"But I didn’t see you release any magic power, nor did any illusion nodes disperse from you. How did you do it?" Dox questioned.
Angel didn’t directly answer but hinted at it by saying, "Though the desert is scorching hot, it’s very suitable for certain things."
The desert’s weather? A flash of inspiration sparked in Dox’s mind as if he had figured it out.
"Mirage?"
Angel chuckled: "More or less."
Indeed, Angel had used a mirage. Although he hadn’t systematically studied mirages, he often used the "Celestial Alternation" authority to create various mirages while in the Wilderness of Dreams. In reality, with his current perspective and framework, silently invoking a mirage was quite effortless.
However, the mirage merely clouded the group’s vision, serving as a kind of disorienting illusionary realm. What truly made them faint was the sound illusion Angel created, riding the wind’s sound.
Obviously, Dox didn’t notice the illusion node hidden within the sound of the wind.
"What do you mean by ’almost’?" Dox muttered discontentedly.
"It means you got it right," Angel said casually. Without waiting for Dox to ask more questions, he took a step forward, bypassed the fainted people, and headed toward Abulei’s hiding place.
Abulei’s hiding spot had no markings; it was just a very ordinary-looking stretch of sand dunes.
Moreover, Abulei seemed to have set up something to block the vast majority of energy and aura from escaping.
However, because Abulei was currently in a dream of Nightmare Illusion, Angel could easily find her.
Angel gently brushed away the sand, layer by layer, until after more than ten meters, he finally saw the sleeping Abulei.
However, Angel’s focus wasn’t on Abulei but was instead on something surprising above her head. There, a crowned green parrot with a fleshy crown was staring wide-eyed at him.
"Oh no, we’ve been discovered!" the crowned parrot screeched.
"I’m going back to the original realm. But before that, let me help you one last time!" The crowned parrot stretched out its beak, pecking fiercely at Abulei’s forehead. After waking her, it intended to dash away, unconcerned about whether she could escape or not.
However, before the crowned parrot’s beak could reach Abulei’s head, a pale blue large hand grabbed the parrot and pulled it out from the deep pit below.
The crowned parrot realized something was amiss and prepared to return directly to the original realm.
Just then, Angel said, "You’re Abulei’s summoned creature, right? I didn’t expect after losing the Tricolor Deer, what Abulei could summon would be a..."
Angel didn’t recognize the crowned parrot and was pondering how to address it.
From the side, Dox interjected, "A stupid bird."
"How dare you call me a stupid bird!!!" The crowned parrot was instantly furious from Dox’s insult, aborted its return plan, and launched into a tirade: "You red-headed Weeble, you have the nerve to call me names! Even the Weeble clan would be ashamed of you, you’re so ugly that when kids use you as a toy, they’d rather pee on your head!"
Initially, Dox tried to retort, but the crowned parrot’s speech was like a barrage, leaving Dox dumbfounded by its verbal onslaught.
Dox wasn’t the type to take things lying down; since he couldn’t win with words, he prepared to resort to action.
However, Angel smilingly placed a shield on the crowned parrot.
The crowned parrot sensed the defensive field around it, noticed Angel’s friendly gesture, and ramped up its verbal assault with renewed vigor.
Angel had never heard such a high-explosive, high-endurance verbal barrage that wasn’t even repetitive.
The most remarkable thing was, the rapid-fire words were astonishingly clear despite the pace, pushing the boundaries of mental pollution to breaking point.
That is, for Dox.
While Dox was jumping in rage, Angel silently stepped aside, continuously reinforcing a shield for the crowned parrot.
This verbal tirade lasted a full hour.
Unable to do anything about the crowned parrot and unwilling to confront Angel, Dox ultimately withdrew into himself. Sitting on the ground with arms crossed, exuding a chilly aura, he warded off any approach.
When Angel saw that the crowned parrot had finished venting, he asked with a smile, "How should I address you?"
Perhaps due to the earlier shield, which garnered a little goodwill, the crowned parrot generously said, "Call me Master."
Veins instantly stood out on Angel’s forehead.
"I was asking about your species," Angel replied flatly, no longer smiling.
"What an ignorant lout, not knowing that your master is the noble crowned parrot—such impudence."
Angel raised an eyebrow, extended a finger, and tapped the crowned parrot between the eyes.
The crowned parrot didn’t expect Angel to suddenly make a move; it anxiously tried to return to the original realm, but Angel was faster.
A dot of light submerged into the crowned parrot’s forehead, causing it to pass out in the Hand of Magic.
"When it was insulting me, you stopped me from acting. But when it’s your turn, you’re pretty hands-on..." A faint voice sounded from behind.
Angel remained silent, having thought the crowned parrot amusing earlier and not wanting it hurt, but now he deemed it amusing enough to warrant a lesson.
"Well done! Is it dead? If not, let me add a thrust—I’ll stab through the rear and have it come out of its foul mouth!"
Dox laughed maniacally at just imagining this scenario.
Angel paid no attention, allowing the Hand of Magic to hold the unconscious crowned parrot, effectively protecting it from Dox’s wrath.
Ignoring the comatose crowned parrot, Angel turned his focus to Abulei at the bottom of the pit.
With a casual wave of his hand,
a glowing set of tendrils appeared under Abulei, intertwining to form a soft, radiant cushion.
The Illusionary Cushion lifted Abulei slowly upward.
After placing Abulei on the flat sand surface, the Illusionary Cushion gently dissolved.
On the other side, Dox, realizing he couldn’t deal with the crowned parrot, shifted his attention to Abulei. Upon seeing the Illusionary Cushion, he thought inwardly: another illusion.
To date, this Wizard Lyon had acted three times, each using illusions.
Could he be an Illusionist Wizard?
Illusionist Wizards are rare in the Southern Domain; who could he be?
While Dox pondered, Angel observed Abulei’s condition.
She remained asleep, but this time, she wasn’t continuously calling to Angel in her dreams—she was genuinely lost in her dreamscape.
Her cheeks showed clear traces of tears, with droplets at the corners of her eyes.
Her expression alternated between fear and pity, her chest rising and falling with faint sobs and gasps.
Anyone witnessing this scene would guess she was having a nightmare.
"You said earlier, let her sleep a while longer, and you meant let her have a nightmare?" Dox approached, eyeing Angel with a strange look. "Is that a kink of yours?"
Angel couldn’t be bothered with Dox’s nonsense.
He focused on Abulei, patiently waiting for her to awaken according to the progression of the Nightmare Illusion he crafted, estimating it was nearing the end, with Aniga and Chaila having died one after the other, Gu Yina having Feng Man skin them...
When all was settled, what choice would Abulei make?