Chapter 172: Crushing Victory, A Taste of Regret~

"Lin Ye, I feel like my strength has suddenly skyrocketed several times over! This feeling… it's incredible!"

After receiving Blood Spirit Crown, Phantom Shadow, and Diamond Body, Xie Lin felt a surging tide of power coursing through her veins, an unstoppable force that filled her with exhilaration.

"Xie Lin, go all out! Right now, your strength, speed, and attack power have increased at least threefold! On top of that, you're in a Diamond Body state—immune to all control effects!"

After retreating beyond the range of Spiderweb Bind, Lin Ye called out loudly.

"Alright! Watch me end this match immediately!"

Suppressing the excitement in her heart, Xie Lin crouched low, her soul rings flashing one after another as she vanished in an instant, leaving behind only a blurred afterimage.

"What?!"

Just as Absolute Sword was about to reach her, Xie Lin suddenly disappeared, completely out of sight. His pupils shrank sharply in shock.

"Are you looking for me?"

A soft, playful voice rang out behind him.

Behind me!

Startled, Absolute Sword instinctively swung his longsword backward in a swift, decisive strike.

But it hit nothing but air.

Just moments ago, Xie Lin had indeed been standing behind him, speaking those very words.

But with the stacked effects of Blood Spirit Crown, Phantom Shadow, and Diamond Body, her speed had increased fivefold—and that was excluding her own speed-enhancing soul skills.

At such terrifying velocity, Xie Lin was already miles ahead.

She had only just appeared behind Absolute Sword, and in the next second, she had already repositioned elsewhere.

"Absolute Sword, be careful!"

From a distance, Purple Spider's anxious warning rang out.

But before Absolute Sword could even react, a sharp cry echoed behind him.

"Second Soul Skill—Phantom Claw!"

In the next moment, a searing pain erupted from his back.

With a muffled grunt, Absolute Sword was launched into the air, his body smashing onto the battle stage, skidding backward more than ten meters before finally coming to a stop.

Even though Xie Lin had restrained her sharp claws, ensuring she didn't deal fatal damage, the combined boost from Blood Spirit Crown and Diamond Body had tripled her strength.

With this amplification, her raw power was comparable to an assault-type soul master of the same level!

A sensitive-speed fighter, unleashing high-frequency claw attacks, now striking with the brute force of a powerhouse…

The consequences were brutal.

In mere seconds, Absolute Sword was completely incapacitated, his bones groaning in agony. After crashing onto the battlefield, he lost all ability to fight.

"Absolute Sword!"

Seeing her teammate knocked out with a single move, Purple Spider gasped in shock, rushing over to help him up.

But before she could even react, Xie Lin flashed beside her, her razor-sharp claws hovering just above Purple Spider's delicate neck.

"You've lost."

"We… surrender."

Looking at the agonized Absolute Sword, now utterly helpless, and realizing that as a control-type soul master, she had no chance against Xie Lin, Purple Spider clenched her fists in frustration but ultimately conceded.

"Faced with the overwhelming strength of the Phantom Peerless duo, the five-win streak Execution Duo has finally been defeated, choosing to surrender!"

"Congratulations to Phantom Peerless for their victory!"

The moment the host announced the results, the entire stadum erupted into deafening cheers and applause.

Although Lin Ye's powerful buffing soul skills had made the fight seem one-sided, the spectators—most of whom were seasoned battle arena fans—weren't disappointed at all.

They had watched countless matches over the years.

A battle that was evenly matched, filled with twists and turns, was certainly thrilling.

But watching a never-before-seen anomaly like Lin Ye's monstrous soul ring configuration was just as exhilarating in its own way.

Everyone was eager to see how far this unstoppable team could go.

Amidst the thunderous cheers, Lin Ye and Xie Lin waved to the crowd, but their true focus was on Su Ying and Zhu Zhuqing, who were watching from the waiting area.

"Xie Lin! Lin Ye! You two were incredible! That Execution Duo seemed pretty strong, but you ended the fight so fast!"

As they left the arena, Su Ying gushed with excitement.

"Honestly, it's all thanks to Lin Ye. His support skills are just insane."

"With his buffs, I felt like my strength increased several times over. I'm a speed-type fighter, but with his enhancements, I could fight like an assault-type head-on!"

"At this point, I feel like I could take on a Soul Emperor!"

Xie Lin chuckled, shaking her head as she explained.

"Then doesn't that mean you'll keep winning non-stop?!"

Su Ying's eyes widened in amazement.

"I think that's entirely possible!"

Xie Lin nodded confidently.

"Ahh! I'm so jealous!"

"Haha! Too bad, Su Ying. You're just a Grand Soul Master… and a food-type soul master at that!"

That Night…

Back at Violet Orchid Grand Hotel, inside an elegantly furnished suite…

After showering, Lin Ye changed into his nightwear, sat on the large, luxurious bed, and took out the bottle of Dreamflower Brew he had purchased earlier.

"Just one sip… and I can see the thing I desire most?"

Holding the delicate jade cup, Lin Ye gazed at the crystal-clear liquor, its faint floral fragrance drifting into the air.

His heart wavered.

He longed to see his parents. It was a wish he had carried all his life.

But at the same time, he was afraid.

As long as he had never seen them, he could still hold onto hope.

But if he saw them in the illusion… and then lost them again—could he handle that pain?

His grip tightened around the jade cup.

For a long while, he sat there, hesitant.

But in the end, he gritted his teeth and drank it down in one gulp.

"Screw it. If the dream is right in front of me… I have to try!"

The moment Dreamflower Brew slid down his throat, his world melted away, and he fell into an illusion.

In the Illusion…

Lin Ye's fate was different.

He had grown up with loving parents, living in a peaceful village, experiencing a happy, ordinary life.

It was the happiness he had always craved.

But…

Even in this perfect dream, his parents' faces remained blurry.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see them clearly.

When the effects of Dreamflower Brew ended, Lin Ye awoke from the illusion, feeling a deep sense of disappointment.

A happiness without faces…

It was too fake.

What he truly longed for was to see their faces.

But in the end, Dreamflower Brew was just a special type of wine.

It could create an illusion, but it could only use memories as its foundation.

And he had never seen his parents before…

So even in the illusion, they couldn't exist.

Still…

If he had the chance to buy Dreamflower Brew again…

He would.

Hmph… it's actually pretty good~

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