Chapter 895

Chapter 895 & 896 Time to Embark on the Journey to Hell & Killing Each Opponent with One Punch!

Chapter 895 Time to Embark on the Journey to Hell

Judging by the previous battle with Nan Shisan, they had thought that these people were not particularly strong. However, when they saw the scene of devastation, they suddenly realized that these people were not weak at all. On the contrary, they were ridiculously powerful.

When the three jointly launched the strike, except for Dong Chen and a few others, no one could defend against it.

Nan Shisan frowned, not saying a word.

He was considering that perhaps when he went back this time, he should also learn this kind of group attack.

Now, the floor was all theirs.

Although they claimed that this attack method was incredibly powerful, the three strikes they launched could only destroy those in the God Realm and the Earth Realm. Those in the Heaven Realm were certainly able to throw them off.

Nan Shisan was well aware of this.

Now that they had made one strike, of course they could continue to make the second or the third strike.

For them, destroying the Heavenly Knights Sect was not at all a big deal.

This way, they would not only do Nan Shisan a favor but also score some gains for themselves. So, they would only be too glad to do it.

"Are you desperate?"

Langfan looked down at the thousands of people on the ground and shook his head slightly.

"I used to be as desperate as you guys, but I managed to power through. Now, facing me and my men, who are absolutely stronger than all of you combined, you have zero chance to win."

Yes, they were desperate!

Dong Chen's body had gone numb. He didn't know what he was going to do at all.

Because he knew very well that even if he resisted, it would be in vain.

He closed his eyes and let his mind go blank. He was kind of at the end of his rope.

Shivering, Sect Leader Mu went over to Mu Xue and smiled faintly.

"This is your choice."

"Dad."

"You don't need to say anything. This is also my choice."

Sect Leader Mu patted Mu Xue on the shoulder.

"Why hasn't Master come back yet? Why hasn't he come back? If he doesn't show up soon, we're all gonna die."

A pained look was revealed on Mu Xue's face.

Gai Xingkong, Lei Tiannan, Ji Wushuang, Zhao Feng, and others all felt that their minds had been numb. Looking at the scene around them, they couldn't bring themselves to say anything.

Still unwilling to give up, Zhang Guangyou said, "May I know if you can spare the ordinary people of the Heavenly Knights Sect?"

"Don't you understand that when cutting weeds, the roots must be removed as well?" Yuanbing replied flatly.

He didn't care about the lives of these people at all.

While speaking, the attack had already pressed down on the Heavenly Knights Sect, and the atmosphere was rather tense.

"How is my father, Zhang Mu, doing in the Kunlun Immortal World?" Zhang Guangyou asked again.

"Him?" Langfan chuckled, then said, "Not bad. He is in Deep Valley. His strength has improved quite quickly. I've heard a little about him.

"Now that you've gotten your answers, it's time for you to embark on the journey to hell." Langfan's palm continued to press downwards.

"Yes, it's time to hit the road!"

Right at this moment, a voice filled with indignation and coldness came from afar.

"Master! It's Master!"

Mu Xue's eyes suddenly widened, overflowing with ecstasy. "Master is back!"

"Young Lord?"

Yun Feiyan's spirits were lifted.

He swallowed the blood in his mouth and shouted at the top of his voice, "Young Lord is back! Everybody, get the defense on!"

Dong Chen, Zhang Guangyou, and the others including First Elder quickly took out hundreds of top-grade crystals again. But neither the formation nor their moves could stop the joint attack of Langfan and the other two.

However, a stream of invisible energy seemed to have been eating away the power of the strike. One second passed. Two seconds passed... In just five seconds, the world regained its color.

Huh?

Langfan, Nan Shisan, and the other master all turned their heads to look at the west side of the sky, where three figures were flying toward them at a breath-taking speed.

"Han!"

"Master!"

"Young Lord!"

"..."

For some reason, when they caught sight of Zhang Han, everyone on the ground including Dong Chen breathed a sigh of relief.

"Zhang Hanyang, you've returned at the right time!"

Zhan San of the Wind Snow School gnashed his teeth and said, "It's time to settle the score between us."

As he spoke, he quickly rushed forward, dying to be the vanguard!

At the same time, the thousands of people who were watching the battle changed their expressions.

"Even though Zhang Hanyang has come back, he can't turn the tide, can he? But it seems that the Wind Snow School hates him very much. What has happened between them?"

"Older Martial Brother, you have been in closed-door training for a year, so there are many things you don't know. It is said that this Zhang Hanyang is very powerful. He was already able to kill Innateness Realm martial artists just two years after his debut. According to the inside information I've obtained, he was also the mastermind behind the annihilation of the four branches of the Wind Snow School."

"What?"

Under the gazes mixed with various emotions, Zhang Han returned.

He came back in a black coat, which gave people the impression that he was a powerful and righteous hero.

Zhang Han frowned. His eyes were flashing with coldness, and his face darkened slightly.

Flames of rage had been dancing inside him.

"Hahaha! Zhang Hanyang, today you must die!"

Zhan San laughed balefully as he raised the ax in his right hand.

"It's you?"

Zhang Han glanced at him and stretched out his right hand.

He cast the Air-shattering Hand!

"Crack!"

The space around Zhan San started to shake, and his speed was suddenly reduced to the lowest point.

"I..."

Just as Zhan San was about to say something, his eyes suddenly widened and wisps of blood began to suffuse the air.

"Kaboom!"

His entire body, as well as the ax, were shattered.

Zhan San turned into a mist of blood and was soon gone with the wind.

Zhan San, a martial artist at the Heaven Peak Stage, had been killed.

Dead silence engulfed the area.

None of the thousands of people on the scene uttered a word. It was so quiet that you could even have heard a pin drop.

Even Dong Chen's expression froze in that instant.

He thought he knew this move Zhang Han just made, because when Zhang Han made a breakthrough, he had also had a taste of its power.

But Zhang Han never told him that this move could kill people at the Heaven Peak Stage, did he?

"H-how could it be possible?"

Grand Elder of the Wind Snow School was also in a daze.

Even if he had entered the higher realm, he would probably still be unable to kill Zhan San with just one strike.

Could it be that Zhang Hanyang had made such a breakthrough that he was now more powerful than Grand Elder of the Wind Snow School?

How could that be? There was no such striking breakthrough in this world. After all, even the strength of Lord Nan and the others had been suppressed. So, how could Zhang Hanyang abruptly gain the ability to take down a man at the Heaven Peak Stage with one move?

What they didn't know was that Nan Shisan's and Langfan's pupils shrank slightly.

Faintly, they started to feel a sense of pressure.

"Whoosh!"

As Zhang Han and the other two arrived to join the Heavenly Knights Sect, the thousands of people on the scene burst into an uproar.

"Good heavens, is that Zhang Hanyang? He just killed a man at the Heaven Peak Stage? I'm not mistaken, am I?"

"Er, isn't it said that those at the Heaven Peak Stage are invincible and they cannot be killed? But how did he manage to kill one with just a single strike?"

"Zhang Hanyang is horrifying! Never knew he could be so powerful. It's beyond my imagination. If we give him time, would he really become invincible in the world?"

Many members of the sects in the worldlets felt a chill down their spines. They had never expected that Zhang Hanyang, who had just made his debut about two years ago, would be able to shatter the legend of the invincibility of the Heaven Peak Stage.

Of course, that did not apply to the people of the Kunlun Immortal World. They could certainly kill those at the Heaven Peak Stage. Since they lived in the Kunlun Immortal World, they played by a different set of rules from those in this world.

But what about Zhang Hanyang?

Surmising about Zhang Hanyang would incur profound fear.

He had been practicing martial arts for only a little more than two years. If he continued for a few more years...

"I see, I see! I was wondering why Zhang Hanyang didn't take part in the Divine List Competition at that time. It turned out that he was no longer in the God Realm. He is, after all, the big brother of Immortal King Chen. So how could he be inferior?"

"I seem to have seen a bigshot who is waking up in our secular world."

"..."

The martial artists from the secular world were even more astounded. Even their hearts were trembling.

As for the Wind Snow School, all their members seemed a bit unnerved.

Shi Fenghou's face was pale.

"H-he can kill people at the Heaven Peak Stage..."

Shi Fenghou thought that Zhang Hanyang was already unbelievably strong when he proved that he could kill those in the Heaven Early-stage and the Heaven Middle-Stage. However, he never anticipated that Zhang Hanyang could even kill those at the Heaven Peak Stage.

Standing on the opposite side, Ye Longyuan looked as if he had taken a bite of sh*t.

How could he continue to renege on his debt?

He now had to pay 40,000 crystals...

Ye Tianlang was thrilled.

"Zhang Hanyang is so powerful. Hahaha, the Heavenly Knights Sect will be all right. Lord Wu Ming is also here to assist them. Wait, who is the black man next to him? Why haven't I seen him before?"

As he spoke, Ye Tianlang was a little baffled. He started to wonder who that black man was.

"He doesn't seem to be a black man in the secular world. His skin color... Why does he look like a Dark Warrior from the Ancient Mine?"

"So you're Zhang Hanyang, aren't you?"

Nan Shisan did not look glad to see Zhang Han. Seeing that Zhan Hang had killed Zhan San so effortlessly, Nan Shisan felt as if he had been slapped in the face.

Zhang Han glanced at him indifferently and ignored his question. Then, he looked away and turned to Grand Elder of the Wind Snow School.

"As for the dispute between our two sects, I have nothing to say. Well, originally, I planned to destroy the Wind Snow School right after I got out of the Ancient Mine."

While speaking, Zhang Han looked at Zhang Guangyou with a hint of guilt.

"But I was taken by surprise that these nobodies dared to show up and moved the fight up a bit. Now that I'm back, let's continue the fight."

"Exactly!"

Zhang Guangyou leaned back and laughed. In a tone filled with killing intent, he said, "No need for words. Let's fight! Kill them!"

The morale of the Heavenly Knights Sect was once again boosted. Their forces charged at the enemies as overwhelming as dark clouds.

The masters including Daofu did not look delighted after hearing his remark. They were masters from the Kunlun Immortal World. But how could Zhang Guangyou refer to them as nobodies?

"This..."

Daofu's face stiffened for two seconds. Then, he heaved with another sigh, not intending to intervene in this matter.

Langfan, instead, jeered hideously.

He shouted, "Great! Here finally comes a decent opponent."

"We are mighty cultivators of the Elixir Realm," Yuanbing said in a cold voice, "but our strength has been here. If we were not suppressed, I could kill a small potato like you with just a glance. How dare you call us nobodies? Hehe, let me tell you, even though our strength is curbed in this world, our power is still very close to the Gold Realm. Well, who do you think you are?"

"What makes you think you can put on airs in front of us even though you haven't reached the Elixir Realm? I'll wipe you out!"

"Rumble!"

All of a sudden, the black man beside Zhang Han flew forward. While flying, scales began to cover his body.

"Puff..."

Seeing this, Dong Chen stumbled and exclaimed, "City Lord of Dragon Scale City?"

A look of profound disbelief was written on Dong Chen's face.

"What?! He is City Lord of Dragon Scale City?"

Those words sparked a commotion as if a stone had been tossed into calm water.

Grand Elder of the Wind Snow School, the elders of the Heavenly Knights Sect, and the thousands of people around all gasped. A trace of shock and horror could be seen in their eyes.

"City Lord of Dragon Scale City? No way! Can't believe the Dark Warriors in the Ancient Mine are now able to get out! I-i-is some paradigm-shifting change about to occur?"

Many people were frightened. Well, how powerful were the Dark Warriors?

A single city of the Dark Shadow Clan could rival more than 10 sects in the worldlets combined. Then, how many sects were there in the worldlets?

There were less than 100.

But how many cities of the Dark Shadow Clan were in the Outer Domain? It was said that there were a total of 108 cities.

Thus, their strength was on par with that of all the masters of more than 1,000 sects in the worldlets added up!

If the Dark Warriors could all go out, they would instantly take over all the worldlets, wouldn't they?

But there was more to worry about because the most formidable creatures in the Ancient Mine were the fierce beasts!

Upon hearing this news, many people were so scared that their hearts almost stopped beating.

"We're screwed."

"The worldlets were not safe anymore."

"Kill!"

On the way, Si Nan had picked up a few words of the Hua language. At this time, he shouted out the word "Kill" in the Hua language.

When Langfan saw Si Nan's staggering move, his scalp went slightly numb.

He could tell that he could not break the defense of the guy dashing at him.

"This is a man who's hard to deal with!"

Langfan gritted his teeth, and a dagger appeared in his right hand. He then eyed Zhang Han maliciously.

Chapter 896 Killing Each Opponent with One Punch!

In Langfan's view, it was just fine to kill this guy first.

Just as he was scheming, Wu Ming took two big swigs of wine and then said, "There is no fun using the many to defeat the few. I—burp—I'll help you restrain the other two of them."

As he spoke, a long blue sword emerged in his hand. Without further ado, he started to fight against Wuxi and Yuanbing.

No one had expected that Wu Ming could be so fierce in combat. By casting all kinds of sword techniques, he suppressed the two with great ease. He was so skillful that he could have time to take gulps of wine in the middle of the battle. His drunkenness fascinated many spectators.

This time, Grand Elder of Wind Snow School attained his wish. He finally got to have a duel with Dong Chen. Therefore, the two forces were once again engaged in a fight.

But in terms of fighting spirits, the Heavenly Knights Sect was more vigorous. As to the Wind Snow School, due to the heavy losses, they fought very cautiously and at this time. Overtaken by misgivings and fear, they kept losing ground to the other party.

It seemed that this battle had become the competition between the several people of the Kun Xu World and the three men on Zhang Hanyang's team. Whoever won the fight could change the outcome of the whole battle.

Zhang Han started to take steps in the air. Although he seemed to be walking at a slow pace, in fact, he reached Nan Shisan in just a few strides.

A hundred meters away on the left, Langfan and City Lord Si Nan were already in a fierce fight.

After exchanging just three moves, Langfan felt a little aggrieved.

In normal times, if the fight occurred in the Kunlun Immortal World, he could beat his opponent to death with a single move. But now, he couldn't even leave a scratch on Si Nan's skin.

So, he quickly gave Nan Shisan a look.

"Go!"

"Swoosh, swoosh!"

Nan Shisan activated his Bright Moon Pupils again. This time, he went all out. Each of the two beams of light shooting out of his pupils was nearly as thick as the waist of an adult man.

Zhang Han tapped his right hand in the air, casting a layer of protection with pure spiritual force to constantly wear down the power of the Bright Moon Pupils.

But the next second—

"Rumble!"

Langfan, who was in front of Si Nan a moment ago, curiously appeared behind Zhang Han. attempting to stab Zhang Han in the back with his dagger.

"I can't break that guy's defense, but you, Zhang Hanyang, gotta die!"

Langfan believed that he could be quick enough to stab Zhang Han before he could react.

The secret skill Langfan just performed had earned him a lot of victories. So, he was confident that it would also work on Zhang Hanyang, who was merely a secular martial artist.

His dagger was not just a sharp weapon. It had been brewed in the Nine Lives Poison for 30 years. So, once being touched by the blade of the dagger, even those in the Elixir Realm would die.

Nan Shisan was also aware of this. He narrowed his eyes slightly and ceased to make any moves. He was watching the fun, or in other words, waiting to savor the moment of Zhang Hanyang's death.

Undoubtedly, Nan Shisan's expectant expression was enough to prove that Langfan was powerful.

The weak couldn't get the sympathy of the strong.

"Han!"

Dong Chen's pupils contracted in trepidation.

Zhang Guangyou's face altered dramatically.

He never knew that Langfan's attack could be so relentless. How badly would Zhang Han be injured if that dagger really stabbed him?

Everyone knew in their hearts that if Zhang Han were to stabbed by such a powerful martial artist, the chances were he would meet his doom.

"Master!"

Zhao Feng's heart seemed to have stopped beating, and a suffocating feeling came to his face.

Mu Xue, Sect Leader Mu, Jiang Yanlan, Sect Leader Jiang, Caprice Mo Sect Leader, Shi Fenghou, Ye Tianlang, and the thousands of people around all fixed their eyes on Zhang Han.

They watched the blade glowing with dim light slowly make its way downward.

Would Zhang Hanyang, who had just returned and almost turned the tide of the battle, was going to die after this strike?

Zhang Han was under the nervous gazes of many people.

Time seemed to have slowed down.

It was getting close!

It was closer!

The dagger was now only 10 centimeters away from Zhang Han!

At this moment, Zhang Han slowly turned around, but the dagger was faster than his reaction.

It was too late!

Everyone held their breath. At this moment, the whole battlefield became absolutely silent.

No one was fighting any more, for all of them were watching the scene in the sky.

Finally, when the short blade arrived, Zhang Han turned around.

His expression was still calm.

But the tip of the dagger was only an inch away from his chest.

In the face of this stab, Zhang Han stretched his left hand forward as if he wanted to grab the opponent's dagger. Meanwhile, he clenched his right fist.

"Die!"

Just as the corners of Langfan's mouth curled into a smile—

"Clang!"

The blade landed on Zhang Han's chest.

In that instant, the sound of metal colliding could be heard throughout the world, as though two sharp blades just clashed.

"Swish!"

Langfan's smile froze.

"That's impossible!"

He narrowed his eyes in astonishment.

It was very clear that the dagger that had helped him made his name didn't even pierce the opponent's skin. Could anyone believe that?

How was this possible?

The defense that Si Nan with dragon scales had was only a precious treasure.

But Zhang Hanyang, the man in front of him, had blocked his dagger simply with his skin?

How come?

Langfan suddenly felt a little lost.

The expressions of Nan Shisan, Yuanbing, and Wuxi seemed overwhelmed. Many people present could see that they looked a little frightened.

"If you had stronger cultivation, you might have really harmed me."

After making that remark with a perfectly calm tone, Zhang Han lifted his left hand and suddenly grasped the other party's dagger.

"Pity that you're not even in the Elixir Realm yet."

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

As soon as Zhang Han clenched his left hand, the crushing sound came from the opponent's dagger.

"You, you!"

Langfan's face paled drastically as he yelled, "You're a Body Cultivator who has reached grand completion?"

He was scandalized.

The Body Cultivation was quite resource-consuming. Although there were some pursuing the Body Cultivation in the Kunlun Immortal World, their Body Cultivation Methods were not high-end or comprehensive. However, Zhang Hanyang was able to fend off his killing move just with his body.

He also smashed his dagger single-handed! Imagine that!

"Are you shocked?"

Zhang Han suddenly beamed.

"Clatter!"

In an instant, Langfan felt that he was in a life-and-death crisis and made to back away at full speed.

But Zhang Han's right fist had already landed.

"Heavenly Devil Punch."

Zhang Han had reached Level Two of the Body Cultivation. Now he had the Heavenly Demon Flesh as well as the Heavenly Demon Skin, his defense was evidently unassailable.

Now he had mastered the Heavenly Devil Punch.

When Zhang Han learned that he had acquired the supernatural power, he felt a little surreal. The Heavenly Devil Punch was the supernatural power best used in close combat. The closer he was to the enemies, the stronger the power would be.

No one could ever force the mighty figure who invented the Athanasia Demon Gong into close combat. All they could do was to stay away from his strikes.

It had been some time since Zhang Han completely mastered the Heavenly Devil Punch by integrating his understanding of cultivation into this art.

This was the first time he'd used it in combat.

Langfan didn't even have the time to think.

Just as he wanted to cast a spell to dodge the attack, to his horror, he found that the black light emitted from Zhang Han's right fist had sealed his magic power.

One punch could destroy all maneuvers!

"Help me!"

Langfan, drawing on his battling experience, roared in alarm. He circulated his spirit energy through his skin, wanting to defend himself head-on. As long as he could block his opponent's attack, it wouldn't matter even if he was seriously injured because he still had teammates.

Nan Shisan was also started, and cast his Bright Moon Pupils again.

But it was too late.

"Rumble!"

As Zhang Han's fist fell, the color of heaven and earth drained. It was as if the world went dark at this moment.

"Bam!"

Zhang Han's fist fell on Langfan's chest.

In this instant, Zhang Han's eyes were shining with black light, and his body was wrapped in a black mist.

It was like the appearance of a Devil King.

Langfan, the opponent in front of him, was a powerful master of the Kunlun Immortal World.

His whole body was covered with a layer of faint black light, which then fell apart, turned into a wisp of smoke, and slowly dissipated.

Langfan was dead!

This scene frightened many people.

"Z-Zhang Hanyang, is a devil, a devil!"

Caprice Mo Sect Leader nearly went nuts. "Last time, he was not yet able to kill those at the Heaven Peak Stage. But now, he could... How could this be? He is a devil! Run! Run for your lives! Run! Now!"

Now he could even kill the people of the Kunlun Immortal World, who else could stop him?

Caprice Mo Sect Leader was so scared that his face turned pale. Without hesitating, he fled.

But Zhang Han had kept an eye on them.

"You want to escape from me?"

"Swoosh!"

Zhang Han's figure flashed. His speed was so fast that Shi Fenghou was kind of terrified.

He seemed to be moving as fast as him at full speed. It was incredible.

Before Caprice Mo Sect Leader could react, he saw Zhang Han land in front of him and throw him a punch.

"Bam!"

The defense Caprice Mo Sect Leader had cast broke as if it were a piece of paper.

And he was minced by that punch.

"Time to end this battle."

Zhang Han looked at the people around him.

There were the heads of the Ten Tiger Sect, the Limitless Sect, and the other five sects.

They were now targeted by Zhang Han.

Every time Zhang Han leaped up and packed a punch, one of the heads was killed.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang..."

The thousands of people around were flabbergasted.

With admiration overflowing from her eyes, Mu Xue said, "Told you, my master is the Devil King! Look! He's in rage. All of you are gonna die! Blood will converge into a river, and bodies will pile up to the height of a mountain."

The scene that she had caught a glimpse of at that time surfaced in her head.

There were so many bodies on the ground. Even the thousands of people present were all killed, their bodies would only make up less than one percent of the corpses she had seen.

"Devil King!

"Zhang Han is the Devil King thorough and thorough!"

Sect Leader Mu's face was stiff. He didn't know what to do.

"This guy is so fierce. Good grief! No wonder my daughter wants to remove the 'nominal' from her title and become the official disciple of this man. Oh my! Even I want to be his disciple."

Zhang Guangyou's eyes lit up. There was even a faint trace of tears in his eyes.

"My son has really become something. He's awesome. He's really amazing..."

Dong Chen, Third Elder, First Elder, Ji Wushuang, Lei Tiannan, Jiang Yanlan, Zhao Feng, and others were all standing where they were, intently watching Zhang Han's slaughter with their heads thrown back.

"How strong!

"He can subdue all the people on the scene. No one here can rival him."

As for those people from the Wind Snow School, they were scared out of their wits.

After seeing Zhang Han's invincible power, how could they have the nerves to continue the fight?

Disheartened and terrified, they were all eager to run away.

Finally, someone took the lead and fled.

Then, there were the second, the third... the 100th...

The crowd could no longer be kept in check.

"Kill!"

Seeing this, Dong Chen called out. The members of the Heavenly Knights Sect immediately chased after them.

It happened all too quickly. It had been just a dozen seconds before Zhang Han crushed Langfan.

Nan Shisan's face was a little pasty.

"How dare you... Guys, let's work together to kill him!"

Nan Shisan also found it inconceivable. But in this situation, he could either try to kill Zhang Han or escape.

"How can we work together?"

Wuxi and Yuanbing were still entangled with Wu Ming, unable to give Nan Shisan any help.

On the other hand, Si Nan, City Lord of the Dragon Scale City, looked left and right. At last, he ran to stand behind Nan Shisan in case he took flight.

Nan Shisan's face darkened when he saw this. Just when he was about to say something, Zhang Han had flown over quickly.

"You're not good enough to kill me!" Nan Shisan said coldly, once again casting his Bright Moon Pupils.

However, Zhang Han ignored his attack and rapidly approached him.

This time, Nan Shisan was on his guard. He dashed back to prevent Zhang from getting too close.

However, Zhang Han had more than one kind of supernatural power.

He stretched out his left hand.

The Air-shattering Hand!

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"

The surrounding space started shaking. Nan Shisan was forced to slow down. This feeling was sickening. He slowly looked back at Zhang Han.

What came to his face next was the demonic punch!

"Zhang, Han, Yang!" Nan Shisan leaned back and bellowed.

A ring appeared above his right hand, which soon encircled his body.

"Bam!"

He blocked the punch.

But Zhang Han's next punch was coming.

"Wham, wham, wham, wham, wham..."

After he gave five punches in a row, a chip appeared on the ring with a crack.

After taking the sixth punch, the ring shattered.

Without a pause, Zhang Han's seventh punch landed on the target.

"No! No! Zhang Hanyang! No, I am..."

Nan Shisan's frightened roar was brought to an abrupt end.

By far, Langfan and Nan Shisan had both died!