Shrouding the sky: starting from the magic jar of swallowing the sky Chapter 411: Meeting the quasi-emperor in the mountains, meeting the ancient sage at the stream
Chapter 411: Meeting the quasi-emperor in the mountains, meeting the ancient sage at the stream
The back mountain is very quiet. The moon shines on the rocks, and the hazy halo spreads, filling the air with a quiet and elegant atmosphere.
Princess Yueling has a slender figure, fluttering green silk, and a silver silk skirt inlaid with pearls and tortoise shells. She behaves elegantly, moves in lotus steps, and is graceful. She has a natural noble temperament.
The beautiful shadows fell, reflecting on the black-haired young man beside him. He had a soft expression, his black hair was loose, and the ends of his hair were shining with purple-gold luster, shining like stars.
"Bi Luo King Body..." Su Yu glanced at the main peak, and his mind was filled with thoughts, and he had some thoughts about this generation of Bi Luo King.
Not only the king's body, this sect has many secrets, perhaps not only the secret of the word "bing" and the secret of saving gods, but also other extreme inheritances, among which there must be ancient sages.
The beautiful woman in the silver dress came out of the world, standing behind Su Yu, with a pair of dark eyes shining with Daoguang, still comprehending the mystery of the word "bing" in her heart.
Her understanding is far inferior to that of the Innate Sacred Body. This time she only memorized the Nine Secrets of the Dao. She only had a brief taste of it and did not truly understand it.
Su Yu's eyes moved slightly, and his mind was filled with thoughts. He was hesitating whether to step into the main peak to see the details, but finally gave up.
This place is no better than Ziwei Star Territory, with hidden dragons and crouching tigers, and many scruples when doing things.
Qinmen must have a saint heritage, and there is an ancient saint living in seclusion not far from here.
According to the timeline at the beginning, Ye Fan came here six years later. The living saint of the Dharma Ending Period had already transformed into Taoism three years ago, and the saint's relics were taken away by Hua Yunfei.
At this time, the sage is still there.
Moreover, during this period, Gai Jiuyou was also searching for the Dream Dragon Essence in the Qinling Mountains. Coupled with the mysterious Qinmen, there were at least two sages and one quasi-emperor in the Qinling Mountains with a radius of a million miles. The average regional combat power was that of Beidou.
most.
Although Gai Jiuyou's blood has dried up and he has fallen from the pinnacle of quasi-emperor to the realm of great saint, his strength is absolutely the best in the Beidou Star Territory, and ordinary quasi-emperors are no match for him...
Thinking of this, Su Yu already had the intention to leave, and whispered to the lady beside him: "Let's go, I will take you to visit an ancient saint!"
"Saint..." Princess Yueling looked calm, but was surprised in her heart.
During this period, saints did not appear, and there were only a handful of them. In her impression, there were only three Beidou saints, the crazy old man in the East Wasteland, the ancient Buddha in the West Desert, and the protector behind Su Yu.
Su Yu glanced at her, as if he heard the beauty's thoughts, and said gently: "This world is covered by too much fog, and what you see is just the tip of the iceberg."
After he finished speaking, he waved his broad sleeves and raised his hands with a mist of chaos. A small purple-gold world suddenly appeared, like the creation of heaven and earth, with Taisu mist flowing.
The purple and gold world rotates, transforming into a simple Xuanguang platform, with void Dao patterns lingering on it, and nine emperor characters imprinted on it, exuding a vast aura.
Seeing that her master wanted to leave, the woman in the silver skirt suppressed the confusion in her heart, moved a little bit, and landed next to Su Yu.
Su Yu looked carefree, and with a flick of his fingertips, he was about to activate the Xuanguang Platform.
Suddenly, his expression condensed, purple light flowed in his eyes, and he looked somewhere. At the same time, blue light flashed in his hand, and thousands of rays of divine light rushed out.
A brilliant weapon flew out. The fairy sword was all blue and crystal clear. It was dazzlingly beautiful and dazzling. The sword had the shadow of the fairy phoenix on it, lifelike, exuding an overwhelming aura of disaster.
Protecting Princess Yueling behind him, Su Yu looked indifferent. The sword light around him was fierce, and he said in a cold voice: "I didn't expect that there is a saint king hidden in the Qin Gate. No wonder it can be hidden from my perception."
With his current state, he has already melted the Great Dao into one, and can move the heaven and earth with just one thought. Under his eyes, ordinary saints cannot escape at all.
Princess Yueling's expression changed slightly, her Yunxiu flashed, and she took out the ancient order of Jiuli Dynasty, which was a life-saving thing given to her by King Jiuli.
"Prince Qinglian is too worried."
The clumsy road carvings on the stone wall at the back of the mountain shone brightly, and a grey-haired old man over fifty years old with thinning hair and bones walked out.
His breath was rotten, he looked sickly, his beard was white, and he said feebly: "I have been sitting here for several months, and I have no ill intentions."
Su Yu looked at the sick old man, and the doubts in his heart disappeared immediately. He concealed his killing sword and saluted, "Junior Su Ming pays homage to Senior Gai!"
"Gai? Can His Highness perform the junior ceremony?" Princess Yueling's beautiful eyes trembled, and she thought of an ancient existence from this surname. Her heart palpitated, a little unbelievable, and secretly thought: "Impossible, that person has already sat down
After being transformed, he will live for nine thousand years, and there is no such person in the world."
After getting rid of the thoughts in her mind, the woman in the silver skirt also bowed, her attitude was very respectful, and she said seriously: "Greetings to the senior saint."
When facing a being above the saint level, even if King Jiuli comes in person, he still needs to be treated with courtesy.
"No need to be polite." The sick old man opened his cloudy eyes, stared at the "Emperor's Son" in front of him, and said with some surprise: "You recognize me..."
Su Yu nodded slightly, five-color rays of light flowed in his hand, and a purple chalcedony book flew out, landing in front of Gai Jiuyou, and said: "I have an old relationship with Xiang Yufei, and he asked me to give this to you.
This is how I can repay my kindness from last time.”
Hearing this familiar name, the sick old man was a little silent. He moved his skinny right hand slightly and accepted the jade book.
He looked Su Yu up and down, and thinking of the stubborn disciple at home, he looked helpless and sighed, "Does the Emperor know where the Master of Chaos Palace is now?"
"I wonder why senior is looking for Palace Master Cao? He went to the Western Desert some time ago." Su Yu looked calm on the surface, but felt a little happy in his heart.
At the beginning, he made a promise to Xia Jiuyou that as long as she defeated him, he would give her a few drops of immortality medicine. However, to achieve his goal, he would need at least the power of the Eight Forbiddens.
At the moment, Xia Jiuyou's cultivation is still low, and he is too far away from the completion of Jiuyou Immortal Song. Even the seven taboos are a bit difficult, let alone the eight taboos.
Thinking of the disciples at home who were still challenging the Taoist monument, the sick old man sighed deeply. Based on his experience, he could guess at a glance what was going to happen in the future.
"Xi Mo, forget it, it's not a big deal." He shook his head and did not continue the topic. He said leisurely: "We met once today, so we are destined. The emperor just said that he wanted to visit a sage, that sage.
The sage should be an old friend of mine, can the emperor give me a ride?"
"It's a great honor to be able to walk with seniors." Su Yu was very polite, stepped aside, and invited Gai Jiuyou to ascend the Xuanguang Platform.
"Thank you very much." The sick old man nodded slightly and walked forward tremblingly with his body stooped.
Then Princess Yueling came forward with the wind, and Su Yu pointed a finger. In an instant, the void was chaotic, countless ripples appeared in the space, and the Xuanguang Platform disappeared in the dim light of the morning and fled into the distance.
After a moment, an eternal celestial light flew out from the main peak of the Qin Sect, illuminating the world. However, it did not disturb anyone. The dozens of disciples in the sect continued to perform their duties, as if they had not seen the light soaring into the sky.
The back mountain is still as it was before, silent and silent. Under the mottled stone wall, an old man in green clothes walked out.
He wore a golden crown on his head and looked indifferent. With a wave of his sleeves, countless silk threads flew out of the void, outlining a mirror of water and moon.
The water mirror is faint and entwined with blue Taoist patterns, exuding a simple and vicissitudes of life.
"Backtrack!"
Looking at his own reflection in the mirror, the old man in green robe scolded, and a wisp of crystal spiritual thoughts flew out of his forehead and poured into the water mirror.
In an instant, there was a loud sound of gold and iron, and the water-moon mirror was filled with chaos, reflecting three blurry figures.
The mirror of water mist is misty, with wisps of clear light falling one after another. Along with the faint aura of Taoism, the three figures in the mirror are becoming clearer and clearer, as if they are about to reveal their true bodies.
However, the next moment, a ripple appeared in the mirror, and the water mirror shattered into a ball of hazy clear air.
"Gai Jiuyou, you are still alive."
The Taoist priest in Qingyi looked indifferent and stared at the stone carving with the secret word "Bing" imprinted on it.
At this time, the fog dissipated and the sun rose in the east, revealing his face. He was skinny, his eye sockets were sunken, his blood was dry, and his eyes were extremely cold.
This is a terrifying saint king!
"You have been immortal for more than nine thousand years. You have lived too long. It's time to die..." The saint king's voice was faint, his eyes were shining brightly, and the breath of the holy way shook the void, making the heaven and earth quiet.
He is a direct descendant of the Cai family. He entered the realm of saints thousands of years ago and can look down on the people. However, his longevity is dry and he will not take action under normal circumstances...
"There are some ancient beings hidden in the Qin Sect. Even if the emperor holds the imperial weapon, it will be difficult for him to escape intact."
Above the vast field, a fairy cloud floats, and the sick old man overlooks the mountains and rivers of the Qinling Mountains. His expression is calm, and he has the charm of returning to nature.
Su Yu stood at the back and whispered: "Senior, the Cai family's possession of the God-Saving Technique and the Secret of Military Characters has been inherited by the ruthless emperor."
"The Cruel Emperor..." The sick old man glanced meaningfully at the black-haired young man and said calmly: "Which one are you asking about?"
"Nothing can be hidden from seniors." Su Yu looked calm and said seriously: "Although Su Yu practices the way of devouring, he does not kill innocent people indiscriminately. This junior can guarantee this."
"Su Ming, Su Yu..." Gai Jiuyou muttered these two names, his eyes slightly narrowed, thoughtful, not knowing what he was thinking.
He was very interested in the person in front of him. He thought he was the son of Emperor Wushi before, but now it seems otherwise. He didn't expect that there would be three geniuses in the ruthless lineage in this life.
One cultivated the "Immortal Heavenly Art" and carried the Heaven-Swallowing Devil Jar; one obtained the inheritance of the Tribulation-Transcending Heavenly Lord, the Emperor's Arms; the other obtained the inheritance of the Wushi Emperor, the Emperor's Arms. This can be regarded as declining but prosperous...
...
After a moment, the sick old man glanced at Su Yu and said: "The Cai family also participated in the battle to slay demons and received part of the inheritance of your lineage. This is how the Divine Savior Art came about..."
.
As they spoke, the three of them had arrived at a mountain range
This place cannot be said to be very beautiful, but it can be regarded as a place where mountains and rivers are intertwined. There are lakes dotted at the foot of the mountain and dilapidated Taoist temples in the mountains. It is not a paradise, but it has a return to nature.
"Floating life can be as long as a dream, and there are many worries in floating life. No one can share the magic of immortality with me, and the spring day in the mountains will always sing..."
The trees are lush, old books are wrapped around thin vines, and the bluestone road leads step by step to the depths of the mountain. There are woodcutters singing loudly, which is quite an artistic conception.
Su Yu listened to the song, his eyes moved, and he whispered: "Seeing through the world of mortals, turning life into a dream, this way is somewhat similar to the way of nature."
Princess Yueling's beautiful eyes moved slightly, her gaze fell on the dilapidated Taoist temple, feeling the breathing of the plants and trees between the heaven and the earth, and she was a little obsessed.
After stepping into this place, she was affected by this world. Her originally chaotic mood became extremely peaceful, and all the previously obscure principles became clear to her. This made her exclaim: "I didn't expect that there is a great sage hidden here!"
"The little hermit hides in the wild, the big hermit hides in the city. He is obsessed with appearance and seems to be detached, but he is bound by this world." Gai Jiuyou sighed, not agreeing with the two people's views.
After hearing Gai Jiuyou's comment, Su Yu pondered for a moment and nodded. This person was right. Cultivation is about adversity, especially in this world, where time turns into a sea of suffering and all living beings struggle to survive.
Comparing floating life to a dream, the state of mind is intact, no matter whether it is sad or not happy, it is still difficult to turn back the time, and in the end it can only become a wisp of ashes in the long river of history.
Su Yu waved his sleeves, moved the space, and appeared in front of the short mountain.
On this hill, there are no green bamboos, let alone the elixir Yao grass. It is simple, with a small vegetable patch, which is green and looks full of vitality.
A small Taoist temple, dilapidated and low, like a thatched cottage, looks very quiet, deserted.
In front of the Taoist temple, there is an ancient pine tree with a hollow trunk. Many people hugged it. The branches are strong, but the leaves are sparse. The old tree is dying.
There were no medicinal fields, only a vegetable patch, and a grape rack with two or three bunches of purple grapes hanging from the dry vines.
"This Taoist temple also has ancient trees, which have existed for at least four thousand years... They are definitely ancient sages." Princess Yueling's heart was shocked, and she felt the breath of time.
"The Dharma, the Dharma, and the element are powerless, and they are empty, empty, and not empty. Silence, noise, speech, and silence are the same. Dreams are never mentioned in dreams. There is no use in usefulness, and merit is in vain. If it is ripe, it will naturally turn red. Don't ask how to cultivate seeds...
…”
A clear voice came from the dilapidated Taoist temple, the door opened wide, and a vigorous old Taoist priest came out.
He was dressed simply, with old Taoist robes, gray hair and a high forehead, and a snow-white whisk in his hand. He looked very extraordinary, but his tail was full of holes and had been eaten away by insects.
"I didn't know that this distinguished guest has come from afar, so I missed the welcome. I hope you will forgive me." The old man was skinny and somewhat short in stature. He appeared under the pine tree with a yellow wooden hairpin on his head.
"I don't want you to have aged so much."
Gai Jiuyou sighed and looked around, looking at the two young men standing behind him with a somewhat dazed expression. This kind of strong blood reminded him of the glorious past.
It's a pity that in the end, magical powers are no match for heaven. No matter how strong a person is, they can't match time. Now he is getting old...
The old Taoist looked calm and said to himself: "Ask who in the world can be immortal. Immortality is just a delusion, so what is there to say!"
"Su Ming has met senior."
"Yue Ling has met senior."
Su Yu's attitude was very low. Although the other party did not show any aura, she exuded an aura that was very similar to that of Princess Shencan. She was definitely close to the Great Sage.
This ancient star is very special. Although the number of saints and kings is not as good as Ziwei, the individuals are far better than Ziwei.
The old Taoist glanced at Su Yu, his eyes empty and full of Taoism, and then he smiled and said: "The visitor is a guest, Taoist friends don't need to be polite."
The four of them entered the Taoist temple. The inside was very ordinary, no different from other Taoist temples, but there was a faint Taoist charm permeating the air. It was extraordinary in the ordinary, and there was a sense of returning to nature.
After a while, the old Taoist priest came from the house and brought a small plate with four cups of tea on it. The aroma of tea was lingering, the plain smoke was lingering, and it exuded a light fragrance.
Su Yu looked at the tea in the wooden cup. This was not spiritual tea, but ordinary tea. It seemed to be made from the pine leaves in front of the door...
After drinking the tea, Su Yu moved his fingers, took out a green wooden box, and said: "After all, I got a few Enlightenment Leaves earlier, and they will come in handy today."
"Fellow Taoist, please excuse me." The old Taoist looked kind-hearted and chuckled.
After getting permission from the owner of this place, Su Yu pointed his finger and took out a jar of divine spring again. This is the spring of life in the ancient restricted area, and it is the most suitable spiritual spring for brewing Taoist tea.
"Shenquan Enlightenment Tea, I haven't drunk this tea for many years." Smelling the fragrance of the spring water in the restricted area, the sick old man's expression moved slightly, and he sighed while sitting on the futon.
This time the old sage also had some thoughts. He had lived in seclusion here for thousands of years, practicing hard on the natural way, and had not realized the Tao for a long time.
In a moment, the spring water on the stove has boiled, and the orange-red copper stove is crystal clear. The sun's real fire is dancing under the stove, and it is brilliant and magnificent.
The clear and translucent divine spring water dances in the red furnace, and the life essence is steaming, surrounded by hazy fairy mist. There are lotus shadows circling around, and the misty light of the Tao flows.
In the ancient temple deep in the mountains, four figures were sitting around the copper stove. The expressions of the people sitting there were different. The beauty in the silver dress had a brilliant look in her eyes. She was enjoying this atmosphere.
The skinny Taoist had a natural expression, his eyes were hollow, exuding a deep light, staring at the bright fire in front of him.
The sick old man was looking at the stove on the surface, but in fact he was staring at the handsome young man sitting opposite him, about whom he had heard a lot.
Su Yu put four pieces of Enlightenment tea leaves into the pot, and the fragrance suddenly filled the air. The scent of tea rose up, and all kinds of wonderful scenes flew out in a moment.
There is a phoenix singing, circling in the bright moonlight, its feathers are like blood jade, exuding a red-gold luster, and every scale is exuding a sense of exquisite beauty.
The auspicious atmosphere is chaotic, a purple unicorn flies in the sky, disappears in the mist, and is wrapped in dreamlike colors, imbuing this small house with a sacred and peaceful atmosphere...
After drinking the Divine Spring Enlightenment Tea, the old sage looked at the Nine Heavens Divine Jade Cup in his hand and shook his head, looking a little dazed.
Gai Jiuyou was very natural, drinking cup after cup of enlightenment tea, feeling a little spiritual light in his heart, his whole person became more and more ethereal, his eyes were no longer cloudy, and they were extremely clear, staring at Su Yu beside him.
"Emperor's blood-tempered body, beginningless inheritance, killing the eighth heaven...the aura is very similar, but he is the innate holy body, not the semi-chaos body. It seems that Cao Yusheng has someone else...
"
Feeling the sick old man's prying eyes, Su Yu frowned slightly, and the bell mark between his eyebrows shone brightly, blooming with countless fairy lights. A wisp of blue smoke flew out, and the imperial energy circulated, covering himself.
After hiding himself, he said with a cold voice, neither humble nor arrogant: "I admire the senior as a human being, but is it too much to act like this?"
Princess Yueling had some palpitations and was worried that Su Yu would conflict with the other party.
"Ahem, I'm so rude."
Gai Jiuyou confessed his crime, without any pretense of a quasi-emperor, and read out a passage of scripture.
"Did he see anything?" Su Yu looked calm on the surface, but felt a little guilty in his heart. What he did to Xia Jiuyou could never be hidden from this person.
After all, Cao Yusheng's vest is not perfect. Yao Xi, Yaochi Saint, Guishui Palace Master and Cao Yusheng are all mixed together.
This kind of person used the elixir of immortality as a inducement, made a promise to his disciple, and put him in his shoes. He would definitely not look good if he were Gai Jiuyou.
"After being in a cage for a long time, you can return to nature!"
The old Taoist shook his head, sipping the divine spring tea, feeling content and content, and recited an ancient sutra.
Princess Yueling was very excited, and her heart was filled with excitement. To Su Yu, two volumes of saint scriptures were nothing, but to her it was not painful.
This small commotion soon subsided, and everyone returned to the right path again and began drinking tea and preaching.
At the end of the tea banquet, Su Yu took off the purple gold gourd on his body, made a seal, and drew out six drops of divine liquid that surrounded the red glow.
The phoenix chirps in the sky, and the magnificent fairy light illuminates the ancient temple. Six small divine phoenixes circle and dance, rendering the place almost like a fairyland. The aroma of the magical medicine is fragrant, rich and dense, exuding a gorgeous brilliance.
This is not the medicinal fragrance emitted by the medicinal liquid, but the magical aroma of the purple gold gourd.
Six drops of Divine Phoenix Medicine burst out of the air and landed in front of the two old men.
Su Yu looked at the old Taoist and said seriously: "I would like to invite senior to join the Qinglian Dynasty."
Looking at the elixir of elixir filled with chaotic energy in front of him, the old saint looked a little hesitant and sighed: "How can I, a man from the mountains, receive such a great gift?"
Princess Yueling was even more addicted, her limbs and bones were calling out, longing for the essence of the magic medicine, but she was restrained.
"True Phoenix Elixir." Gai Jiuyou was also a little absent-minded, with a complicated look on his face.
For the elixir, he traveled to countless ancient stars and spent countless time, but got nothing. Finally, he turned to the Qinling Mountains, hoping to enter the Immortal Pond and obtain the essence of dreams.
The elixir of immortality is very special. It is impossible to find it without fate, even for those who are about to become enlightened. Even if you are lucky enough to meet it, you still need to get the approval of the elixir, otherwise you will still not be able to achieve your wish.
"In addition to that person's unicorn, Golden Crow magical medicine, and an incomplete magical medicine. Who would have thought that that lineage would be so prosperous tens of thousands of years ago."
The sick old man sighed softly, and with a little finger, the divine light of the beginning flew out, and once again spread a layer on the outside of the emperor's energy, sealing the six drops of immortality medicine.
Hearing the old saint's words, Su Yu was slightly shaken. Su Yu's lips curled up slightly, revealing a smile. A wisp of time lines flew out from his fingertips, and he said gently: "Behind the Qinglian Dynasty is not the ancient royal family, but the Zishan lineage, and the ancient
Clan has nothing to do with it.”
"You're worrying too much, I don't care about this." The old saint shook his head, lowered his eyes, and with many thoughts in his heart, his tone became a little more relaxed.
"This is the fragment of the heavenly power created by Xiaoyao Tianzun!" Su Yu threw out a jade slip again with a calm expression.
The old Taoist priest frowned and remained silent, thinking about what he had learned.
"I heard the woodcutter's song earlier, 'No one can share the art of immortality with me, and the spring in the mountains will always sing.' This is the secret art of immortality created by the Changsheng Tianzun - Zhe Zi Jue!" Su Yu's eyes were filled with purple light, and a red rune was waved out.
, condensed into two red gold divine slips, and landed in front of the two of them.
"Zhe Zi Mi!"
The old saint's gaze was focused, and his eyes fell on the red gold sacred slip in front of his knees, with a complicated expression on his face.
As a monk who entered the Holy Realm in the Age of Ending Dharma, he was also proud and firmly believed in his own Taoism. However, as thousands of years were spent in vain and his life was approaching, he stalled on this path and ultimately failed to enter the Great Holy Realm.
If this incident hadn't happened, he would have passed away in two or three years and become nothing more than a handful of dirt in the world.
Gai Jiuyou on the side didn't have such worries. He was drinking the tea from the divine spring to enlighten himself. He was very comfortable and indulged in the Taoist realm.
After putting down the sacred jade lamp of Biluo, the sick old man glanced at the old sage and said, "Fellow Taoist, you should agree to it. The great age is about to begin. Now that fate has arrived, why should you hold back?"
"Forget it, in the end I still haven't seen it through, it would be better to see it in the world of mortals!"
The old Taoist priest let out a long sigh, waved his sleeves, collected the jade slips, gold slips, and divine phoenix medicine, stood up, saluted Su Yu, and accepted Su Yu's invitation.
After receiving the promise of the saint king's existence, Su Yu stood up, nodded slightly, and said with a chuckle: "Senior, if you practice the way of nature, you may like gardening, and you will have a lot to do in the Qinglian Dynasty!"
Faced with the congeniality of the ancient sage, he was very calm in his heart and was not worried about the other party's betrayal.
Although this person is also a descendant of the Cai family, in the original work, when he was passing away, he looked at the Qin Clan from a distance with a melancholy expression. He did not get the secret word "Bing" until his death, and he was obviously in a state of hostility with the Qin Clan. There may be a paragraph in it.
Love and Hatred.
Moreover, he has the Purple Mountain lineage at his back, which is enough to overwhelm everything and make this ancient sage return to his heart.
To recruit a saint queen for the Qinglian Dynasty, Su Yu looked at Gai Jiuyou, bowed and said: "Senior, it's not yet the time for Qinling Immortal Pond to be born. Cao Yusheng left some things with me for you."
"The time has not come..."
Gai Jiuyou was a little absent-minded, nodded, and agreed to Su Yu's request. He pointed it as a sword, and a green light bloomed in his hand. Dao lotuses bloomed, withered, and the clear light fell. He passed a volume of ancient scripture to Su.
feather.
In his opinion, this solicitation was also meant for him. Nowadays, to gain benefits from others, it is indeed necessary to eliminate disasters with others.
"The Book of Saviors." Su Yu raised his sword eyebrows slightly, feeling that he was about to be seen through by the other party.
The ruthless people often hide in the dragon's lair and dig ancient tombs. Gai Jiuyou gave him this ancient scripture...