Me? I was transported into a book? And I became a vicious villain?

Chu Mengmeng's heart was beating fast. She didn't understand who this man in black was, nor did she know what he wanted to do. But the powerful aura he exuded made her feel fearful instinctively.

Xiao Yichen struggled to get up from the ground, holding his chest and coughing a few times. He stared at the man in black with vigilance and asked in a deep voice, "Who are you? Why do you want to interfere in our affairs?"

The man in black ignored Xiao Yichen and just turned to look at the dark figure with his head lowered. There was a hint of helplessness in his tone: "Look at yourself, what have you become now? Do you still remember the oath we made in the past?"

The black shadow's body trembled slightly, as if responding to the words of the man in black, but in the end he did not raise his head.

“Alas…” The man in black sighed, as if he had anticipated the shadow’s reaction. “It seems that you have been too deeply eroded by the darkness and can no longer listen to me.” He turned around and his eyes fell on Chu Mengmeng and Xiao Yichen. “You go, I can let you go.”

"Wait!" Xiao Yichen stopped him, "Why are you helping us?"

The man in black did not answer, but said calmly: "This is not to help, I just don't want to see it continue to go wrong."

Chu Mengmeng looked at the man in black and the black shadow, and suddenly had a bold guess in her mind: "Senior, do you know him?"

The man in black was silent for a moment, and finally nodded: "He was my former comrade-in-arms. We fought side by side and experienced countless life and death tests..." He paused, with a hint of sadness in his tone, "But I didn't expect that in the end he would still choose this path of no return."

"Senior, can you save him?" Chu Mengmeng couldn't help but ask.

The man in black shook his head: "He is beyond help."

"No, there must be a way!" Chu Mengmeng said firmly, "I believe that as long as we work together, we will be able to defeat the darkness and restore his sanity!"

The man in black looked at Chu Mengmeng's determined eyes, a complex look flashed in his eyes, but in the end he didn't say anything.

"Let's join forces!" Chu Mengmeng looked at Xiao Yichen and the man in black, "Only if we unite together can we overcome the difficulties in front of us!"

Xiao Yichen and the man in black looked at each other and nodded.

"Okay!" Xiao Yichen said in a deep voice, "Let's formulate a battle plan first. We must give full play to our respective advantages to achieve the final victory!"

Chu Mengmeng said excitedly: "I can use my magic control ability to interfere with its actions and create opportunities for you to attack!"

Xiao Yichen nodded: "Okay, I will take the opportunity to attack its weakness and try to kill it with one blow!"

The man in black was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I will use my power to suppress its dark power, but..." He paused, looking deeply at the shadow, "My power is limited, and I can only hold on for a quarter of an hour at most..."

"A quarter of an hour is enough!" Chu Mengmeng said firmly.

The three of them nodded to each other, their eyes full of determination.

The battle was about to break out, and the air was filled with tension. The man in black took a step forward, muttering something, and a powerful magical wave emanated from him, enveloping the black shadow.

"Roar!" The black shadow let out an angry roar, as if resisting the power of the man in black.

"Now!" Xiao Yichen shouted, and his figure flashed, turning into a flash of lightning, rushing towards the black shadow... Xiao Yichen turned into a black lightning and rushed towards the black shadow. However, although the black shadow was suppressed by the magic of the man in black, it was still extremely fierce. It waved its claws violently, bringing a gust of fishy wind, and forced Xiao Yichen back. Seeing this, Chu Mengmeng immediately condensed the magic energy and turned it into several invisible ropes, trying to wrap around the black shadow's limbs. The black shadow roared, and the black air on his body surged, and he actually shattered the magic ropes.

"Its defense is too strong!" Chu Mengmeng shouted anxiously, "My magic has almost no effect on it!"

The man in black frowned and said in a deep voice: "My power can only suppress it for a short period of time. I must find its weakness as soon as possible!"

At this moment, the black shadow suddenly let out a deafening roar, and a powerful dark force burst out from its body, creating cracks in the black-clothed man's magic barrier.

"Not good!" The man in black groaned, his face turning pale, "I can't suppress my power anymore!"

At this critical moment, the man in black who had been silent all this time suddenly moved. He flashed and instantly appeared behind the black shadow, quickly forming seals with his hands and muttering something.

"Shadow peeling!"

As the man in black shouted, a black light shot out from his hand and sank into the black shadow.

"Roar!" The black shadow let out a painful howl. The black energy on his body suddenly became much thinner, and his defense also weakened.

"Now!" Xiao Yichen seized the opportunity and turned into a flash of lightning again. The long sword in his hand, with a sharp sword energy, stabbed towards the chest of the black shadow.

"puff!"

The long sword pierced the black shadow's chest without any hindrance, and blood gushed out. The black shadow let out an unwilling roar, and his huge body fell to the ground with a bang, turning into a ball of black gas and dissipating in the air.

"We succeeded!" Chu Mengmeng shouted excitedly.

The man in black smiled weakly and said, "Yes, we succeeded..."

Xiao Yichen walked up to the man in black and said gratefully, "Thank you for your help, senior. Otherwise, we would never have been able to defeat it."

The man in black waved his hand and said, "You're welcome. This is what I should do..."

He turned his head to look at the place where the shadow disappeared, a complicated look flashed in his eyes, and he whispered in a low voice: "I hope you can find true peace in another world..."

Xiao Yichen and Chu Mengmeng looked at each other without saying anything. They just stood silently behind the man in black, quietly feeling the tranquility of the moment.

Suddenly, the ground shook slightly, and an ancient stone box slowly rose from where the black shadow disappeared, emitting a faint golden light.

"This is..." Chu Mengmeng looked at the stone box in surprise, feeling an inexplicable excitement in her heart.

Xiao Yichen walked forward and slowly opened the stone box.

In the stone box, quietly lies a gem emitting dazzling light...

"The second artifact..." The man in black looked at the gemstone with a complicated tone, "Finally found it..."

However, just as Xiao Yichen reached out to touch the gem, a powerful force suddenly burst out from the gem, knocking him back a few steps...

The light of the gem was like a flood that burst its banks, instantly filling the entire space. Xiao Yichen was caught off guard and was knocked back by the force. He stumbled a few steps before steadying himself. He stared at the gem in astonishment. The originally gentle light now became violent and dangerous.

"What's going on?" Chu Mengmeng hurriedly stepped forward to support Xiao Yichen and asked worriedly.

The man in black looked solemn. He slowly stretched out his hand, but quickly retracted it the moment he touched the light of the gem. He carefully felt the energy fluctuations remaining at his fingertips, frowning, "This power... is a curse!"

"Curse?" Chu Mengmeng exclaimed, "You mean, this artifact is cursed?"

The man in black nodded heavily. "Moreover, this curse is extraordinary. It is integrated with the artifact. Unless the curse is lifted, no one can truly possess it."

Xiao Yichen lowered his head in deep thought. He recalled the scene of being repelled just now, and felt vaguely uneasy in his heart, "Senior, is there any way to remove this curse?"

The man in black was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "According to ancient records, to lift this curse, you need an extremely rare magical material - 'Starfall Sand'. It has the ability to purify all dark forces, and according to legend, it can only be found in the depths of the distant Sunset Desert."

"Sunset Desert?" Chu Mengmeng exclaimed. She had seen a description of the Sunset Desert in an ancient travelogue. It was a desolate and dangerous land that was scorched by the scorching sun all year round. There were countless ferocious monsters lurking in it, and almost no one could get through it alive.

"Yes, it is the Sunset Desert." The man in black said solemnly, "The environment there is harsh and dangerous. It is extremely difficult to find the Falling Star Sand."

Xiao Yichen's eyes were determined. He clenched his fists and said in a deep voice: "No matter what, we have to give it a try! This artifact is of great importance, we must not give up easily!"

Chu Mengmeng also nodded firmly. She held Xiao Yichen's hand and said softly, "No matter where you go, I will accompany you!"

The man in black looked at the young couple in front of him, a trace of relief flashed in his eyes, and he said in a deep voice: "Okay! In that case, we will set off immediately and head to the Sunset Desert!"

After that, he turned and walked towards the cave entrance, his back straight, as if with an invisible determination to fight this fate to the end. Xiao Yichen and Chu Mengmeng looked at each other and followed closely. They knew that a more difficult adventure had just begun...

Gone were the lush green forests and fragrant flowers, replaced by a sea of ​​scorching sand that stretched endlessly to the horizon. The air was heavy and dry, with a stifling heat. The sun beat down mercilessly, turning the world into a flickering phantom.

"Is this... the Sunset Desert?" Chu Mengmeng murmured to herself, with a hint of unbelievable fear in her voice.

"That's right, be careful, there are dangers everywhere here." The man in black looked around vigilantly, his tone serious.

Xiao Yichen gently held Chu Mengmeng's hand and gave her a reassuring look, "Don't be afraid, I will protect you."

The three of them walked hard in the desert under the scorching sun, one foot deep and one foot shallow. The sand under their feet was so hot that it seemed to swallow them. Chu Mengmeng felt like her throat was on fire, and every step she took was extremely difficult.

"Wait!" The man in black suddenly stopped and signaled the two to hide.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Yichen asked in a low voice.

The man in black looked ahead sharply and said in a deep voice, "There is someone ahead..."