Apotheosis

As Zen had expected, it was not a person behind the curtain. It was a mouse.

The mouse was as tall as a man. It hinted humanistic habits as it sat elegantly with its legs crossed on the ground. There was an unusual magical array surrounding it.

The mouse looked at Zen and closed its eyes. "Why do I sense hostility?" It slowly opened them and glanced at Zen with a stern expression. It seemed to be able to read his mind.

Zen was taken aback and immediately replied, "I'm just not used to being around fierce beasts."

In the divine land, some people kept fierce beasts like pets. There were also contractual beasts. The beasts were not used to blending in with humans they were unfamiliar with. Mostly they only communicated with their owners. They had little to no knowledge about human society.

However, things were different in the Source World. Beasts and humans lived amongst each other in harmony. They lived like equals and they each had an individual status in their society. All of this was still new to Zen.

In the Sweltering Desert, he condemned the people of the Sand Country for closely cooperating with the Man-eating Demon Flower. He found it bizarre for humans to be interacting with fierce beasts. Now it seemed that it was common for folks and beasts to blend with each other in the Source World.

The mouse appeared unbothered by Zen's attitude and asked, "I heard that you were looking for someone. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Zen answered with a slight nod.

The mouse stared blankly at Zen and continued asking more questions, "What's the cultivation level of that person? What does the person look like? When and where did this person last appear? The more details you give to me, the easier it is for me to find this person."

Zen straightened up and began recalling everything he remembered about Emily. He thought for a moment before replying in a serious tone, "Three days ago, she entered the Wild Goose Pass from the chaos. I don't know whether she passed through the Sweltering Desert. She is a powerful warrior at the Other Shore Realm."

Zen was cautious enough to not give away too much information about Emily. He feared a link between the Mice League and the Yellow Emperor Guards. He wanted to avoid it, even if there was a slight chance of it being true.

But then again, the Yellow Emperor Guards' strength far surpassed Emily's. They might have had close to no involvement with what happened at the Excellence City. Zen continued to have a debate with himself in his thoughts before deciding on telling the mouse everything he knew.

The mouse listened attentively and nodded at Zen's words.

e and drew a line in the magic array on the ground with its sharp claw. Soon, a holographic illusion appeared before Zen's face. He saw the image of Emily and Leopold standing side by side. They seemed terrified and confused.

His eyes widened as he scanned the environment around them. Judging from their surroundings, it didn't seem like they were in the Sweltering Desert. They were in a plain.

"Where are they? What is that place?" Zen asked, with his stare fixated on Emily in the illusion.

"The Cyan Brocade Plain, two million miles away from the Excellence City," answered the Ear Mouse. "They are not Yellow Emperor Guards, but they have the Slaughtering Moonlight Array. It's quite interesting."

The illusion only lasted for a few seconds before it faded. Zen asked desperately, "Is that all?"

He saw Emily and Leopold had activated the Slaughtering Moonlight Array, so he assumed they hadn't gotten rid of the man in white yet. His eyes reflected how impatient he was to know what happened to them.

"Of course not. What you saw is just the scene sent by one of the many mice," the Ear Mouse said. It once again stretched out its sharp claw to draw another line in the magic array.

Soon, a new illusion appeared in front of Zen.

He saw a dazzling blue light on the screen. The man in white was still chasing after Emily and Leopold. Zen's heartbeat quickened as he witnessed the intense situation. He desperately wished to be with them to help.

His heart rate quickly came to a sharp drop. His eyes widened at the scene before him as it paralyzed his entire body in shock. The man in white had swung his sword at Leopold, who failed to dodge it in time. Zen watched in horror as the blade pierced through Leopold's chest, impaling him.