32 Mountain Temple [2]

"I demand you vacate the pavilion and face me. I need an explanation right now! Who are you, and why are you in the Mountain Temple owned by my friend's family, the Lou Family?!" Felicity roared, her eyes ablaze with fury, as if shooting daggers at an unseen adversary.

A moment of silence ensued, the area devoid of sound as Felicity advanced toward the pavilion.

Just steps away from the platform, a light-formed dagger shot toward her. Instinctively, Felicity dodged, causing the daggers to strike the ground instead.

She glared at the unseen source, realizing her opponent possessed considerable skill in remaining concealed.

'Tsk. This bastard appears to have a unique cultivation technique, masking their presence almost on par with my senses. This is troublesome,' she inwardly hissed, still fixing her gaze on the pavilion.

As she continued her approach, more daggers were launched at her. Gracefully evading each one, Felicity found herself dancing, an unintended performance born out of necessity.

A swift dagger targeted her, forcing her to step back and dodge another. The relentless assault seemed to taunt her identity.

How could a location in the lower heavens present a challenge like this? Unacceptable.

Driven by fury, Felicity activated a technique, exponentially increasing her speed. However, this option wasn't initially on the table, as her techniques consumed a significant amount of spiritual energy.

Being a former strong cultivator from the upper heavens, the techniques at her disposal were ill-suited for her current energy reserves, posing a risk of depletion.

Desperation fueled her decision, and in the blink of an eye, she reached the top room of the pavilion.

Violently opening the door, she entered with angry stomps.

"Who are you?" she demanded of the silhouette before her.

The figure, the same height as Lucas, revealed a male form. However, silence met her inquiry.

Hissing in frustration, she conjured a Spiritual Sword in her hands, crafted from her own spiritual energy and condensed into a tangible form. Despite the considerable Qi expenditure, Felicity's attention remained fixed on the mysterious figure and the place itself.

"I am... No one," the silhouette responded in a hoarse voice.

Felicity raised an eyebrow and scrutinized the figure once more, employing her Celestial Senses.

"You... who are you really?" Felicity demanded, her voice carrying an authoritative tone.

Growing impatient, Felicity pointed her Spiritual Sword at him.

"I am..."

"The master of this mountain," he declared, and as he spoke, his figure began to transform.

Felicity staggered backward, witnessing the silhouette morph into a beastly form resembling a tiger. As the creature approached, the light from her spiritual sword revealed its appearance.

Baffled, Felicity struggled to find words to describe what she was witnessing.

"You are not a human..." she exclaimed, realizing that the creature before her was a magical beast at the pinnacle of the Emperor Spirit Realm.

"No way..." she mumbled, feeling inferior in the creature's presence.

Anticipating an attack, Felicity braced herself, but to her surprise, none came. Instead, she noticed the magical beast's iris dilate, seemingly expressing a sense of melancholy.

"Grooh..." the magical beast emitted a low roar before turning away from her.

Confused about why the creature didn't attack, Felicity created a light and followed it.

They entered a room filled with an unpleasant smell, not hurting her nose but rather intensified by the strong scent of herbs.

As Felicity illuminated the dark room, the light reflected off a display glass. Observing the glass, she was astonished to see a person lying inside, appearing as if peacefully asleep. However, the overpowering herbal scent indicated the person's demise, preserved only by the herbs.

"Mary Lou..." Felicity mumbled with quivering lips, an urge to cry welling up as tears flowed uncontrollably.

Gazing at the magical beast, she questioned, "What's the meaning of this?"

The beast responded with a roar, leaving Felicity unable to comprehend.

"Is this really Mary? I thought... I thought she was already dead. Does this mean she lied to me?" she pondered, tears streaming down her face.

Felicity felt another wave of betrayal, but this time it cut deeper, a piercing pain deeply rooted in her heart.

Her only friend in the Mortal Heaven, Mary Lou, a mortal, had died before Felicity could return to the upper heavens. Now, she discovered that Mary's body had been preserved for almost a thousand years.

"What is really happening? Why are the heavens letting me witness your eternal slumber?"

"What happened? Why... are you still there? It makes me sad to see you in this state. How can I look at you right now?"

Turning to the magical beast, Felicity ordered it to revert to human form. The beast complied and struggled to articulate its words.

"What happened? Answer me!"

"I... am sorry... But... my sister... didn't explain it to me..."

Felicity's expression became inscrutable upon hearing the magical beast's words.

"Sister? Who's your sister?" she questioned in an authoritative tone.

The magical beast pointed at Mary Lou, lying inside.

"She's your sister?"

The magical beast nodded. "A sister... in blood."

The revelation left Felicity frozen. The sadness of witnessing her friend's eternal slumber was compounded by the confusion surrounding the magical beast's revelation.

What does this mean? If she was the magical beast's sibling, did that imply she, too, was a magical beast?

"But... Mary said... their bloodline was only cursed..." Felicity struggled to resist the sobs and hiccups of her cry.

"But it doesn't mean that she... hasn't had the blood of a magical beast..." Felicity mumbled.

"Our mother... was... like me... but only sister... became a human... making her human bloodline cursed... So... she can't cultivate..." the magical beast explained.