Clang!
The tips of two needles collided, emitting a sound like metal striking stone, sparks flying.
The result was that neither could overcome the other.
Okamoto Masao, confident in his status as a Grandmaster, did not press his attack.
His gaze fell upon Bai Zihe, a proud expression gracing his face as he declared with utter conviction, "Bai Zihe, since you wish to duel me with needles, I shall not hesitate to reveal my hand."
He produced a needle, which gleamed with a dark, sinister light under the scorching sun.
"This needle is named the 'Black Jade Mother-Child Needle'."
"Forged from jade mined from the abyssal depths of the Nine Nether Sea, infused with mithril, and polished for forty-nine days and nights, each needle is a masterpiece, totaling eighty-one in this set of nine by nine."
Bai Zihe watched his boastful pronouncements with an impassive face.
Okamoto Masao paid him no mind.
He reveled in the process of Bai Zihe's transition from calm to despair.
And so, it had only just begun.
"Since I joined my sect at the age of thirteen, my master bestowed this upon me."
"Victory in battle, success in healing."
"No matter the opponent, I can emerge victorious."
"No matter the patient, I can easily cure them."
He then turned his gaze towards Bai Zihe, brimming with pride.
After all, such a record was virtually unparalleled, enough to move countless individuals.
But to his disappointment, Bai Zihe's expression remained unchanged.
This greatly displeased Okamoto Masao.
His voice grew a shade darker, tinged with a subtle murderous intent.
"To date, I have saved three hundred people of Ying Country."
"But..."
"I have also ended the lives of nine hundred and ninety-nine."
"You, Bai Zihe, are honored to be the one thousandth I shall slay!"
"To have killed a thousand with a silver needle, I am likely the first, and the only one in this world!"
With that, Okamoto Masao burst into laughter.
Arrogant, disdainful.
Unrivaled.
But he had the qualifications, for he was a Grandmaster!
Ouyang Wushuang's brow twitched, and he quickly stepped forward to ingratiate himself, "Congratulations, Lord Okamoto, on achieving this supreme accomplishment!"
"Let Bai Zihe's blood be the offering to your Black Jade Mother-Child Needles!"
Okamoto Masao basked in his flattery.
However.
Bai Zihe's next words ignited a blaze of fury within Okamoto Masao.
"You've been boasting for ages..."
"And yet, I've seen no display of needle skill that is particularly sharp."
"Could it be..."
A hint of mockery flickered across Bai Zihe's face, "That you people of Ying Country use your mouths and needles, but not your hands?"
"You court death!"
Okamoto Masao's expression turned instantly frigid.
In that instant, a fierce wind erupted, and smoke billowed, obscuring the sun and darkening the world.
A hurricane-like killing intent surged from his body, engulfing the heavens and earth.
There was no corner, high or low, that was spared.
Yue Rushuang was immediately rendered breathless by the overwhelming pressure.
She was so oppressed that she could barely stand, nearly collapsing to her knees.
The wrath of a Grandmaster, terrifying indeed!
The next moment, Bai Zihe took her hand.
A gentle surge of internal energy flowed into her, allowing Yue Rushuang to regain her footing amidst the tempest.
Okamoto Masao's long hair whipped in the wind as he spoke with chilling indifference, "What I used against you just now was merely the child needle from the Black Jade Mother-Child set, possessing less than a tenth of the mother needle's power."
"Since you are so intent on seeking death..."
"Then I shall oblige you."
As he spoke, a needle materialized between Okamoto's index and middle fingers.
It was also a needle of a dark hue.
But the moment this needle was revealed, a potent aura of malevolence swept out, like raging tides and crashing waves.
Even the surrounding light was consumed by it.
"This mother needle..."
"I have used it to kill nine individuals."
"Eight High-Tier Innate Grandmasters and one Grandmaster."
"To die by its hand, Bai Zihe, you should be immensely proud!"
"Die!"
In the next instant, the mother needle of the Black Jade Mother-Child set transformed into a streak of light, appearing before Bai Zihe in the blink of an eye.
Yue Rushuang's face contorted in shock.
She attempted to shield him with her body, to take the fatal blow, but found herself utterly unable to move against the mother needle of the Black Jade Mother-Child set.
Its formidable energy had already locked onto everyone present.
It's over!
Yue Rushuang closed her eyes, despair consuming her heart.
Even Grandmasters could be annihilated...
Could Junior Brother withstand this?
Bai Zihe remained composed and calm, also flicking out a needle.
"A mantis trying to stop a chariot, utterly overestimating itself."
Okamoto Masao sneered, but the next moment, he was filled with shock and rage.
The two needles collided violently in mid-air.
Ding.
The sound was clear and crisp, yet it unleashed a boundless, earth-shattering tremor.
Ouyang Wushuang was directly flung backward by the powerful vortex, crashing heavily to the ground, spitting up blood.
Even with Bai Zihe's internal energy bolstering her, Yue Rushuang's face was pale.
And the gazes of several people were fixed intently on the center.
The outcome was about to be revealed.
As the dust settled and the light shimmered.
Bai Zihe's golden needle was completely unharmed!
Okamoto Masao's mother needle was broken into two pieces!
Silence descended upon the entire scene.
This outcome was unexpected by Yue Rushuang, and by Ouyang Wushuang as well.
Even Okamoto Masao himself had not anticipated that his pride, his mother needle that had claimed countless lives, would be destroyed by Bai Zihe.
From beginning to end, only Bai Zihe remained calm and collected.
The Seventy-Two Yin-Yang Needles, as a token of the Great Xia Medical Association, how could they possibly lose to the needles of the Ying dogs?
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible!
Bai Zihe believed this with unwavering conviction.
"You... this is..."
Okamoto Masao, after a brief moment of shock and anger, quickly regained his composure.
He stared intently at Bai Zihe's golden needle, exclaiming, "The token of the Great Xia Medical Association, the Seventy-Two Yin-Yang Needles!"
"Hahahaha!"
With that, Okamoto Masao let out a triumphant laugh, "Heaven indeed aids me!"
"I came to Jiangdong originally intending only to take your head and offer it as a sacrifice to the spirits of our fallen warriors in Great Ying Country."
"I never expected such a fortuitous gain."
An irrepressible joy spread across his face.
The Seventy-Two Yin-Yang Needles were not only renowned throughout Great Xia but also held unparalleled fame in Ying Country.
They were the ultimate treasure yearned for by all healers.
Rumble!
The next moment, Okamoto Masao's robes billowed as if by wind, his aura surging, and an instant gale swept through, accompanied by spectral wails.
Within a radius of a hundred meters centered on him, all trees snapped. Even sections of the highway were ripped apart.
Stones and gravel were reduced to powder, slowly drifting in the fierce wind.
This was the true power of a Grandmaster!
It's over.
Feeling this intense surge of power, Yue Rushuang's legs went weak, her strength draining away.
This was no ordinary Grandmaster.
A High-Level Grandmaster!
"Bai Zihe, hand over the Seventy-Two Yin-Yang Needles, and I may consider sparing your life."
Okamoto Masao's gaze was icy, filled with longing.
Bai Zihe erupted into laughter.
"You old fool of Ying Country."
"From the moment you insulted my master, you have been a dead man in my eyes!"
As his words fell.
Bai Zihe leaped from the ground, like a rainbow piercing the sun, charging directly at Okamoto Masao.
This scene startled all three of them.
Bai Zihe...
Facing a Grandmaster, he chose not to flee, but to charge forward.
Truly courageous!
Yue Rushuang's heart was in her throat.
Ouyang Wushuang's face radiated unconcealed delight.
Okamoto Masao, however, was consumed by boundless fury.
This Bai Zihe, before him, dared to attack instead of surrendering...
Did he truly think a Grandmaster was made of clay!
Boom!
Enraged, Okamoto Masao also transformed into a black streak of light, charging towards Bai Zihe.