Cracks appeared on his skin like a glass about to shatter. Piercing white light blasted out of the widening cracks.
Thunder kept crying out, flapping her wings to get close but the violent energy threw her into the distance.
The crane crashed, stood up, and tried again, only to get the same result. However, Thunder was stubborn, refusing to watch her master die.
Deep within her eyes, the will to die along with her master grew stronger.
Meanwhile, Li Chen felt he was in a different realm where his spirit was split from his body. He could see the cracks increasing. Li Chen's energy was the last thing keeping his meridians together for it had bloated to the limit.
At this point, Li Chen could no longer feel the pain. Though he bled from all orifices and his body trembled like a leaf about to be swept away by the wind, a small part of him clung to life.