Chapter 1234: Section 1235: A Friendly Reunion
Angel leaped on his feet, soaring through the gusty snowfall.
Soon, he arrived at the entrance of Ice Valley.
Surrounded by eerie silence, Angel saw no one around. After a moment’s thought, he rubbed the crimson drop of blood in his hand, and slowly, the blood drop began to heat up.
Just then, a shadow flashed across the sky, there and gone in an instant.
Angel heard the cracking sound of leaves being stepped on behind him. He spun around sharply, only to see the shadow emerging slowly from the forest.
A black hat, a black cane, a white bow tie, white gloves; an impeccably dressed figure with a handsome yet cold demeanor.
It was Sanders!
“Mentor!” Angel’s eyes lit up as he approached.
But no sooner had he taken a step forward than Sanders turned into a shadow enveloped in a fierce gust. The shadow lunged towards Angel’s face.
Startled, Angel quickly leaped backward just as the fierce wind was about to reach his face, landing atop a lush, tall tree ten meters away.
Seeing this, a glint flashed in Sanders’ eyes: his attack was meant to test the strength of Angel’s blood energy, yet he hadn’t hit Angel. It seemed his reaction speed had improved a lot.
Angel was about to ask Sanders what was happening when, without a word, Sanders struck again. This strike was faster and from a more cunning angle than before.
With no other choice, Angel raised his hand to defend.
As Sanders’ cane struck his arm, a surge of force entered Angel’s body. The strength wasn’t intense at first, but as Angel showed no reaction, it gradually increased.
Angel hesitated for a moment, then realized Sanders’ attack, though fearsome in appearance, seemed to be a test.
With this thought, Angel swung his hand vigorously, no longer dodging but gathering his strength to smash down on the cane.
Angel’s attack was so forceful that Sanders almost lost grip of his cane.
A look of surprise flashed in Sanders’ eyes. With a leap back, he skillfully deflected the terrifying force.
Meanwhile, Angel had charged forward. Although his speed wasn’t as elusive as when using the Gravity Meridian, it was still much faster than before. Quickly, he closed in on Sanders, who, due to his backward leap, was in mid-air and defenseless. Angel’s eyes glinted with delight, and he didn’t hesitate to throw punches and kicks.
Angel’s intention was not defiance, but since Sanders was testing him, he had to give it his all and rise to the challenge!
Moreover, since his body had been strengthened, he hadn’t had a proper, exhilarating fight. The encounter with Zefara hadn’t been satisfying either.
With this mindset, Angel happily engaged in combat with Sanders.
Watching his fists and feet about to connect with Sanders, Angel couldn’t help feeling a bit smug, thinking he would gain the upper hand in this first exchange.
However, his punches and kicks ended up hitting nothing but air.
The figure before him had turned into an illusion!
“When did you set up the Illusion Node?!” Angel’s eyes widened in shock. He had been following Sanders closely during the response period and hadn’t seen any Illusion Nodes, had he?
As Angel stood there stunned, a cold huff sounded from behind him.
Sanders’ towering figure was almost upon him, pressing against his back. A wave of great force hit, and like a mortar shell, Angel was shot out, crashing through more than a dozen large trees before he finally came to a halt.
Sanders arched his eyebrows, the gloom in his eyes intensifying. Although Angel was somewhat disheveled now, his body was completely unscathed!
Indeed, as Belus had said, his blood energy was robust, his physical strength extraordinary.
Angel shook his slightly groggy head, about to push himself off the ground when he suddenly saw a shadow looming in front of him. Sanders, somehow, had moved in front of him and was launching an attack at his chest.
Angel swiftly braced on his hands, gathering his strength in his feet, and kicked out fiercely. Using the feedback from the impact, he recoiled several steps back, landing nearby and adopting a combat stance.
Sanders clicked his tongue but didn’t swing forward. Instead, he suddenly spun around.
His face was now directly aimed at Angel, who was attempting a stealth attack from behind. The “Angel” that had assumed an offensive position turned out to be another illusion!
Angel was taken aback, not expecting his own Illusion to be so easily seen through. But with no time to hesitate, he kept throwing his punches.
When he made contact with Sanders, Angel’s expression darkened instantly.
Another illusion!
A sigh echoed from behind, and Angel immediately returned the blow. But the illusion that had been before him turned back to reality, and a massive force hit Angel’s chest, knocking him to the ground uncontrollably.
Sanders had used the same trick twice, altering it slightly, and Angel had fallen for it again.
Subsequently, it became a one-man show for Sanders.
From beginning to end, Angel never touched Sanders, not even his hem; all were illusions.
Most importantly, Angel gradually realized Sanders wasn’t employing high-level illusions. It was all Basic Sorcery from various factions: from the Basic Illusion Technique to Basic Sound Illusion, then to Basic True Illusion and Basic Heart Illusion… Sanders was using Illusion Techniques masterfully. He was not just exploiting Angel’s visual blind spots but also the external changes in weather, the rustle of the wind in the grass, even the sound of stepping on dry leaves—all served as mediums for Sanders to cast illusions.
Every object in the world, every sound, became part of the Illusionary Realm.
Angel was completely outplayed.
After a long while, he collapsed on the ground, unable to move, and with his eyes pleaded Sanders, indicating surrender.
Sanders had enjoyed hitting the human sandbag and had also let out steam from the past few days, so he finally slowly walked over.
However, just as Sanders was about to approach, he suddenly felt something was off. The pleading look in Angel’s eyes turned into a sly one.
Immediately afterwards, a breeze blew. The lock of hair covering Angel’s right eye was lifted.
His eyes twinkled, and the green pattern danced!