Bai Zhu raised his left hand, palm facing the dog-shaped monster's gaping maw.
"Hadō #63, Raikōhō."
Lightning pierced its head, blasting apart the golden particles. The glass and metal panels in the cultivation chamber trembled with the impact.
The monster's forelimbs had already pressed down over Unma's head.
Bai Zhu turned his left hand.
"Bakudō #4, Hainawa."
Light Rope coiled around Unma's waist and dragged her away from the console. Having lost its head, the dog-shaped monster's body scattered as well. Large swaths of particles split around the lightning and slipped into cracks in the walls and beneath the equipment.
Its front paw did not stop.
Five claws made of shadows and particles swept across Bai Zhu's chest, sending him flying.
Bai Zhu's back crashed into a cultivation tank, setting off an alarm. His brow scraped against its glass edge, splitting open as blood ran down the side of his face and into his collar.
The scattered golden particles stopped.
Several streams of particles that had originally been rushing toward Unma all turned toward Bai Zhu.
"This is trouble."
Two drops of blood struck the floor.
The foremost particles pounced on them and wrapped around the droplets. The portions that touched the blood quickly lost their movement, and their gold darkened. The outer particles retreated half a meter and circled the two bloodstains.
The remaining particles in the cultivation chamber immediately stopped advancing.
They retreated into the shadows at the corners, and even the scraping sounds in the vents ceased.
Bai Zhu wiped his forehead, his palm covered in blood.
"So you're afraid of this too."
Unma pushed herself upright against the console, still unsteady on her feet.
"How is your injury?"
"Worry about yourself first."
Bai Zhu held his blade across the passage, his voice suppressing his anger.
"I