Chapter 201: Wang Hu VS the Dragon King
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Jin Qiong’s face was sullen. If possible, he did not want to battle this Di Zun to death right now.
The reason for this was simple: even though he had the trump card which his Father gave him, this trump card could not be used frequently; it had a limit on the maximum number of times it could be used.
?
It was an extremely valuable means of preserving one’s life; certainly, he did not want to use it up so quickly.
It would be even better if he did not have to use it at all. In that case, he could fully own this trump card.
Moreover, they were not in the best condition. It was not the best timing to duel.
He took a deep breath to repress a bit of his impulse and said coldly, “Di Zun, do you really plan on developing a deadly feud with us?”
Wang Hu raised his brows and started to turn impatient. He said domineeringly, “I shall remind you one last time, show me whatever new tactics you have. If you can’t make me feel interested, all of you shall die.”
Jin Qiong and the dragons were enraged. They felt that this Di Zun was using them for amusement…
Moreover, he was telling them to entertain him.
This was downright humiliating for their noble and proud Dragon Clan!
“Insolent!”
“Impertinent!”
“Di Zun, you are courting death.”
…
The dragons yelled and shot daggers at Wang Hu.
Jin Qiong was also fully aware now that the battle could not be avoided.
He snorted and said coldly, “Di Zun, since you wish for death, we will surely fulfill your wish.”
Growl!
The dragons growled after one another, and the two superior-grade Dharma treasures—the Ocean-Suppressing Seal and the Water-Controlling Flag—glowed even brighter. The 150 water dragons immediately growled at the same time.
The next moment, all the dragons dashed towards Wang Hu in unison.
Wang Hu remained unmoved. Part of his battle spirit, which had been accumulating within him, was released.
The resplendent golden beam instantly burned like a raging flame.
At the same time, it had become extremely piercing.
In the blink of an eye, the flame-like piercing blades converged to form a beam.
Roar!
The tiger roar rang, and the beam transformed into a sword—a sword that could slash everything, even dividing the mountains and separating the seas.
When the golden beam flashed, it severed a water dragon that blocked the path and struck powerfully on the golden shield.
Boom!
Blasts sounded again, and the two golden-colored powers contended without yielding against each other in a deadlock.
Jin Qiong and the dragons looked at the golden beam, and their expressions changed dramatically.
How could this be?
Bang!
Another blast sounded. This time, the golden beam disappeared, and the golden shield remained. However, Jin Qiong and the dragons’ expressions did not change for the better.
All of them felt the same shock and panic.
This Di Zun became stronger!
Moreover, it wasn’t stronger by only a little.
They were not in their best condition right now. Yet, this Di Zun’s attack in his Dao form was able to make them feel immensely pressured.
He had turned stronger by leaps compared to their previous battle.
How could this be?
How could this Di Zun improve by so much when he’s still at the Divine Body Realm?
Unbelievable.
It didn’t make sense no matter how they thought of it.
“You—!” Jin Qiong looked at the figure, trying to say something but was unable to.
He did not know what to say. Previously, his pride and jealousy were shattered by his opponent.
Now, other than becoming even more helpless, all he could feel was shock.
Wang Hu moved to the side to dodge some attacks from the water dragons. He looked down at the Overturn Oceans Formation and became impatient.
Since they have no more new tactics, then they shall die.
Just then—
“Third Prince, this Di Zun has turned stronger. It will be hard for the Overturn Oceans Formation to withstand his attacks. Let’s use the thing that Prince gave.”?One of the golden dragons sent a telepathic message to Jin Qiong, and its tone was grave.
Jin Qiong did not hesitate and nodded. He extended his palm, and a physical golden dragon appeared. As divine power poured out, the golden dragon immediately moved.
Growl!
An incredibly majestic and domineering dragon growl was heard, and it echoed across the entire ocean.
Wherever the sound traveled to, the tumultuous ocean became slightly calm, and the water seemed to be expressing their submission.
The 200 human Third Realms rushing towards the site felt their bodies stiffen.
They sensed a pressure weighing on their souls, which made them feel reverent unconsciously.
Wang Hu’s gaze flickered, and he stopped himself from transforming into his original form. He looked at the little dragon that flew within the Overturn Oceans Formation with interest.
In the next moment, the little dragon turned into a slightly faint projection of a Dao form.
It appeared to be middle-aged and had two horns on its head. It was also wearing a crown, and an intense air of regalness emanated from the figure.
“Greetings, Dragon King (Father)!”
Jin Qiong, the dragons, and the entire marine species troops immediately greeted reverently. Even the attack of the water dragons stopped.
The faint projection raised its hand, and a majestic voice was heard, “Please rise.”
“Thank you, Dragon King (Father)!”
Jin Qiong, the dragons, and the marine species troops regained their standing posture, but their reverence remained visible on their faces.
The bottom of the ocean was suddenly filled with an unusual silence.
All the gazes looked at the two figures.
The two beings looked at each other as they tried to assess one another.
An undetectable solemnness flashed across Wang Hu’s eyes.
Dragon King!
A Ground Limits Realm!
He knew very well what the Dragon King meant after checking Hei Fan’s memories.
To claim oneself as King in the Dragon Clan, one must be a Fourth Realm—Ground Limits Realm—elite.
Hence, in the dragons’ world, they were also called the Ground Limits King Realm.
He understood quite a lot about the Ground Limits Realm from Silly Girl.
As the name suggested, Divine Body Realm was to nurture one’s divine body and to push the body’s strength to the maximum.
Ground Limits Realm was different. In this realm, the strength of Dao was what mattered.
Dao was the cultivation realm and core, where a greater strength was acquired.
The simplest way to explain Dao was that it was laws.
The various special abilities were utilization and demonstration of Dao, which were also laws.
The Ground Limits Realm far surpassed that of the Divine Body Realm.
Even for Wang Hu himself, he was far lacking.
If he really met a Ground Limits Realm, he would just leave.
However, this Dragon King obviously wasn’t in his original body.
As Wang Hu assessed the Dragon King, the Golden Dragon King was also assessing him carefully.
His dragon eyes scanned the figure up and down.
Subtle killing intent and wariness flashed across his eyes.
The higher his status was, the more he understood how incredibly great the opponent’s potential was for a Divine Body Realm to have such prowess.
It was a potential that made even him feel jealous and incompetent.
He was clear that this Di Zun did not reach Ground Limits Realm only because he was restricted by the world’s limits, not because he wasn’t capable.
By the time this Di Zun broke through, he could not fathom how strong this Di Zun would be.
He had to kill this tiger when it was still early.
Hence, he braved the risks and sent his clone.
His murderous intent intensified. However, he had to appear magnanimous with his current status, and he kept his blood thirst to himself.
“Di Zun?”
A cold voice with indisputable dominance was heard.
It was also accompanied by a sense of haughtiness that looked down on Wang Hu.
Wang Hu was no longer impatient. His dominance that had been strengthened from being invincible on Earth became even more assertive and commanding.
“You are the King of these creepy crawlies.”
The cold and dominant voice made the Golden Dragon King feel enraged.
Not only were the words a humiliation, but he could also tell that Wang Hu said ‘creepy crawly’ not because he wanted to provoke the Dragon King intentionally.
It was because, in the eyes of this Di Zun, their Dragon Clan was truly just creepy crawlies.
The disdain that this Di Zun had for them was even more humiliating than mere words.
Jin Qiong and the dragons became even more aggravated. They were already feeling confident about winning once the Dragon King appeared.
They certainly could tolerate the humiliation from this Di Zun.
Had it not been because the Dragon King was here, they wanted to lash out.
“What an arrogant Di Zun! I cherish talent, and I originally thought of sparing your life. But since you wish to die, I shall fulfill your wish.”
The Golden Dragon King said with menacing dominance.
“Really? With your clone?” Wang Hu said with disdain.
“Hmph! I shall let you know the price of provoking me.” The Golden Dragon King no longer repressed his murderous intent, and golden strips of light flashed across his body.
“Ha,” Wang Hu snorted. His urge to fight was already accumulated to the maximum, and he looked at his opponents with contempt. “Sure, if you don’t make me feel surprised, then all of you creepy crawlies have to die today.”
“Impudent!” the Golden Dragon King bellowed, and he instructed: “Overturn Oceans Formation.”
Jin Qiong and the dragons took a second to react, and they ran the Overturn Oceans Formation at full capacity.
With a wave of the Golden Dragon King’s hand, the Ocean-Suppressing Seal and the Water-Controlling Flag fell into his hands.
In the next moment, the water dragons dispersed, and a formidable power surged from the Ocean-Suppressing Seal and the Water-Controlling Flag into the Golden Dragon King’s body.
It immediately made his slightly faint figure turn more defined, and his air of dominance was intensified.
A golden flash covered Wang Hu’s eyes, and he activated the Tiger’s Spirit Golden Eyes.
The power of the Golden Dragon King seemed to be the power of the Overturn Oceans Formation.
“Impudent lowly creature! This world is strange, and I couldn’t bring much power over.
“But it also gives you the chance to witness another usage of the Overturn Oceans Formation.
“I’ll let you die feeling honored.”
The Golden Dragon King seemed to be talking to Wang Hu, as well as to Jin Qiong and the dragons.
They understood that it was still because of the world passage.
Wang Hu’s thoughts were also confirmed.
If the clone of this Dragon King could bring a huge amount of power over, then this world passage would have become useless.
In the future, the elites could all enter Earth by creating clones.
The clone of this Dragon King was probably at the Fifth Floor…
That was why it wanted to utilize the power of the Overturn Oceans Formation.
Wang Hu snorted to himself and was fearless.
In the span of a breath, the air of the Golden Dragon King stabilized and became as powerful as the ocean.
The Golden Dao form stepped out of the shield and bellowed, “Although this is still far from the Ground Limits Realm, it’s already enough to deal with an impudent lowly creature like you.”
“Worms will be worms. I would like to know how much nonsense you are capable of,” said Wang Hu nonchalantly.
The Golden Dragon King snorted. He did not continue to say a word and slammed his hand down.
An immense golden power slammed down heavily like a tangible ocean.
Wang Hu’s eyes narrowed. The power made even him feel suffocated, and he did not intend to face it head-on.
His figure flashed and disappeared.
Boom!
A series of explosions sounded. At the smack of the Golden Dragon King’s hand, the area hundreds of meters in front of him immediately became a vacuum.
Everything, even the waters, was disintegrated.
In the next moment, a golden beam arrived behind the Golden Dragon King. It was Wang Hu. He attacked with a powerful smack.
The Golden Divine Body Realm was composed. His soul was at the Ground Limits Realm, which was far more powerful than that of the Divine Body Realm.
Hence, no matter how fast this Di Zun was, he was still capable of seeing the tiger’s movement.
Appearing to be prepared, he turned around and faced Wang Hu’s attack with his own. An even stronger power was released, sending the ocean into tremors.
The two powers were about to collide.
However, with lightning speed, Wang Hu’s palm turned over, and his power was quickly retracted despite the impossible circumstances. His figure flashed and appeared at the side of the Golden Dragon King.
He quickly attacked with his palm, and the speed of the attack was astounding.
The Golden Dragon King could not believe what just happened.?How was it possible?
His divine senses reacted, but his body and strength could not react in time.
All he could do was direct all of his remaining power to his side.
Boom!
Two blasts sounded one after another.
The first blast came from the smack of the Golden Dragon King. The other blast was the sound of Wang Hu’s palm striking the Dragon King’s body.
A burly figure was thrown back, smashing into the waters.
However, this was not the end. Another even faster beam chased towards it, and powerful strikes were released continuously at the figure thrown into the distance.
Boom!
Blasts sounded one after another, and the figure was flung out again and again.
Just then, Jin Qiong and the dragons finally reacted, and they looked dumbfounded at the figure that was flung away.
Father (Dragon King)…?
Growl!
Suddenly, a rabid dragon growl rang, and an unfathomable power detonated like a volcanic eruption.
Wang Hu’s figure was thrust backward, and his attacks were forced to stop.
The Golden Dragon King stabilized his body, and he stared at the figure standing in the distance and looked at him haughtily with a mix of wrath and shame.
An intense murderous intent filled his body and chilled his bones.
Damn it!
He had never been so embarrassed for many years, to be suppressed by a Divine Body Realm.
Furthermore, it happened in front of so many subordinates.
As he thought, the power of the Overturn Oceans Formation charged into his body again. His body, which had turned faint from being continuously attacked and from a sudden outburst of power, became more substantial again.
However, he did not hurry to attack. Instead, he recalled the events that happened.
His opponent’s speed, speed in attacking, speed in the circulation of divine power, and the speed in retracting power…
All of them were simply unfathomable.
Under those circumstances, his opponent could even retract his powers and still remained so quick when it circulated again.
When the attack struck him, his body and divine power could not respond in time.
The subsequent attacks that followed were all struck at full power, almost as if it did not require time to muster the divine power at all.
He did not even get the time to circulate divine power to block the attacks. Eventually, he could only waste power in an outburst to thrust the opponent away to buy time for adjustment.
His opponent’s power was abnormal.
He needed an even stronger power to subdue his opponent.
As he thought about things, he waved his hand and drew another burst of power from the Overturn Oceans Formation into his body.
Immediately, the air surrounding his body became more powerful.
Wang Hu, who stood in the distance after being forced to stop his attacks, was also not in a hurry to attack. He was also observing his opponent.
He obtained a lot of information from the short exchange of attacks.
This Dragon King clone was not a true body. It did not even have an ounce of blood in it.
After being struck, only power would be exhausted, and it would not be injured at all.
His opponent exhausted a lot of power. Its body turned faint and had to draw power from the Overturn Oceans Formation to recover.
However, how much more energy could the Dragon Clan troops, which were already exhausted, give for the Dragon King to use?
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep
Chapters
- Chapter 234End - Troublesome, Burdensome
- Chapter 233 - Unreasonable
- Chapter 232 - An Old Married Couple
- Chapter 231 - Di Baijuns New Hobby
- Chapter 230 - The Peak of Foxs Life
- Chapter 229 - Turn into the Queen
- Chapter 228 - The One who Spoiled the Children the Most
- Chapter 227 - Try Out Those Few Postures
- Chapter 226 - Old Second and the Others are Having Too Easy a Time with Cultivation
- Chapter 225 - Alarmed and Terrified
- Chapter 224 - Avoiding It for more than Two Days
- Chapter 223 - Impressive Looks
- Chapter 222 - Hands that were Asking for It, Guilt
- Chapter 221 - So Adorable
- Chapter 220 - Deep Waters, Meeting Again
- Chapter 219 - Li Shimins Tomb
- Chapter 218 - Su Ling Learning Bewitching Special Ability
- Chapter 217 - The Fury of the Demon King of Nowhere
- Chapter 216 - The Future of China?
- Chapter 215 - One and Only Wife
- Chapter 214 - Discussing with the Human Alliances
- Chapter 213 - The World that Silly Girl Originally Came From
- Chapter 212 - Silly Girls Way of Teaching
- Chapter 211 - Tigresses are simply so Territorial
- Chapter 210 - Mei Ji, Zhou Yu
- Chapter 209 - Zhu Hongming, Liu Jixiu
- Chapter 208 - China isnt Normal
- Chapter 207 - The Icy-Cold Woman
- Chapter 206 - Transition, Eleven Years
- Chapter 205 - After the Battle
- Chapter 204 - Miao Minger, Going Home
- Chapter 203 - The Life-Saving Cat
- Chapter 202 - White Tiger Battle Art Second Stage
- Chapter 201 - Wang Hu VS the Dragon King
- Chapter 200 - Destruction, Dont Be a Busybody
- Chapter 199 - Time to End the Feud
- Chapter 198 - The Responsibility of a Husband, The Insanity of Japan
- Chapter 197 - Hes Pretty Full of Himself
- Chapter 196 - Invading Japan
- Chapter 195 - A Way to Become Stronger
- Chapter 194 - Battle, Nothing They Could Do
- Chapter 193 - Di Zun
- Chapter 192 - Wang Hus Peak Combat Power
- Chapter 191 - The Loneliness of Being Invincible
- Chapter 190 - Discussing with the Human Leaders
- Chapter 189 - Submit to the Tiger King, Ji Nation
- Chapter 188 - Water Flooded the Land
- Chapter 187 - Gifting Women to the Tiger King?
- Chapter 186 - Ask the Tiger King to Fight
- Chapter 185 - Spirit-Controlling Sutra, Invasion of the Dragon Clan
- Chapter 184 - Protagonist Mode?
- Chapter 183 - Snakes are Restrained by Cats
- Chapter 182 - One Mushroom after Another
- Chapter 181 - All Kinds of Rationalization
- Chapter 180 - The Battle between Two Dragons
- Chapter 179 - The Capital Fell into Chaos
- Chapter 178 - The Humans Retreated, 12 Alliances
- Chapter 177 - The Third Tomb
- Chapter 176 - The Tiger Kings Caves System and Path
- Chapter 175 - Huge Rewards
- Chapter 174 - A Married Couple doesnt Talk about Whos Right and Whos Wrong
- Chapter 173 - Daddy is So Awesome
- Chapter 172 - Sleeping Quietly
- Chapter 171 - Cripple and Subdue All the Five Species
- Chapter 170 - Kill Your Entire Species
- Chapter 169 - Tiger Roar Shook the World
- Chapter 168 - Untitled
- Chapter 167 - Wang Hus Speed Was Unparalleled
- Chapter 166 - You can Forget about Getting onto the Bed
- Chapter 165 - A Leader that Says Nice Things and Curries Favor
- Chapter 164 - All Kinds of Spoils
- Chapter 163 - As Servants and Slaves
- Chapter 162 - Humiliating the Demon King of Nowhere
- Chapter 161 - I Call the Shots Now
- Chapter 160 - Big and Round Bear
- Chapter 159 - A Real Married Couple
- Chapter 158 - Battling Silly Girl
- Chapter 157 - An Interesting Little Girl
- Chapter 156 - The Mysterious Legacy Activates
- Chapter 155 - Pain and Suffering Descends
- Chapter 154 - Most of Wang Hus Combat Power
- Chapter 153 - Entrapment Plan
- Chapter 152 - The China Alliance
- Chapter 151 - Chinas Inclusivity
- Chapter 150 - We Mustnt Sit and Wait to Die
- Chapter 149 - Massacre
- Chapter 148 - Atomic Bombs are the Strongest
- Chapter 147 - Splitting North Korea
- Chapter 146 - Spiritual Energy Suddenly Increases, Unification into One Plan
- Chapter 145 - The Possibility of Countries Merging
- Chapter 144 - Silly Girl Picked Up Bad Habits
- Chapter 143 - The Two Women Meet
- Chapter 142 - Extreme Dao Special Ability, Demoness
- Chapter 141 - Wait and See How Ill Crush You
- Chapter 140 - Another Holy Tribunal of The Third Eye
- Chapter 139 - New Position
- Chapter 138 - Incredible Naming Skills
- Chapter 137 - The Tiger Kings Caves Martial Arts Tournament
- Chapter 136 - The Four Great Animal Kings of the North, South, East, and West
- Chapter 135 - It Died
- Chapter 134 - The Cat Awakening Top-Class Bloodline
- Chapter 133 - Showing Off, An Adorable Cat
- Chapter 132 - Showing Off the Children
- Chapter 131 - The Senior Officials from Various Countries Want to Pay a Visit
- Chapter 130 - The Two Little Fellows Dao Form Transformation
- Chapter 129 - True Transformation Realm
- Chapter 128 - A Massacre by One against a Hundred
- Chapter 127 - Golden Lightning
- Chapter 126 - Reaching an Agreement to Team Up This Time
- Chapter 125 - A Common but Powerful Man
- Chapter 124 - A Sudden Turn of Events
- Chapter 123 - Warning the Two Tigers
- Chapter 122 - Subduing Panther King
- Chapter 121 - Subduing the Transformation Realm Cultivators within the Territory
- Chapter 120 - Forming the World Allied Forces
- Chapter 119 - War Suddenly Strikes
- Chapter 118 - New Home, Spirit-Gathering Formation
- Chapter 117 - Ill Take Care of You for Life
- Chapter 116 - The Holes Been Dug, Im Ready to Bury a Tiger in It
- Chapter 115 - I Want to be Second
- Chapter 114 - Renovating their Home
- Chapter 113 - Finally Have a Genuine Home
- Chapter 112 - Proposing
- Chapter 111 - Please Marry Me
- Chapter 110 - Nine Beings, the Cooperation Ends
- Chapter 109 - The Fastest Way to Get Rich
- Chapter 108 - Travel to the Alternate World
- Chapter 107 - Shocking and Grand Aspirations, Great Ambitions
- Chapter 106 - Sealing the Deal; Greetings, Your Majesty, the Queen
- Chapter 105 - How to Raise a Tiger Slave
- Chapter 104 - I Can Slay Two Third Realm Cultivators
- Chapter 103 - Tiger is so Embarrassed
- Chapter 102 - Silly Girl, Youre Doomed, Completely Doomed
- Chapter 101 - You cant Beat Me, You Have to Listen to Me
- Chapter 100 - Awakening a Special Ability Again
- Chapter 99 - I Swear to Hang That Jerk and Whack Him
- Chapter 98 - The Second Cheat
- Chapter 97 - Being Invincible Brings Such Loneliness
- Chapter 96 - Wang Hu is Crying?
- Chapter 95 - If Time Could Stop at the Moment We First Met
- Chapter 94 - How to Take Care of Kids
- Chapter 93 - Hes Having a Lot of Fun
- Chapter 92 - Ive Become the Highest One Now
- Chapter 91 - An Old Man that Knows How to Talk
- Chapter 90 - Chinas Meeting
- Chapter 89 - I am Invincible on Earth
- Chapter 88 - Flight, Combat Strength
- Chapter 87 - Perfect and Flawless
- Chapter 86 - Countries Alarmed
- Chapter 85 - Breakthrough Begins
- Chapter 84 - Peak-Level Transformation Realm
- Chapter 83 - Plans, Troublemaker
- Chapter 82 - A Great Talent has Appeared among the Tigers
- Chapter 81 - A Scholar among Tigers
- Chapter 80 - Ill Pluck Off All the Fur on Your Leg
- Chapter 79 - Do You Think Youre the Only Quick-Witted One Here?
- Chapter 78 - Panther King
- Chapter 77 - Leaving Home Once Again
- Chapter 76 - Deal
- Chapter 75 - Cry Out Again. Cry Out Again, Why Dont You?
- Chapter 74 - Silly Girl Feels Guilty
- Chapter 73 - This King Believes You
- Chapter 72 - A Tigers Education
- Chapter 71 - Old Third Wants To Take Over Old Seconds Position
- Chapter 70 - Agreement, a Surge of Animals
- Chapter 69 - Great Increase in Strength
- Chapter 68 - Zhang Juzhengs Tomb
- Chapter 67 - Spiritual Energy Level Rises Again
- Chapter 66 - China, The Start of Humanitys Real Big Change
- Chapter 65 - China Takes Action
- Chapter 64 - Tiger Language, Chinas Motives
- Chapter 63 - Dao is Beauty, Its about the Aesthetics
- Chapter 62 - A Tool of a Fox, Spy
- Chapter 61 - Jealousy, Stimulus
- Chapter 60 - A Tigers Butt
- Chapter 59 - White Fox
- Chapter 58 - Divine Body Realm
- Chapter 57 - Five Billion
- Chapter 56 - I Disgusted Myself
- Chapter 55 - I Hate Seeing You Angry the Most
- Chapter 54 - Torturing It to Death, Stay Safe And Sound Forever
- Chapter 53 - The Girl in the Tigers Mouth
- Chapter 52 - I Just Want to Kill It, Thats All
- Chapter 51 - Sacrifices, an Eyesore
- Chapter 50 - Divine Body Realm, Young Animals
- Chapter 49 - Monsters
- Chapter 48 - The Alternate World Appears Again
- Chapter 47 - The Second Stage of Being a Simp
- Chapter 46 - Even if the Sky were to Fall, There are Tall People around to Hold It Up
- Chapter 45 - A Strong Alternate World
- Chapter 44
- Chapter 43
- Chapter 42
- Chapter 41
- Chapter 40
- Chapter 39
- Chapter 38
- Chapter 37
- Chapter 36
- Chapter 35
- Chapter 34
- Chapter 33
- Chapter 32
- Chapter 31
- Chapter 30
- Chapter 29
- Chapter 28
- Chapter 27
- Chapter 26
- Chapter 25
- Chapter 24
- Chapter 23
- Chapter 22
- Chapter 21
- Chapter 20
- Chapter 19
- Chapter 18
- Chapter 17
- Chapter 16
- Chapter 15
- Chapter 14
- Chapter 13
- Chapter 12
- Chapter 11
- Chapter 10
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 1