Rules of the Strange: I Became a God in a Bizarre World Through Taoist Arts

"Pfft—"

A sharp, cold light flashed by, and blood gushed onto the ground.

Shen Xingzhuo didn't maintain the motion of throwing the knife for long. She swiftly swept past Xiuyi and pulled Pei Xi, who was cowering on the ground, into her arms.

Pei Xi seems to have grown even bigger; it's a bit difficult for her to hold her now.

"Mother, Xi'er misses you."

Pei Xi stared at her blankly, sobbing softly.

Shen Xingzhuo patted his back gently, her voice very low: "It's my fault, I'm late."

Pei Xi buried her head in her neck and nuzzled against her affectionately. But her gaze swept over her shoulder and landed menacingly on Xiu Yi.

"ah!!!!"

The earth-shattering sound waves stirred up the dust at the bottom of the well.

Only then did Xiuyi belatedly realize that one of her arms had been severed cleanly at the root by Shen Xingzhuo's long sword.

He looked down at the wound that was still bleeding, his face contorted with bulging veins, and one could vaguely see a thick, eerie aura coursing through his veins.

He has already swallowed so many infant spirits that his assimilation rate is at least 80%.

The eerie aura at the bottom of the well surged like a living thing, almost swallowing up one's vision.

Pei Xi is a mystery, while Shen Xingzhuo is a Taoist master.

The mother and child both ignored each other.

"What a pity," Shen Xingzhuo sighed softly.

"Mother?"

Shen Xingzhu shook his head.

She originally wanted Xiuyi to kowtow to Liu Jin a few times, in order to at least alleviate Pei Jinyu's resentment in the well.

She never expected this person to turn evil so suddenly, completely ruining her plans.

She put Pei Xi down and patted his head: "Wait here for your mother. I'll catch this man and get justice for your grandmother."

Pei Xi nodded blankly, clutching the small paper figure in her arms, and hid in a corner.

Xiuyi's body was stretched and deformed by the eerie energy.

It felt like something was blowing under his skin, making his remaining arm thicker and longer, until the joints were dislocated and the fingers were twisted.

He was more than twice the size of his original size; his fists alone were bigger than Pei Xi's head.

He looked down at himself, then let out three strange laughs.

"Seek justice? You think you can beat me?"

He took a step forward, and a cloud of dust was shaken off the bottom of the well.

Shen Xingzhuo raised an eyebrow, pulled the long knife from the well wall, and gently twirled the two knives in his hand.

"The purpose of a person's life is to achieve harmony between yin and yang, and to have both physical and spiritual well-being."

As she spoke, she took two steps forward.

"The body is the dwelling place of the spirit. When the body and spirit are separated, the body is just an empty shell."

Xiuyi's fists clenched so tightly they cracked: "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"When yin energy enters the body, it can expand to the size of a person in a short time. You've swallowed so many infant spirits, your yin energy is far stronger than that of ordinary evil cultivators—"

Shen Xingzhuo made a thumbs-and-forefinger pinching gesture and smiled contemptuously.

"I'm telling you, you're bad!"

Xiuyi's rationality was broken by Shen Xingzhuo's words and gestures.

He roared and stomped on Shen Xingzhuo.

It was heavy and urgent, like a mountain pressing down.

Shen Xingzhuo did not back down.

She simply turned to the side and nimbly slid through the gap.

The long knife grazed Xiuyi's calf, slicing off a piece of flesh.

He deftly flipped the dagger in his other hand and plunged it into the back of his knee.

Xiuyi winced in pain and stumbled forward.

Shen Xingzhuo gave him no chance to catch his breath.

Every cut pierced his skin!

Xiuyi roared and swung his fist.

But Shen Xingzhuo was like a shadow, circling around his body, each cut drawing blood, yet each one shallow.

"Is all you can do is hide?!" Xiuyi roared.

Shen Xingzhuo did not answer. She simply slipped between his arms the next time he threw a punch, and with a dagger, she slashed upwards, cutting across his wrist.

"No...it's impossible...it said that as long as I devour the infant spirit, you will absolutely be no match for me!"