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

Hua Jiuyue's swaying figure gradually disappeared into the distance.

Just as Shen Xingzhuo hesitated whether to chase after him, a chill ran down the back of her neck.

Aren't you going to chase after them?

Shen Xingzhuo felt a chill run down her spine and turned around abruptly, only to find that there was no one behind her.

"If we don't catch up now, it'll be too late."

The voice appeared again!

A buzzing sound filled Shen Xingzhuo's mind, followed by a sharp timer beep!

[Countdown begins!]

[66 seconds, 65 seconds, 64 seconds...]

Shen Xingzhuo was baffled. What was going on here? The countdown had suddenly started.

And usually countdowns start from a whole number like one minute, but this one starts from 66, so what's going on?

The countdown continues.

Shen Xingzhuo's feet seemed to be rooted to the spot.

Her mind was racing, but because she had so many thoughts, she experienced a brief "shutdown".

[Countdown: 48 seconds.]

Shen Xingzhuo pinched her arm hard.

The stinging sensation made her gasp.

Forty-eight seconds, why not just let her die?

She shook the jumbled thoughts from her mind, and the moment she pressed the acupoint on her palm, reason returned!

"Ah Xing, in our Taoist school, nine is the number of extreme Yang. Now, I ask you, do you know the extreme of Yin?"

An old man's voice and appearance appeared.

Another small figure hummed twice, laughing happily: "Master, you can't fool me!"

"It's 6! Right?"

"Hmm," the old man replied. "Then do you know why?"

The small figure counted on her fingers, "Because... in the six realms of reincarnation, the three evil realms—hell, hungry ghosts, and animals—all belong to the yin category. Together they make six..."

The sound gradually faded into the distance.

Shen Xingzhuo snapped back to reality and slapped himself hard across the face!

Her brow furrowed, but the countdown had reached its final twenty seconds.

Shen Xingzhu didn't have time to think and rushed out of the dormitory.

Hua Jiuyue hadn't been gone long, but she was almost disappearing at the end of the corridor!

Shen Xingzhuo assessed the distance between herself and her, and cursed under her breath.

Even if she runs at full speed, she might not be able to catch up!

She now only has two choices!

First, use the Thorn Key to open the safe house and save Hua Jiuyue's life!

Second, watch Hua Jiuyue die!

Neither of them is the optimal choice.

Option 1: The item that opens the safe house can only be used once in a ghost story. Using it this time means she has lost a life.

Option two, in this supernatural tale where you need to team up in pairs, means she will lose a "trustworthy" partner, which is equivalent to losing her life!

[Countdown: 10 seconds, nine seconds...]

"Either way, I'll die..."

Shen Xingzhuo's eyes instantly sharpened. "I still prefer dealing with ghosts..."

She turned and went into the room, then yanked Hua Yu off the bed!

Shen Xingzhuo bit his finger and drew a talisman on Hua Yu's forehead!

"Hua Yu! Heed my command!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Hua Yu obeyed without question.

"Use your vines to curl the little flower back!"

Upon hearing this, Hua Yu stretched out her right hand.

A green vine grew rapidly in an instant, catching up with Hua Jiuyue in the blink of an eye!

but……

Hua Yu's move is an offensive technique.

The vines did not wrap around Hua Jiuyue's waist and pull her back as expected.

Instead, it pierced straight through Hua Jiuyue's belly!

Fortunately, the vine was a rose vine with thorns, which helped bring the person back!

Shen Xingzhuo breathed a sigh of relief.

Hua Jiuyue's blood stained the corridor walls red after the vines withdrew.

A chilling aura emanated from behind them.

"What are you doing?"