Tang Xi took a deep breath, his eyes shining with determination. Once again, activated the skill [Star Dete], feeling the slight indu guide your steps through the dense forest.

  She followed the indicated path, weaviweerees as she listeo the rustle of leaves and movement in the opy. Birds, squirrels, and other small spirit creatures went about their usual routines, pletely ign his presence. Which was covered by the star wood aura.

  This time, the indicated location was much further than before.

  She advanced for several hours, stopping occasionally to preserve your energy and collect valuable resources. Your trained gaze identified most of the spiritual herbs, which she carefully collected, some of the rarest ones pnted directly for his space ring.

  The fact that distinguish so many herbs it was not mere luck.

  Tang Xi palnejava develop into alchemy as a plementary occupation. His knowledge of medial pnts and pills was solid, and now this study has proveremely useful.

  But as she moved, something ged.

  Activity ireetops decreased drastically.

  The trees started to beore spaced out.

  The vegetation ged, and she noticed that many of them were fruit trees, attrag a wide variety of spirit birds to that part of the forest.

  Tang Xi frowned.

  That was a sign.

  When a pce was so ri fruits and small animals, it could mean many things and the one she least wao see was, that a powerful beast domihe territory.

  And she was about to find out whie.

  As you approach the indicated destination, strange sounds echoed around him.

  Branches swaying violently.

  Quients between the opies.

  Disturbed birds flog out.

  And then, the characteristic sound:

  — "U-u-ah-ah!"

  The sound of monkeys.

  Before I could finish your reasoning, a shiver went up his spine.

  Something roag quickly.

  Without hesitation, hid behind the trunk of a sturdy tree, activating the ability [Luminous cealment] do Lunar Umbrel.

  His figure distorted and disappeared from view.

  Just a few breaths ter...

  A group of monkeys with dark, spiky fur passed her at high speed, carrying spiritual fruits in your arms.

  Tang Xi watched carefully as they crossed the forest, their expressions agitated and their movements quid agile.

  "Are they colleg fruit?"

  That firmed your suspis.

  She it was ierritory.

  Tang Xi kly what they were.

  Woody Rock Monkeys.

  Extremely territorial creatures, living in rge groups of at least fifty members.

  She carefully analyzed the ones she could see.

  There were level 4 and 5 monkeys... and one of them was clearly level 6.

  Your bad feeling increased.

  If only the patrollers were already of this level, Hoowerful monkeys could there be further on?

  Tang Xi ched his fists.

  'Is the resource I'm looking for protected by these monkeys?'

  She looked at the Lunar Umbrel, as if waiting for an answer. But, as always, the artifact remained silent.

  She hesitated.

  The dire of indu cided exactly with the path the monkeys were taking.

  'Eu Should I tinue?'

  The risk was high. Very loud.

  But... the temptation to move on was eveer.

  'Maybe the resource isn't ierritory. And I just pass through the territory unnoticed'

  The idea was dangerous, but possible.

  Making your decision, Tang Xi advanced with utmost stealth.

  For a long time, your pn it worked.

  Move carefully, avoiding the patrollers and stopping whenever necessary.

  The monkeys seemed well anized, patrolling the territurly. But his cealment ability in jun with the stelr aura proved to be a great tactic.

  She still had hope.

  Until something ged drastically.

  The space betweerees began to to decrease, and now gigantic cedars domihe ndscape.

  And the moment he approached those trees...

  She realized your mistake.

  Tang Xi froze in pce.

  In front of you, amidst the giant cedars, there were hundreds of monkeys.

  She was surrounded.

  The mohere were not few.

  The giganties cedars towered around Tang Xi, their t opies filtering the sunlight and casting long shadows across the forest floor.

  His gaze moved quickly.

  Hundreds of Woody Rock Apes were scattered around her.

  They swung from the branches, climbed up and dowrunks, and ied with each other with a vivacity that almost made her fet the tension of the situation.

  She didn't realize how deep she had goil it was too te.

  But then, something ued happened.

  Instead of immediate hostility, she witnessed a peaceful se.

  Little monkeys pyed with each other, rolling on the leaf-cround and jumping from branch to brander the watchful eyes of their mothers.

  Tang Xi's heart itched when seeing the little furry beings with their big glowing eyes.

  "They're so cute..."

  She wao reach out, wao touch those soft, tousled heads.

  But she knew couldn't.

  The cute sight in front of her touched a soft spot she didn't even know she had. And made her relut to disturb this peace.

  But she quickly regained her posure, she was surrounded and any mistake and she would be attacked by hundreds.

  Before she could decide how to get out of there without provoking a rea, A little monkey, different from the others, jumped onto a nearby branch.

  His dark fur trasted with a white tuft on the head, and his big clear eyes seemed fixed directly to it.

  Tang Xi felt his body gid.

  Could he see her?

  She held her breath.

  If the little monkey alerted the others, she would be doomed.

  But, to his surprise, he didn't scream, he didn't run, he didn't point at her.

  He just tilted his head... and handed her a fruit.

  Tang Xi's hesitation sted for a moment.

  She observed the little monkey's curious eyes, trying to decipher if it was a trap.

  When he saw that he really just wao share the fruit, she rexed a little and accepted it.

  As soon as he picked up the fruit, the little monkey squeaked iement.

  So i. So pure.

  But the joy of the little oracted the attention of another being.

  A rge monkey, level seven.

  Tang XiI immediately k was his mother.

  The little monkey noticed his mother's stern look and, in an agile movement, He jumped to a higher branch, joining two other little monkeys.

  Tang Xididn't move.

  If the great ape decided to attack her now...

  But, to his surprise, She didn't do anything.

  She just looked towards Tang Xi for a moment before turning to her cubs.

  Perhaps because her aura seems close to nature, perhaps because she feels no hostility, or even a mixture of both.

  "Is she ign me?"

  XiHe let out an internal sigh of relief.

  But his instinct told him something was wrong.

  His gaze turo the rge tree in the ter of the territory, where several monkeys entered aed through holes irunk.

  And then, she felt it.

  An intense danger ing from that tree.

  Tang Xiimmediately celed [Star Dete].

  She couldn't move on.

  There was no ce of fighting for this resource.

  Even if he had sed level attack talismans, there weren't enough o deal with the amount of high-level monkeys what she had seen.

  And more than that...

  She didn't want to.

  The sight of mothers proteg their cubs made her hesitate.

  Hurt them for a resource it didn't feel right.

  "I've already decided. It's not worth it."

  She got ready to leave silently.

  But at that very moment...

  The peace of the pce tly broken.

  From above, shadowy winged figures dove across the sky.

  They were Blue-billed Hawks.

  The ace huge birds approached with deadly rapidity, each of them having a wingspan of at least 1 and a half meters.

  The mohey immediately panicked.

  The mothers They grabbed their babies and ran into the tree holes.

  The group's warriors they threw stones and bra the hawks, trying to take them down before they could attack.

  While others jumped on the birds.

  Some birds were hit and fell, but it wasn't enough.

  Its sharp cws sliced ??through the air, aiming for the unprotected cubs.

  And when they couldn't catch them... they took the adult moo the skies.

  Tang Xi stood still, her body instinctively hidden within the shadows.

  If she revealed his presenow, she would bee a target.

  But then, his eyes fixed on a specific se.

  In the same tree where she was, the mother of the special little monkey was in danger.

  She fought two fals at the same time, trying to protect the three little monkeys behind her, one of them being the one who gave her the fruit.

  With every bird attack, his body was covered with new wounds, but she didn't back down.

  Tang Xi held his breath.

  The warrior monkeys were too far away to help.

  If no one did something... those puppies would die.

  Tang Xi acted before thinking.

  She quickly climbed up the trunk, hiding your presence as much as possible.

  The little monkeys ran towards her, guided by the little oh white fur.

  The three threw themselves into his chest, breaking his cealment.

  The hawks saw her.

  And Tang Xi he prepared to fight, with Lunar Umbrel in one hand and the other supp the little monkeys.

  But before she could do anything, the monkey moved.

  She stood between Tang Xi and the hawks, r with fury.

  She entrusted the puppies to her.

  Tang Xi wao tell the mohat could lure them away and cast their talismans.

  But before she could speak or move...

  More hawks desded from the sky.

  Tang Xi she tried to dodge, jumped from the spot and threw two high-quality metal cut talismans behind him.

  But before she could nd one of them came from below and grabbed her.

  Sharp cws stu his shoulders.

  She was taken to heaven.

  The biting wind blew in her face as the forest grew smaller and smaller beh her.

  She didn't have time to react.

  The attack was too fast.

  Tang Xi gritted his teeth, ign the pain in his shoulders, thinking about how she would get out of this situation, was at a high altitude and if he fell he would die.

  She has already lost sight of the moerritory.

  And the little monkeys hid in their clothes, shivering. She didn't regret it, if she had another ce she would still try to save the little monkeys, she just thought it was very reckless, she should have thought better before ag.

  She knew she would have to wait for an opportunity to act.

  And she would e soon.

  Aug_N7052