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

"Take them up? You mean you're going to snatch them from the underworld?"

The heavenly voice was filled with disdain.

If the wielding ghost were to actually stand in front of Shen Xingzhuo now, he would probably spit on her to show his attitude.

But Shen Xingzhuo was not bothered by its emotions at all; instead, she smiled.

"If I were to judge Liu Jin's crimes on behalf of the underworld, they would surely save themselves some trouble."

She said, feigning distress, "I just don't know if, after all these thousands of years, the same old guys I know are still in office."

As she spoke, she quickly bit her fingertip until it bled.

Bright red blood gushed out.

Shen Xingzhuo flicked her hand swiftly, sending the blood droplet flying into the air. Guided by her spiritual energy, it was drawn into a summoning talisman.

The moment the talisman was completed, her hand seals changed rapidly, and her sword incantation pointed towards the center of the talisman.

A spiritual energy, invisible to ordinary people, was infused into this talisman, its golden light concealed within.

"Fengdu is bright and clear, granting amnesty and summoning all gods. The gates of heaven open, and the gates of earth connect with the truth."

Shen Xingzhuo stared straight ahead, reciting each word clearly:

"I am now ordered to open Fengdu; all ghosts and spirits shall flee in terror!"

"Gate of Hell, open!"

The golden light flourishes.

But amidst the rich spiritual energy, yin energy suddenly arose.

A thin black line stretched out straight, and then a powerful surge of yin energy erupted from this black line.

A dark and ancient gate slowly revealed its true form.

"Squeak—"

As if sealed for a long time, the door slowly opened, revealing the pitch-black world inside.

Unlike Shen Xingzhuo, who sent her brother down in the first ghost story.

This time, what was revealed through the gate was the true underworld.

Several figures lingered behind the door.

Shen Xingzhuo sensed a familiar presence and curled the corners of her lips into a smile.

She reached out and grabbed Liu Jin's last remaining soul, gently patted it, and sent it inside.

"I need this person's true soul; I ask you all to do it for me."

Before long, a figure emerged from the depths of the door, carrying a ball of grayish-white light in its hand, like a lamp about to go out. The light trembled slightly in its hand, as if something was struggling desperately, yet unable to break free from that seemingly casually held hand.

The figure remained inside the doorway, not stepping out. It held the ball of light in its hand towards the crack in the door, as if to confirm whether Shen Xingzhuo wanted to take it.

Shen Xingzhuo reached out and took it. The moment her fingertips touched the grayish-white light, an extremely piercing chill shot up from her palm, as if she were holding a piece of iron just pulled from ice water. She didn't let go, but just looked down—she could vaguely make out the outline of a curled-up human figure in the ball of light, the features were blurry, but the familiar aura was unmistakable.

"It's Liu Jin," she said.

The figure inside the door did not respond, but remained standing still, as if waiting for her to finish speaking.

Shen Xingzhuo looked up at the darkness inside the door: "Thanks. I'll personally visit Fengdu to express my gratitude another day."

The figure moved slightly, like a very light nod, before slowly sinking back into the darkness. The door began to close, disappearing along with the figure into the unfathomable abyss.

"Squeak—"

Just as the door was about to close, Shen Xingzhuo heard a very faint sound coming from the crack—like the clanging of chains, or perhaps a low laugh from afar. She didn't turn around, but simply clenched the ball of light in her hand tighter.

"Your true soul has arrived."