzle hit the black goat without causing any damage at all.

The black goat opened its mouth, revealing pitch-black teeth, a dense row of them, triangular in shape.

It was chewing on the flesh and blood of the lecherous man.

The lecherous man's body could not move at all; he could only feel a bone-chilling pain.

"Tang Qiang, save me." The lecherous man cried out; the next instant, his eyeball was crushed by the teeth, the lens shattered, and his face was covered in liquid and blood.

"Ah!"

Seeing this scene, Tang Qiang dared not stay any longer and hurriedly fled.

His physical strength was good, and his speed was very fast.

After running only a few dozen meters, Tang Qiang saw two familiar figures.

Thinking of something, he hurriedly said: "Ganglie found a goat over there, but he encountered some danger, and he and I couldn't handle it.

You two go help Ganglie quickly, I'll go find Zhuge Anran; he has a way to bring the goat back to the sheepfold."

Zhao Ting blinked, looking slightly stunned.

A playful smile also appeared in Lin Chao's eyes.

"Really?"

For some reason, seeing Xu Ling's smile, Tang Qiang felt a bit apprehensive.

"Hurry over there, don't you want to complete the mission?" Tang Qiang cursed loudly, ignoring them and continuing to run forward, looking as if he were in a great hurry.

Only... he hadn't run far.

With a thud, Tang Qiang fell to the ground.

He fell and did not get up; his body was like a corpse, without any movement.

"Huh?" Zhao Ting was a bit confused, "What happened to him?"

"Probably dead," Lin Chao said softly.

Those who dared to scheme against him had not lived to this day.

"Let's go, let's go see that monster," Lin Chao said softly.

Zhao Ting was extremely terrified, but at this moment, she could only bite the bullet and follow.

Before they even got close, miserable screams reached them; Zhao Ting was even more afraid, and the thought of wanting to run away even arose in her heart.

"Do we... really have to go see?" Zhao Ting's gums trembled, filled with immense fear.

Lin Chao glanced at Zhao Ting: "If you are afraid and don't want to go, you can wait here."

Zhao Ting hurriedly shook her head.

Now, letting her leave Xu Ling to stay here alone—how could she dare?

"I'll go with you." Only by Xu Ling's side did she feel safe.

The closer they got, the louder the screams became.

Zhao Ting felt increasingly apprehensive, but she looked at Lin Chao's back and still gritted her teeth to follow.

"That is..." Zhao Ting's heart was in her throat.

They saw ahead, under the dim streetlights, a pitch-black figure, its shadow stretched long under the light.

A pitch-black creature resembling a black goat, with two horns on its head, as if it had come from hell.

At this time, it was lying on the lecherous man, chewing on a large intestine in its mouth; inside the intestine, one could seemingly still see the food residue the lecherous man had eaten this evening.

This scene was extremely terrifying.

The black goat seemed to have seen the arrival of the two, raised its head, and a glimmer of spirit appeared in its eyes.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Ting was terrified.

If Xu Ling were not by her side, she would have turned and run right now.

Of course, whether she could escape was another matter.

"Xu Ling, it seems we've been discovered." Zhao Ting swallowed her saliva.

Nausea, revulsion, fear... all sorts of emotions surged up.

"Hmm." Lin Chao looked at the black goat, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.

"It is not the Immortal Dao system, nor is it the Supernatural system."

This black goat was different from any system he had ever seen.

The energy within its body was also exceptionally strange.

He looked at the black goat, and the black goat was also looking at him.

At this moment, a strange light suddenly flashed in the black goat's eyes.

Suddenly, a figure moved rapidly toward Lin Chao.

This kind of speed was completely invisible to the eyes of an Ordinary person.

However, in the eyes of Lin Chao, it was strangely slow.

Bang!

Lin Chao extended his fist, and a rich Innate Power permeated the air.

To him, Slaying the black goat was merely a small trick, counting for nothing at all.

Suddenly, one could see a black goat lying on the ground.

At this moment, the black goat's head was already shattered, with blood plasma streaming out.

Zhao Ting, standing to the side, only just reacted now.

That terrifying monster, it actually died?

Just like that, it died?

Died at the hands of Xu Ling?

She was bewildered, finding it inconceivable.

After all, that black goat was an existence capable of killing a group of mercenaries.

Those mercenaries' Spears could not even wound it, yet Xu Ling killed him with a single punch.

This Xu Ling, is he a superman?

"You..." Zhao Ting swallowed her saliva, wanting to speak.

But at this moment, Lin Chao, who was beside her, suddenly spoke: "Since you have arrived, Excellency, why hide here?"

Ahead, the dim yellow light suddenly flickered with a crackle and began to malfunction.

The space seemed to be fluctuating, and in the space before them, some blood-colored curtains seemed to appear.

Countless overlapping and correcting shadows appeared, as if two worlds were merging.

A humanoid figure appeared abruptly.

He was a man.

He had exquisite features, wore pitch-black armor, and held a long Spear in his hand.

What was most eye-catching was that blood-red wings grew from his back.

He seemed to be a knight from the Abyss.

His body was very tall, reaching a full six meters in height.

He looked like a giant, looking down at Lin Chao.

"The goat I had been searching for, was killed by you?" the black-armored knight spoke, his voice carrying endless majesty and fury.

"Yes." Lin Chao answered truthfully, observing this man.

This man gave him a feeling that was strikingly similar to the Blood Clan.

However, relatively speaking, the aura within his body was far more powerful than that of the Blood Clan.

Lin Chao estimated that the black-armored knight before him was likely comparable to a Seventh-Order Transcendent.

"The goat I searched for for three hundred years, killed by you, damn you!"

Red Fire permeated the black-armored knight's body, and a terrifying aura spread out.

Zhao Ting was so frightened she dared not move.

Where had she ever seen such a scene?

In her eyes, this black-armored knight was like a demon.

Such a large person, taller even than a small building.

With one punch, a person would likely be turned into meat paste.

She looked at Lin Chao, wanting to seek Lin Chao's opinion and ask how to resolve this.

However, Lin Chao had no reaction at all, remaining as calm as ever.

"Invader, it is your honor to die at the hands of me, Ye Xue!"

The black-armored knight held his Spear and charged toward Lin Chao.

One could see a pitch-black black hole forming upon the Spear.

Wherever the black hole went, all space began to collapse on a small scale.

This was a terrifying secret technique.

Even space would collapse on a small scale; what would be the result if it landed on a person's body?

Beside him, Zhao Ting saw this scene and could not understand it at all.

All of this was beyond her perception.

"A very interesting secret technique." Lin Chao was slightly surprised.

Among the Seventh-Order Transcendents of the Qiyuan World, and even among those immortal arts of Jiuzhou, this was the first time he had seen such an exquisite secret technique.

"Relying on such a secret technique, you might rank highly among those of the same tier, but unfortunately..."

The current Lin Chao walked the path of breaking ten thousand techniques with a single force.

His strength was far greater than that of the black-armored knight.

Not to mention the tempering of combat skills from blocking dozens of True Immortals and fighting for three thousand years.

To deal with the black-armored knight, he only needed one punch; he would not use any weapon.

"Let me see what your blood actually looks like."

Lin Chao threw a punch.

The space solidified, and everything stopped.

Within the black-armored knight's field of vision, he could only see that terrifying punch.

A look of horror appeared in his eyes; he wanted to dodge, but the punch was too fast, and he could not react at all.

Crack!

Before the fist even landed on the black-armored knight, a surging, immense force was already erupting within his internal organs.

This punch not only destroyed his body, but also destroyed his Divine Soul.

The black armor on his body began to shatter continuously at this moment.

"Ah!"

The black-armored knight let out a scream, and as he looked at Lin Chao, a look of terror appeared in his eyes.

"Azure Army?"

Boom!

The black-armored knight exploded, his body turning into fragments.

It was as if he had never appeared at all.

Lin Chao waved his hand, and a Blood Bead fell into his palm.

This Blood Bead was formed by the death of the black-armored knight.

"Huh, this Blood Bead is very different from those of the Blood Clan; it seems to contain... traces of a God Position?"

On this Blood Bead, Lin Chao had surprisingly discovered traces somewhat similar to a God Position.

"Could it be that..."

Suddenly, he understood why the gods would fix their gaze upon this world.

This world might very well have many powerhouses similar to this black-armored knight.

Inside their bodies, there were things similar to a God Position.

To them, these things were all great supplements.

Therefore, these gods used things like the Qijiao Building to make these humans complete tasks and obtain things similar to a God Position.

"However, where exactly did this black-armored knight come from?"

Lin Chao examined the place where the black-armored knight had appeared before him.

Yet, the black-armored knight was like someone who had walked out of a television.

He had been born out of thin air.

For some reason, this reminded Lin Chao of the concept of an Outer World and an Inner World.

"Could it be that the Blood Clan and these black-armored knights all came from the Inner World?"

Lin Chao pondered.

Beside him, Zhao Ting stood blankly; even now, she had not yet reacted to the scene before her.

She hadn't even realized what had happened before she saw that massive giant instantly shatter and seemingly... die.

"Carry the sheep; we have completed the task," Lin Chao said softly.

"Okay..." Zhao Ting finally reacted.

She looked at the sheep's carcass on the ground, where brain matter and cerebral fluid were flowing everywhere.

She felt like vomiting, but she suppressed her nausea and dragged the sheep away.

Not long after, the two arrived at the sheep pen.

"Throw it in," Lin Chao said softly.

"Okay." Zhao Ting hurriedly threw the sheep in.

Immediately, a voice rang out in their ears.

"Task completed."

"Obtained one chance for a lucky draw."

"Would you like to draw?"

Lin Chao did not pay attention to these; his gaze remained fixed on the manor.

Sure enough, he saw a thin layer of mist in the manor disappear, as if it had been absorbed by something.

That thing was very faint, somewhat similar to a God Position, but compared to the thing Lin Chao had snatched from the black-armored knight, it was not even one ten-thousandth as potent.

It seemed the task was complete.

This Qijiao Building would also obtain some benefits.

It was just that... a flash of coldness crossed Lin Chao's eyes.

"This task... if not for me, it would have been impossible to succeed."

"Qijiao, even if you are dormant, are you still subconsciously plotting against me?"

Clearly, this was Qijiao wanting to use the black-armored knight to eliminate him, an intruder who had suddenly broken in.

A trace of a smile flashed in Lin Chao's eyes.

When he returned, he would give that Qijiao Building a piece of his mind.

Beside him, Zhao Ting had a look of surprise in her eyes.

Having this prompt meant the task was a success.

She felt a sense of having survived a disaster.

"Thank you, Mr. Xu Ling." She was truly grateful to Xu Ling, and there was even a trace of fear mixed in.

She didn't know how strong that terrifying man was, but he was definitely terrifying.

After all, in terms of size alone, he was as tall as a building.

Yet, in Mr. Xu Ling's hands, he had died so... simply?

"Let's go, let's head back." Once the task was complete, they could return to the Building.

"Okay... are we not waiting for Zhuge Anran?" Zhao Ting asked, having thought of something.

"No waiting."

The mission is complete, what else is there to wait for?

He was still waiting to cause trouble for the Qijiao Building.

"Return," Lin Chao said softly.

Instantly, a beam of light enveloped him and Zhao Ting.

When he appeared again, Lin Chao was already in his own bedroom in the Qijiao Building.

Lin Chao looked at the large screen in the room, a dangerous smile appearing in his eyes.

In the Qijiao Building, Zhuge Anran looked at the Resident manual, his gaze flickering.

"Xu Ling and Zhao Ting actually survived and completed the mission."

He was very surprised to get this answer.

After all, in his opinion, someone had to sacrifice themselves to complete this mission.

And the person who sacrificed themselves was likely one of the two newcomers.

After all, even he felt a trace of dread toward an old Resident like Tang Qiang.

How did Xu Ling manage it?

As for Zhao Ting, she was completely ignored by Zhuge Anran.

Only that mysterious Xu Ling was worth his attention.

Zhuge Anran thought that once he returned to reality, he must investigate exactly what Xu Ling's identity was.

Could it be the Blood Clan?

Zhuge Anran thought to himself.

However, even for the Blood Clan, a B-rank Task like this was not so simple to complete.

Beside him, Wang Bing breathed a sigh of relief: "This B-rank Task passed so easily.

If future missions could also pass this easily, how wonderful that would be."

However, there was still deep exhaustion in her expression.

Although there were wars in the modern world.

Yet, her life had been relatively stable, and she enjoyed modern civilization.

Since entering the Qijiao Building, she lived in constant peril every day, brushing shoulders with death.

There were many times she had come close to death.

If not for Zhuge Anran's company, she would have died long ago.

Even if she hadn't died, she was already exhausted.

There were many Residents of the Qijiao Building like her.

They spent every day in worry, not knowing which mission they would die in.

They all dreaded the missions.

Although these missions had some rewards.

But these rewards were not worth mentioning compared to life.

Furthermore, everything they experienced in the Qijiao Building could not be mentioned in reality, nor could they use the powers from the Qijiao Building.

Once used, or if information about the Qijiao Building was revealed, they would be instantly erased.

Therefore, even if they met other Residents of the Qijiao Building in reality, they would not mention any news regarding the Qijiao Building when chatting.

"Bingbing, don't worry, with me here, we will definitely be able to complete all missions and successfully leave the Qijiao Building."

According to the Qijiao Building's prompts, as long as they accumulated 100 points from completing missions and then passed the Ultimate Task, they could leave the Building.

One E-rank Task could add 1 point.

This B-rank Task could add 4 points.

Currently, Zhuge Anran already had 40 points, which was considered a relatively high score among Residents.

It was just that until now, no one had passed an Ultimate Task, and no one had truly left the Qijiao Building.

Wang Bing looked at Zhuge Anran, curling up in his arms.

"Zhuge Anran, I heard you survived another B-rank Task this time."

Just then, a voice came from outside the door.

Zhuge Anran stood up, the door opened, and a bald man entered the room.

The bald man was named Ji Wei, one of the oldest batch of users in the Qijiao Building.

He had already accumulated over ninety points and had even participated in A-rank Tasks several times.

He could be considered a veteran Resident, only one step away from the Ultimate Task.

Such veteran Residents held many resources in the Qijiao Building and possessed many items, so they could not be underestimated.

"I heard this B-rank Task was actually a Newcomer Mission?" Ji Wei asked.

He was very concerned about every mission in the Qijiao Building.

Every time a mission ended and survivors appeared, he would seek them out to understand the process of that mission.

Then he would perform statistics, induction, and summarization to gain more experience.

He even compiled a document, printed it out, and distributed it to quite a few Residents.

It was precisely because of this that he, having experienced dozens of missions, was still alive.

"Yes, this mission... was very strange."

"Indeed, the difficulty of a Newcomer Mission is usually E-rank, at most D-rank; a B-rank has never appeared before."

Even for us veterans, wanting to survive a B-rank Task would result in heavy casualties.

For these newcomers, wanting to survive a B-rank Task leaves absolutely no path to life.

"It is fortunate that you were there for this Newcomer Mission, otherwise those newcomers would not have survived," Ji Wei said, his words carrying a hint of relief.

Although he had experienced many missions, he still harbored compassion.

Every newcomer made him recall his own past.

"This mission was not completed by me," Zhuge Anran narrowed his eyes.

"What?" Ji Wei was somewhat surprised.

It is not surprising that some newcomers are formidable and capable of completing a Newcomer Mission independently.

But this was a B-rank Task, not something an ordinary person could complete.

Even for an old Resident like him, there is a high probability of dying in one.

The last B-rank Task had seven participants, among whom three were veterans with over 50 points.

However, only two people survived that mission; it was extremely cruel.

"It was indeed a newcomer," Zhuge Anran stated.

"What on earth happened?" Ji Wei asked hurriedly.

Zhuge Anran then told Ji Wei the content and details of this mission.

Ji Wei frowned: "In this mission, that sheep was the monster.

The mission content was to find the sheep and return it to the sheepfold.

A mission like this, having to make contact with a monster... the danger is extremely high."

This mission involved actively making contact with a monster, which is extremely dangerous.

"In the end, I returned to the sheepfold and saw the corpse of the dead sheep.

I even suspected that the sheep was not a monster.

However, I examined the sheep's corpse and discovered that the sheep was indeed not an Ordinary sheep; it was undoubtedly a monster.

Its skull was completely shattered; there was no way to tell how it had died.

I used an item to test it, and the level of that sheep even reached A-level."

"An A-level Monster?" Ji Wei took a deep breath.

He had experienced A-rank Tasks.

The monsters in those A-rank Tasks were simply invincible to humans.

Even if one prepared countless explosives, it would be impossible to blow such a monster to death.

In the Qijiao Building, Ji Wei was considered one of the people who had obtained the most items.

Yet, he knew that even if he equipped all his items, he would be unable to defeat an A-level Monster, or even injure it.

Such an A-level Monster actually died?

Who killed it?

That newcomer?

This thought flashed through Ji Wei's mind, then was instantly extinguished.

This is impossible.

Currently, in the entire Qijiao Building, there has never been an instance of a monster being killed.

Those monsters are simply not things that can be killed by human power.

They are the ones being hunted.

"Yes, that was an A-level Monster, and it just died like that," a light flashed in Zhuge Anran's eyes.

"If we possessed the ability to kill an A-level Monster, could we escape the constraints of the Building?" Zhuge Anran could not help but sigh.

Ji Wei could not help but smile bitterly: "Our abilities are all given by the Qijiao Building, so how could we break free from the Building's constraints?

Moreover, even I cannot currently damage the furniture in this Building.

We Residents had better not go against the Building."

Mentioning this, there was deep apprehension in Ji Wei's eyes.

The Building is truly too terrifying.

No matter how they hack or smash the furniture here, it will not break.

The quilt is the same; it will not ignite when burned with Fire, and it will not tear when pulled with force.

However, it feels very soft when covering one's body.

It is as if there is an invisible Rule protecting every item in the Building.

"Indeed, we cannot even handle a single chair in the Building, let alone talk about breaking free from the Building's constraints," Zhuge Anran smiled bitterly.

Just then, however, suddenly.

The Building began to shake.

The furniture throughout the entire Building moved constantly, and the chandelier overhead swayed as well.

Bang.

The chandelier fell to the floor and shattered upon impact.

A look of shock flashed in the eyes of Zhuge Anran and Ji Wei.

They had been in the Qijiao Building for so long, yet this was the first time they had experienced such an incident, and the first time they had seen the Building's furniture break.

"This is... what happened?"

The two were shocked beyond measure.

The shaking of the Building grew stronger and stronger, as if an earthquake were occurring, one wave after another.

At this moment, inside the Building, many Residents were shocked and left their rooms one after another.

"What is going on?"

"Why is the Building shaking?"

"Something like this has never happened before!"

In the hearts of these Residents, the Building was mysterious and omnipotent.

The Building shaking was a bad sign.

The powerful Qijiao Building was actually experiencing such an accident.

What on earth did this represent?

Zhao Ting looked stunned, not knowing what had happened either.

Like everyone else, she left her bedroom.

And at this moment, in Room 2013, Lin Chao narrowed his eyes: "Now... are you being good?"

As he spoke, he slapped it again.

The entire Building shook once more at this moment.

In front of Lin Chao, the screen shattered, and a dim light-shadow appeared before him.

Only at this moment, the appearance of this light-shadow looked somewhat miserable and devoid of luster.

"Don't try to act pitiful with me."

Lin Chao's gaze was calm.

"You haven't had time to transmit your gains from these years to the main body yet, have you?

You wouldn't want your main body to remain unable to wake up forever, would you?"

Thanks to 【Yan Hua_Yi Leng】 and 【Book Friend 20200908193825216】 for the tips, thank you everyone.

(End of this chapter)