I saw it first, so it's mine.

Gu Xing'er stood in the center of the crowd, her expression calm and devoid of any panic. Taking advantage of the gap while the Split-Tooth Monkeys were still gathering and had not yet launched their general assault, her figure suddenly faded into the void, a faint starlight aura rippling around her.

Behind several Stone Mandrills standing at the highest point of the ruins, a faint phantom of a starry sky lit up simultaneously.

The starry phantom flashed and vanished.

Gu Xing'er swept through it, her speed so fast that the naked eye could not capture it at all.

The "Falling Star" dagger in her hand traced purple arcs through the void, silent yet utterly lethal.

Swish. Swish. Swish.

Before those Split-Tooth Monkeys could even let out a scream, their heads were instantly separated from their bodies, and they died on the spot. Blood splashed onto the broken floor tiles, emitting a pungent bloody stench.

Blood was drawn in an instant.

The monkey troop instantly exploded into chaos.

The Stone Mandrills that were originally waiting for orders had violent killing intent well up in their eyes the moment they saw their companions killed.

Letting out sharp screeches, they used all four limbs to pounce down from the ruins, charging toward the group below.

Just then, a deafening roar came from the rear of the monkey troop.

The voice was rough, berserk, and carried a natural sense of oppression, instantly drowning out the screeches of all the Stone Mandrills.

Hearing this roar, the monkey troop's movements paused in unison, and then they charged even more fiercely.

The Monkey King had given the order.

A massive Stone Mandrill leaped out from the depths of the ruins, landing on the highest broken pillar.

Its size was more than three times that of an ordinary Stone Mandrill, with bulging muscles and deep black skin.

Its eyes were not crimson, but dark gold, with vertical needle-like pupils that revealed a chilling indifference and brutality.

Void Refinement Realm, early stage.

Gu Xing'er locked her gaze on the Monkey King, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.

I was just worrying about not being able to find you.

The Monkey King's cultivation was on par with the demonic beast that had been slain earlier, but compared to that slumbering beast, the active Monkey King was clearly more vigilant and had faster reactions.

As soon as Gu Xing'er flashed out from the starry sky, her dagger thrust toward the back of the Monkey King's neck.

The moment Gu Xing'er's aura approached, the Monkey King immediately sensed the danger.

It fiercely dodged sideways, simultaneously raising its massive palm, carrying violent spiritual energy, and swung viciously at Gu Xing'er with a sharp gale.

She immediately retracted her blade, the starry sky appearing beneath her feet once more, and used the momentum to bounce back.

The Monkey King's attack missed, its arm sweeping into a nearby stone pillar. The pillar snapped on impact, sending crushed stones flying.

Another palm strike came with the flying rubble and dust, but Gu Xing'er did not panic. The power of stars around her rapidly condensed, forming fine, dense starlight threads that shielded her front.

With a crisp clang, the Monkey King's palm slapped against the starlight threads, only to feel as if its hand had been slashed by a sharp weapon.

Blood instantly seeped out, and the intense pain made it let out a furious roar.

After the roar, the Monkey King was thoroughly enraged. Its figure flashed as it fiercely charged at Gu Xing'er again, swinging its sharp claws, every strike lethal.

With a thought from Gu Xing'er, several independent starry sky domains instantly appeared around her. Her figure rapidly shuttled between these starry regions, making it impossible for the Monkey King to lock onto her position.

The Monkey King could only watch helplessly as Gu Xing'er continuously shuttled through the starry sky, launching attacks time and time again, all of which missed.

Unable to even touch the corner of her clothes, the hostility in the Monkey King's heart grew heavier, and its attacks became increasingly berserk, but instead revealed numerous flaws.

In just a few breaths of time, Gu Xing'er had already used the power of stars to form countless fine starlight threads in the area around the Monkey King, firmly locking down its range of movement.

With a gentle wave of her left hand, all the starlight threads instantly surged toward the Monkey King, binding it tightly. The threads embedded deeply into the Monkey King's skin, restraining it briefly.

In the brief moment the Monkey King was restrained, Gu Xing'er had already teleported behind it. The Falling Star dagger in her hand flashed with a cold light, accurately piercing into the back of the Monkey King's neck, sealing its throat with a single strike.

Immediately after, Gu Xing'er manipulated the starlight threads and fiercely threw its body toward the monkey troop.

The corpse smashed into the middle of the monkey troop with a loud bang, sending dust flying.

The Stone Mandrills that were besieging the group instantly exploded into chaos upon seeing the Monkey King's corpse fall from the sky.

Some let out terrified screams, while others turned and fled.

"Kill as many as you can!"

Gu Xing'er's voice rang out.

The disciples who could still fight immediately charged toward the routing monkey troop. Magical treasures were unleashed, and spells flew everywhere, slaughtering the slow-running Stone Mandrills one by one.

The injured disciples remained in place, receiving treatment from the other disciples.

Fortunately, no disciples were severely injured or killed.

Gu Xing'er did not participate in the pursuit.

She stood at the top of the ruins, her gaze sweeping over the battlefield. Only after confirming that no stragglers posed a threat to the group did she jump down from the ruins and land back beside the spirit field.

The monkey troop ran very fast.

The fast-running Stone Mandrills had already disappeared into the depths of the ruins and could not be caught.

The slow ones were basically all left behind.

The disciples returned to the spirit field panting. Their bodies were more or less stained with blood, but their eyes were filled with excitement.

"Thirteenth Ancestor, about a quarter of them escaped, the rest have all been dealt with."

Luo Yuxia stepped forward to report, her breath slightly panting, but her words were clear and organized.

"Clean up the corpses, take away everything useful."

She paused, then added:

"Be quick. The bloody stench here is too heavy, it might attract other demonic beasts later."

"Yes, Thirteenth Ancestor!"

The disciples immediately sprang into action, extracting useful materials. Their movements were swift, and they soon had everything packed up.

After packing up, Gu Xing'er led the disciples toward another location to continue their exploration.

......

In the forest on the other side, Gu Changyuan was watching her handle this monkey troop crisis the entire time through the shared vision he had previously set on Gu Xing'er, and he nodded in satisfaction.

Her strategies were appropriate, and her actions were decisive.

Gu Xing'er handled every step cleanly and neatly.

Although most of Gu Xing'er's previous combat training had been conducted in simulated environments, this girl clearly did not treat those training sessions as child's play.

She not only effortlessly integrated the experience accumulated in simulations into actual combat, but also flexibly adjusted her tactics based on changes in the real environment.

Regarding Gu Xing'er's combat performance, Gu Changyuan could be said to be extremely satisfied, even exceeding his expectations.

At this moment, he was still strolling through the forest composed of towering giant trees, looking relaxed.

Whether it was thousand-year spirit herbs or spirit stones containing spiritual energy, they would all be instantly collected into his own space without the slightest pause.

Hilarious, you just leave treasures lying around on the ground, aren't they just unwanted things?

Since they are unwanted things and I saw them first, then they are mine!