No matter how powerful someone was, they could not perfectly control their emotions in the face of a devastating upheaval. Even someone as formidable as Hu Xiaotian had let out a grief-stricken roar at the sight before him, helpless to turn the tide. Yet Long Xiyue faced death with such composure that even her pupils showed no change. She was utterly calm-terrifyingly calm. Qin Yangming was certain something was amiss, but what difference did it make? She could not escape being killed by him anyway.
When Qin Yangming heard the hissing of something cutting through the air, his suspicions were finally confirmed. Instinctively, he closed his eyes and drew back his Iron Staff. Then he felt a dense barrage of steel needles strike his body.
The Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles. Long Xiyue might have been gentle and kind, but that did not mean she lacked cunning. The venomous snakes had indeed bitten her, but she wore the Black Silkworm Armor beneath her clothes. Their fangs could not pierce it, so they could not harm her. Against an enemy as powerful as Qin Yangming, her only chance of victory lay in taking a risk: first pretend to be poisoned and make him lower his guard, then fire the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles.
Qin Yangming had believed victory was firmly in his grasp, never imagining the situation would reverse so abruptly. The Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles were among the Heavenly Secrets Bureau's most powerful concealed weapons. Within thirty feet, a target could scarcely escape them. Now less than ten feet separated him from Long Xiyue. Even if Qin Yangming reacted, it was already too late.
Long Xiyue pressed the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles' trigger three times in succession, firing every last one of its thousand-odd steel needles into Qin Yangming.
Hu Xiaotian