The Favored Son of Heaven

Chapter 405: Beaten to Death

Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales

Fight together? Or one-by-one?

Cai Renying was not angry. Instead, she laughed. She had heard that this new martial artist from Sacred Martial Hall was fairly strong. When they first went to the lecture, he had occupied the front seat of the Sacred Martial Hall. It seemed that he really thought that there was no one else in the sacred land of martial arts Sacred Martial Hall, which was why he dared to talk so boastfully.

“Second senior sister, let me fight.” Kim Ji-Seok whispered as he stepped half a step forward, “This is a madman who doesn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth, it’s too much praise for him if you were to fight.”

Cai Renying gently stepped two steps back. Her eyes did not leave Qin Fen’s body, “Go.”

As Cai Renying moved back, the other martial artists that were surrounding the scene also stepped back. The tacit agreement gave these two people a more spacious area to fight to prevent themselves from being affected by the fight.

The people were very clear that this was not just a glorious tradition that the seniors carried out for the juniors. From the dialogue just now, they had already taken it a step higher, to the reputation of the sects. The fact that Qin Fen had defeated the personal disciples of Neo Taekwondo Bae Seong-Joon one after another had already caused enough damage to the reputation of Neo Taekwondo. If this situation were to continue to develop, others would then say that Neo Taekwondo was nothing compared to Qin Fen by the time Qin Fen had become even more famous.

When fights rose to the reputation of a sect, people getting killed would not be an exaggerated outcome. The people moved backward until they reached a distance of nearly fifty meters away before they finally stopped moving back.

Two lonely people were standing on the empty battlefield that had a diameter of a hundred meters. The chilly aura permeated every inch of space in the air.

Several honor seats in the surveillance room were each sitting in front of a display monitor as they silently watched the battle that normally would not have been noticed by a martial artist of their level.

Gao Yuan turned his head sneakily to look at the different expressions of the honor seats. He shook his head and smiled bitterly in silence. Qin Fen’s charm was really big. Ever since his battle with the great Wu Zun, they would all come to the monitoring room every day just to make a more detailed and profound observation of Qin Fen.

This level of attention had even exceeded the situation of when The Martial Madman entered the Sacred Martial Hall years ago.

Qin Fen looked carefully at the thirteen-star level martial artist Kim Ji-Seok in front of him. His hands and legs were both long, so his strikes would aim long and hit far. The range of the effective attack distance in his control was relatively larger.

The nervous emotions of the martial artists that were surrounding the scene caused their breathing to become slow and careful. All their eyes were focused on the two people on the field, guessing how long Qin Fen could resist before being defeated.

This was a battle of a huge difference between the star-level strengths. How would Qin Fen’s destructive power be when facing a thirteen-star level martial artist?

Kim Ji-Seok tipped his toes. His spine was undulating like a mountain and his tendinous muscles were shaking slightly. His body jumped to a position less than ten meters away from Qin Fen.

“Nice!”

The martial artists that were surrounding the scene gave subconscious praise as they saw this move. Taekwondo was born out of the Tang’s hands. The appearance of Neo Taekwondo was the re-creation of Bae Seong-Joon on the basis of its original form. It was rumored that he advocated innovation and integration, and had a judgment that all the world’s martial dao could be integrated.

Kim Ji-Seok’s movement earlier contained a dragon-shaped movement technique. He had developed his very own Neo Taekwondo gradually from the recent years of practicing in Sacred Martial Hall.

Cai Renying nodded with satisfaction. Her third junior brother had taken another step forward in the road of martial dao after a two-month retreat.

“I saw that when you jumped down from upstairs just now, there was a dragon shape hidden in your movement technique. I suppose you also want to be a Martial Dragon? This dragon, however, is not something just anyone can be.”

Kim Ji-Seok placed his hands behind his back like Qin Fen did. His spine was pushed up, and his blue veins trembled in succession. It somewhat resembled the power of a dragon that was about to break through the water. His slow speech had a kind of arrogance, like a senior giving guidance to his junior.

His voice was not loud, yet very clear and powerful. They traveled into the ears of all the young martial artists that were present.

Not only did Kim Ji-Seok want to win, he also wanted to win this fight in the most beautiful way. His words seemed plain, yet there were spirits hidden deeply in them that he wanted to attack Qin Fen, achieving the superior position even before the fight started.

“Dragons are not ordinary. How could a person who only had a thirteen-star strength at the age of thirty be a dragon? The strength you have at your age is considered a good talent in martial dao, but you are far from a genius.” Qin Fen lowered his eyes. His slightly long lashes showed a heroic spirit that was difficult to explain. His black warrior suit followed his straightening of posture to show an aura of power that was like the turbulence of mountains and rivers.

“Although my star-level strength is indeed not as good as yours, that doesn’t mean that you are stronger than me. I am still young, I have an unlimited future! When I reach your age, your strength might just be a bug in my eyes. ”

Qin Fen gave a long sigh, yet it was full of admirable pride and confidence.

Kim Ji-Seok’s eyes became fierce suddenly, a fierce light flashed and he wanted to speak.

The sound of Qin Fen’s sigh changed, and the sound that was as loud as the Earth sounded again, “You can’t, you can’t, you can’t be the successor of Bae Seong-Joon’s Neo Taekwondo.”

The two “you can’t” sounds were like an ancient prophecy that shook people’s spirits.

Kim Ji-Seok made a “hum” sound coldly. He held his fists and stopped talking. His shoulders trembled the moment he held his fists. His foreleg stepped half a step forward, and his hind leg stepped a small step backward. Then, he started throwing punches.

This movement caused the newly repaired asphalt road to crack immediately. The violent reaction thrust started from his feet to his legs, and then passed to his waist, ankles, shoulders, arms, and even fingers!

Neo Taekwondo Poomsae, Heaven Fist.

God is the root of all things, the base of self-cultivation, and the ultimate accomplishment of the things in the world. The key point of Heaven Fist was the slowness of the inertia and agility of rhythm that were integrated into the vast and boundless thoughts of Heaven Fist.

This punch made by Kim Ji-Seok gathered all the strength of his body. The momentum was strong like the sky. His whole person seemed to grow taller and bigger and had a hint of heavenly might.

A cold “hum”, and a mode of Heaven Fist showed the amazing strength of a thirteen-star martial artist! The young martial artists that were surrounding the scene were suffocated by the sudden rise of the aura of power that produced a bitter feeling in their chests.

Qin Fen’s eyelids were twitching non-stop. He who was in the combat ring could feel a state of force that others could not feel.

Murderousness! Kim Ji-Seok’s cold “hum” together with the appearance of the Heaven Fist was like a sudden hail in a clear sky. There was no gap between them. The chilly murderousness was hidden in the chest near the position of the heart by the aura of power of the Heaven fist, and a deadly poisonous dragon was hidden within the fierce and cold fist!

In just a moment, Qin Fen knew that this Kim Ji-Seok, who was around thirty years old, was far more powerful than Young Hades from the previous battle of life and death. How is this Heaven Fist used for a tournament? This Heaven Fist is used to kill! This fist was sharp like a knife, and it was as powerful as a long-barrelled gun. Just one fist was able to imply the idea of killing people.

Do you intend to kill me? Qin Fen’s eyes squinted and a cold light was beating frequently. The true energy perfused into his blood all over his body like a rumbling river, but his body did not have the ferocious change like it had before. However, his skin and muscles became brighter and stronger.

The Dragon Transformation Hammer that was in his hands gave a roar of the dragon and smashed toward the wrist of Kim Ji-Seok’s Heaven Fist. The perfect aura of power of Heaven Fist broke instantly. It turned into a seven-inch poisonous snake that was about to be hit. Kim Ji-Seok stepped half a step backward immediately.

Qin Fen’s breakpoint was extremely accurate. When Kim Ji-Seok drew backward, his whole body was pulled backward. His right leg bounced suddenly, and his legs chopped toward Qin Fen’s Dragon Transformation Hammer like knives.

This kick was like a thunderous drum that created a huge momentum! There was no hidden taste before the sudden outburst and it only showed its sharp edge at the moment it left the ground, just like a jade knife that was taken out of its sheath.

Neo Taekwondo was born out of Taekwondo, and the skilled leg method was naturally not thrown away. This foot was several times more powerful than the previous Heaven Fist!

Qin Fen did not retreat but instead attacked. At the same time, he lifted his left foot and kicked back, stepping on Kim Ji-Seok’s Jitae! His body turned back and the muscles on his back cracked like diamonds. The Twisting Single Mountain Thrust of Arhat Fist was like a small mobile armor that was hitting the opponent’s chest fiercely.

“A good Twisting Single Mountain Thrust move! A good change in move at a critical juncture!”

When Kim Ji-Seok was facing such a violent impact from Qin Fen, he was cautious. His pupils reduced to the size of a needle tip. He could feel the wind Qin Fen had caused when he turned. The strong wind was like a wind wall crashing on him. His eyebrows and hair were swaying under this gust of strong wind. He felt as if he did not put on a helmet while riding a motorcycle at a speed of one hundred and twenty kilometers per hour. His whole face was burning painfully.

Qin Fen’s body was half a meter away from Kim Ji-Seok’s body, and Kim Ji-Seok felt that the pressure was rising. The strong wind that was pushing toward him felt as though someone slapped a fully-inflated basketball onto his face.

He knew very well that if his chest was hit, it wouldn’t be a matter where. He would only be spitting up mouthfuls of blood. It was even not impossible for his sternum to break. Neo Taekwondo’s protective cultivation art was far less effective than attacking actively.

Kim Ji-Seok’s strength broke out again in the face of Qin Fen’s aggressive counterattack. His single leg that was supporting the floor inflated suddenly, as though the foot was buried with an explosive bomb. His body retreated quickly and stretched the distance between the two people again.

At the moment the distance was stretched out, Kim Ji-Seok’s legs rotated like a wind around Qin Fen at high speed. Three Kim Ji-seeks had appeared on the field at that moment.

Neo Taekwondo emphasized the most on the lower body. The leg art didn’t just have simple attacks, it was equally amazing when it moved! His legs appeared from different positions at the same time instantly, and every location was a fatal point of Qin Fen. It was as if there were three Kim Ji-Seoks fighting at the same time.

Qin Fen’s goosebumps inflated to a size of mung beans in an instant. Kim Ji-Seok really wanted to kill him! Every foot seemed like a virtual move, but it could be turned into a real move at any time. Even if it was kicking a one-inch thick steel plate, it would still be enough to break it, much less a person, especially when the locations that were attacked were the larynx, the cervical vertebra, Yuzhen[1], the lower yin, the heart, and the backcourt!

Kim Ji-Seok’s eyes became even more fierce. Initially, he had only thought of killing Qin Fen with a fist. He did not think that the strength of his opponent’s immediate reaction was so strong. Qin Fen was able to judge accurately between retreating and attacking. The strength of a thirteen-star level actually wasn’t able to win in an instant. This would be a disgrace to the reputation of Neo Taekwondo if it was spread out. I must kick him to death!

Qin Fen screamed. His bones of his ten fingers cracked, transforming into a dragon’s mouth and clawed toward Kim Ji-Seok’s fast legs. It was the Dragon’s Bite Sword of Dragon Fist.

This was originally a skill of the joints, yet Qin Fen didn’t grab onto his ankle. Instead, he grabbed his opponent’s leg directly.

Kim Ji-Seok’s eyes flashed a hint of happiness, This is a good opportunity! How can the power of the palm be comparable to the strength of the upper leg? I will kick your hand into a broken first!

Qin Fen didn’t wait until Kim Ji-Seok kicked. Both his left and right foot landed on the ground at the same time. Before the rumbling sounds blew out from the surface, the person had already torn apart the air that blocked in front of him and flew out. Both his hands were the Dragon Cannon of the Martial Emperor Dragon Fists!

The distance between the two people was less than one meter. In the one-thousandth of a second when Kim Ji-Seok used his legs, the speed of his figure reduced suddenly. This moment was enough for Qin Fen to pounce in front of him!

With the speed of the Dragon Cannon, even if Kim Ji-Seok did not reduce his speed, there was no problem for Qin Fen to assault him in such a short distance.

The reason Qin Fen did this was to tell the other party that this attack was not only the overwhelming advantage of his combat power but that he was also way better than his opponent in terms of his fighting method and his ability to grasp time! More importantly, it was to not give someone standing at a distance a chance to help at any time.

Kim Ji-Seok felt the strong pressure that was like a cannonball hitting hard on his chest when a body that was shaped like a dragon appeared in front of his eyes suddenly. Qin Fen’s body that was not considered huge became taller and bigger with the arising aura of power. It seemed like the legendary giant god that had come down to earth.

“No...” Cai Renying opened her red lips and her beautiful eyes flashed with surprise. The body vacated out from the combat ring and fell off the ground just like a cannonball.

At this moment, it wasn’t just Cai Renying. Almost everyone that was watching the combat could feel the murderous aura of Qin Fen clearly. It was not merely a fight between two parties, but it was a clear intention to kill.

Murder!

When this word appeared in Kim Ji-Seok’s mind, Qin Fen’s cold eyes and Dragon Cannon landed on him.

This was the favorite disciple of Neo Taekwondo Bae Seong-Joon. The sound of a broken sternum rang and disappeared in a flash. The skin on his back was swollen. The red flesh and bones that became powder spouted out. The spirit in his pupil disappeared instantly, and his breath became nihility immediately. There was no trace of signs to battle at all.

Kim Ji-Seok’s body had yet to fall on the ground when Cai Renying had already rushed into the combat ring, and the sound of friction made by the loose Neo Taekwondo suit in the air was extremely loud. It was like two wooden sticks colliding. To save her junior brother, her speed had reached her limit!

A large number of young martial artists that were surrounding the scene felt that their eyes blurred. She had already reached the top of Qin Fen, spread her five fingers like a claw and pressed down. The claws were firm and fierce. Although they were only covering Qin Fen’s head, it gave a feeling that this palm was like Buddha patting a monkey.

Taibai!

Tanjun’s founding myth was connected with the state of Korea’s mythology. It was also the root of the spirit of the state of Korea. The beginning of the historical tradition of the Manchu ancestors was then rumored to be the sacred mountain of the State of Korea.

The practice of Taibai was the historical imprint of the State of Korea. Taibai contained the history of the State of Korea that had opened the myth. It was the fist intent of the combination of the spirit and the body.

The claw was the mountain! When this claw came down, it was the mythological Buddha that turned his wrist into Five Fingers Mountain that controlled the monkeys that created chaos in the heavenly palace.

Qin Fen’s body shook slightly. His body did what was similar to that of Wu Zun the other day. Each block of muscles and bones turned at the same time.

Huala!

All the joints in Qin Fen’s body sounded at the same time, and the sound was more powerful than Wu Zun’s that day. It was as if everyone in a mahjong room was colliding thousands of mahjong tiles at the same time.

Every bone and muscle in Qin Fen’s body was drawing their own circles at the moment of electric and light flint, creating a faint resonance between them. The mutual oscillation did not erupt a similar supreme softness like Wu Zun. Instead, the supreme softness power transformed into a supreme rigidity in an instant.

He raised his right arm over his head and cut through the air, and the sound made by the friction was like the roar of dozens of dragons in the ascension. Eighteen strips of true energy entangled with each other and rushed to the fist. The outbreak power had exceeded the power of ten elephants! Although the true energy could not breakthrough the body, it could compress the air before the fist to form a punch pressure that was visible to the naked eye!

“This punch... has reached its ultimate...”

Just as Qin Fen slammed Eighteen Dragons Gathering Clouds, Sakra’s heart was touched and his eyes burst with light. This punch had exerted Qin Fen’s fist intent and his eleven-star strength to the limit he could exert.

At the moment Sakra’s heart was touched, Qin Fen’s fist power had been formed fully and slammed out.

This was a punch that broke the stone and shocked the sky. Qin Fen made this punch under the threat of Cai Renying’s fourteen-star strength by compressing all the martial arts techniques that he had seen, came into contact, and learned within these days.

This was not a punch that he achieved mastery through a comprehensive study of the fist. It was a fist that involved a large number of martial arts that Qin Fen had digested, absorbed, as well as those that he had yet digested and absorbed!

Honghonghong!

Huge waves rolled up and strong currents shot up to the sky. Qin Fen lowered his waist and crouched to jump up as he shook. His whole body seemed as though it was a flying dragon that was about to break the sky.

Qin Fen’s fist was like eighteen dragons that wrapped around the golden cudgel that brought power and good fortune. It was also like Mount Buzhou that supported the sky and land in ancient mythology!

An artifact-like fist hurled into the heart of Cai Renying’s claw!

The fists and palms collided, and the sound of iron pillars colliding sounded immediately. The young martial artists surrounding the scene had a hallucination when they heard the sound. It was as though the collision was not that of the arms, but two mobile armors that were in close-range combat.

The fists and palms intersected. The ground under Qin Fen’s Flying Dragon Soaring shattered into countless pieces of tar, and the fragments splintered into the sky.

Cai Renying’s shoulders trembled vigorously. Her body made a turn backward in the air, and her eyes flashed with a light of disbelief. She never imagined her punch that was combined with her national historical imprint could be accepted by Qin Fen. At the same time he accepted the punch, he even made a vigorous counterattack.

The opportunity to launch the first counterattack was lost, and there was a feeling of being at a disadvantage.

Cai Renying couldn’t believe it. Qin Fen was an eleven-star martial artist, how could he break out a punch with such a strong fist intent? The purity of true energy was even more amazing. The huge weird power together with the strength exploded by the true energy was actually not weaker than the strength of a fourteen-star level martial artist?

At the next moment, Cai Renying left the shock, doubts, and other distracting thoughts at the back of her mind. Although the collision just now did not save her junior brother and kill Qin Fen, she heard unruly blood flow oscillation of Qin Fen at the moment their hands collided.

Qin Fen was injured!

Cai Renying was a hundred percent sure that Qin Fen must have suffered internal injury from that attack. It may not be huge, but it was enough to change the course of the combat.

The moment Cai Renying’s toes touched the earth, she had already entered the Yiru realm of Neo Taekwondo.

There was a high monk named Yuan Xiao that said in Silla, “To live was to live by all kinds of laws, to perish was to live by the same skeleton. God told us to avoid the three boundaries of human beings, how could we avoid it when it was in the heart.”

Yiru: to combine the body and the spirit.

Yizhe: “there was only one, regardless of point, line or face”, all could be combined into one.

Yiru was the combination of equal strength and balance in the body and the spirit to achieve the highest realm.

It was nothing to be at a disadvantage. Cai Renying’s heart was no longer in shock. She had more confidence to kill Qin Fen. Having three personal disciples of Neo Taekwondo lose to the same person was already enough reason to kill him. Now, her third junior brother had been killed by him right in front of her. There was more reason for Qin Fen to die, and he must even be cut into eight pieces to get rid of her hatred in heart!

Qin Fen took Cai Renying’s Taibai and felt his chest burning. All the blood in his body was boiling as if it was boiling in a hot pot. He felt a hint of the sweetness of blood in his throat.

I can’t stop! Attack! I must attack! Qin Fen’s body rushed to Cai Renying before his thoughts. Even if he didn’t kill Kim Ji-Seok just now, it would just be nurturing a tiger that brought calamity. The other party would never be grateful. They would only think about how they lost their pride by being defeated in the eyes of the public and they would wait for another opportunity to retaliate.

It was not scary to fight face to face, what was truly scary was a cold arrow from the dark! Since Kim Ji-Seok had the intention to kill, and three brothers had lost to the same person, it was not impossible that he would use dirty tactics. This person was in a mighty spirit when he fought. There was even a poisonous dragon hidden in his Heaven Fist. Qin Fen could judge from this point that he was a person that would use off-the-counter tactics for revenge after he was defeated.

Cai Renying looked at Qin Fen’s situation that was like a mad dragon and was more confident in killing Qin Fen after sticking to several moves.

Dragon Cannon, Eighteen Dragons Gathering Clouds, Extermination of an Entire Family, Annihilation of the Whole Clan, Vermillion Bird Spear Shot, Golden Lion Pound!

Qin Fen started his main attack and made big moves repeatedly in the blink of an eye. It struck Cai Renying’s confidence in the blink of an eye, and there was even a faint regret in her heart*. I should have attacked when he was disadvantaged to see if I could’ve snatched the advantage. How can this young man have no sign of exhaustion after using so many moves?*

Qin Fen was completely in advantage and was dominating all the attacks. Even his fist was spread out thoroughly in this world. All the things that he learned, understood, even those martial dao that he did not understand but only remembered at Sacred Martial Hall was bursting like a super explosive well.

At this moment, Qin Fen had forgotten that he wanted to kill this opponent that was more terrible than Kim Ji-Seok. He had also forgotten that if he was defeated, he would be beaten to death by his opponent. He had even forgotten the ancient books, records, and studies about Dragon Fist that he saw those days in Secret Art Pavillion. He had also forgotten that his opponent was a definite fourteen-star level martial art master.

He had forgotten everything and even forgotten himself. All of these were instincts! At this moment, Qin Fen finally broke out the comments that Xue Tian had told everyone privately on ordinary days.

“If I am a genius in martial arts, remembering anything that I have read and touched just once, then Qin Fen is a War God!”

Qin Fen was in an oblivious state, like a War God that came to earth. He threw away all his scruples, and his performance was even greater than the day he fought with Wu Zun.

The fierce fist technique was increasing in layers. Cai Renying was a fourteen-star level martial artist who could only retreat and take cover to not let him attack.

In a twinkling of an eye, Qin Fen’s figure suddenly rose again in the aura, splitting dozens of palms in succession.

Raging Berserker Tide, the palms that were like a huge tsunami. Even if it was a city built with reinforced concrete, it could be swept away and swallowed completely in an instance.

The palms were all tsunami that destroyed the city! Humanity could not compete with it.

Cai Renying’s heart was still calm. The realm of Yiru was still not broken, but her body had shown a slight decline as she retreated. When facing the constant growth of the fist intent, it seemed that it was no longer a tsunami, but the legendary Sea God Poseidon.

“It was only an illusion.” Cai Renying received the palms from Qin Fen one by one. Although her legs were rooted on the ground, they were still struck by the fierce force. Her heart was at the realm of Yiru, but it returned Qin Fen’s divine dao fist.

Cai Renying’s spirit was very strong, especially when three of her junior brothers were defeated in the same martial artist’s hands. She even saw one of her junior brother being killed under those hands. Her persistent killing intention made her spirit stronger.

They were all fourteen-star level martial artists. However, if Gao Yuan or Ren Tiansheng were replaced to fight with Qin Fen, their hearts would’ve definitely collapse under Qin Fen’s divine dao.

Cai Renying still bore on with her last line of defense. She was like an ark in the tsunami. No matter how the Sea God provoked a huge tsunami, she could still wander on the sea and wait for Sea God to calm his anger.

In the blink of an eye, Cai Renying took the Raging Berserker Tide from Qin Fen!

The Raging Berserker Tide that ruined the city and the fist intent from Sea God was taken by her completely.

This shall be the time... Cai Renying’s thoughts had not flashed completely, and Qin Fen’s new round of attacks had broken out again!

The thick long whistle rushed out of Qin Fen’s vocal cord concussion. Qin Fen’s aura of power was like a nine-day divine dragon that broke out of the sea. The roar of the dragon shook the souls of the young martial artists that were surrounding the scene!

At a moment, everyone understood the thoughts of Qin Fen! That was the extreme pursuit of martial dao!

In the dragon roar of the Soaring Dragon, Qin Fen’s spine moved like a huge dragon. Once again, there was the Eighteen Dragons Gathering Clouds.

The aura of power of this fist rose again with the help of the dragon whistle. This had already broken through the so-called limit by Sakra. At this moment, Qin Fen made a certain breakthrough in his martial dao once again. This fist was no longer a fist to kill the enemy. This was a fist that included Qin Fen’s life, a stubborn fist that included all his beliefs for martial artists.

A fist like the soaring dragon! Cai Renying crossed her arms in front of her chest, and the light in her eyes was bursting. Her blood and skeleton were moved by the true energy oscillation in her whole body. She knew that as long as she received this punch from Qin Fen, the combat would end! This would be the last punch from Qin Fen!

Peng!

The fist hit on Cai Renying’s arms but did not stop at all. She only felt that her arms were lightened up suddenly, and then saw that her crossed arms in front of her chest were broken by this punch!

The punch had broken through its limit and smashed the defense of Cai Renying completely. The bones and skin of her arms were also broken, the pale bones in the fresh blood were extremely unpleasing to look at.

The fist hit non-stop on her lower abdomen hard...

Peng!

This second personal disciple of the Neo Taekwondo State of Korea Martial God Bae Seong-Joon, a tough-spirited martial artist with a fourteen-star level, a martial artist that could kill decisively, still could not take the fist from Qin Fen that broke through its limit.

The fist tore her lower abdomen, and Cai Renying’s upper body flew up and fell heavily on the ground after her lower body fell to the ground.