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

The night enveloped the dark castle, the moonlight was obscured by the heavy dark clouds, and only the green ghost lights on the castle's spire swayed in the wind, casting strange light and shadows. Chu Mengmeng held her breath and walked carefully in the empty corridor. Under her feet were unknown black stone bricks, and every step seemed to step on her heart, heavy and depressing.

"Key of Hope...Key of Hope..." She repeated it in her mind over and over again, as if it could bring her some strength. However, she could hear nothing except the whistling wind and her own rapid heartbeat. The castle was empty, with no guards, no servants, not even a mouse. It was horribly silent.

Chu Mengmeng could no longer remember how long she had walked in the castle. She only knew that she had been to all the places she could go, but still hadn't found any clues about the Key of Hope.

"Did I really find the wrong place?" Chu Mengmeng leaned against a stone pillar weakly, her heart filled with confusion and despair. She thought of the unconscious Xiao Yichen, Bai Chen's instructions before he left, and her mission. However, facing this endless darkness, she felt deeply powerless for the first time.

At the same time, in a hidden cave hundreds of miles away from the Dark Castle, Xiao Yichen and the mysterious figure were gradually recovering from their injuries. After Bai Chen treated their injuries, he left the cave alone. Before leaving, he only left a sentence: "I will be back soon, you can rest assured and recover."

Xiao Yichen slowly opened his eyes and looked at the unfamiliar environment in front of him, his mind in a mess. He struggled to sit up, but felt a sharp pain coming, making him groan.

"Don't move!" Seeing this, the mysterious figure who had been guarding him reached out and supported him. "Your injuries have not fully recovered yet. You need to rest well."

"Who are you...?" Xiao Yichen looked at the masked man in front of him whose face could not be seen clearly, but he had no memory of him in his mind.

"You don't need to care who I am," the mysterious figure said calmly, "You just need to know that we are friends and I will help you."

Xiao Yichen wanted to ask something else, but was interrupted by a mysterious figure, "The most important thing for you now is to recover from your injuries. We can talk about other things after you get better."

Xiao Yichen had no choice but to temporarily suppress his doubts, close his eyes, and start to regulate his breathing and heal his wounds. However, his heart was filled with anxiety. He didn't know how Chu Mengmeng was doing, where he was, and what would happen next...

At this moment, in the dark castle, Chu Mengmeng suddenly heard a faint sound of footsteps. She raised her head abruptly, looked in the direction where the sound came from, clenched the dagger in her hand, held her breath, and walked forward step by step.

"Who's there?" Chu Mengmeng asked in a low voice, but all she got in response was dead silence.

She continued to walk forward, her heart beating faster with every step. Finally, she saw a tightly closed stone door at the end of the corridor.

Chu Mengmeng took a deep breath, slowly stretched out her hand, and grasped the door knocker on the stone door...

Chu Mengmeng took a deep breath, slowly stretched out her hand, and grasped the door knocker on the stone door. The cold touch came from her palm, as if a sharp blade pierced her heart, making her feel unprecedented loneliness and helplessness.

"Can I really find the key to hope? Can I really save the world?" Chu Mengmeng murmured to herself, her voice echoing in the empty corridor, but she received no response.

Despair surged into her heart like a tide, almost swallowing her. She loosened her hands powerlessly, letting her body slide down the cold stone door, and finally fell to the ground, tears silently sliding down her face.

Just when she was about to give up, she caught a glimpse of something strange under the stone door. She quickly wiped away her tears and looked carefully, and found that there was a tiny button hidden under the stone door.

"Could it be..." A glimmer of hope ignited in Chu Mengmeng's heart, and she pressed the button with trembling hands.

"Rumble..."

After a dull sound, the stone door slowly opened inward, revealing a hidden staircase leading to the depths of darkness.

Chu Mengmeng hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and walked in, her heart pounding in her chest. As she walked deeper underground, the air became colder and more oppressive, and the only sound was the echo of her own footsteps.

At last she reached the bottom of the stairs and found herself in a small, dusty room, lit by a flickering torch that cast long, eerie shadows on the walls.

In the center of the room stood a small but ornate box, placed on a black marble pedestal.

Chu Mengmeng slowly approached the box, her eyes fixed on its exquisite carvings. She could feel a strange energy emanating from it, sending chills down her spine.

With trembling hands, she reached out and slowly lifted the lid...Chu Mengmeng carefully opened the box, her heartbeat vibrating her eardrums like a drum. In the box lay a crystal clear key, emitting a soft white light, dispelling the coldness and depression around her.

"The key of hope! It's really the key of hope!" Chu Mengmeng was so excited that tears welled up in her eyes. She held the key in her palm, feeling the warmth and strength coming from it. It seemed that in an instant, all the fear and anxiety disappeared, replaced by endless hope and courage.

She quickly ran back to the dimly lit room and excitedly waved the key in her hand to Xiao Yichen and the mysterious figure, "I found it! I found the key to hope! We are saved!"

Xiao Yichen opened his eyes weakly, and when he saw the key in Chu Mengmeng's hand, a relieved smile appeared on his pale face, "Great, you succeeded..."

The mysterious figure who had been silent all this time also raised his head, his eyes fell on the key in Chu Mengmeng's hand, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

At this moment, a powerful dark force suddenly descended and enveloped the entire room. The cold breath seemed to come from the abyss of hell, making people shudder.

"Oh no! It's the Dark Lord!" The mysterious figure stood up suddenly and looked towards the door with sharp eyes.

The figure of the Dark Lord slowly appeared at the door. His tall and burly figure exuded a suffocating sense of oppression. His scarlet eyes flashed with cold murderous intent. "Do you think you can defeat me by finding the Key of Hope? You are too naive!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a powerful dark force swept towards them, as if to devour them.

"Go!" Xiao Yichen pushed Chu Mengmeng away and protected her behind him, but he was hit by the dark power and vomited blood.

"Xiao Yichen!" Chu Mengmeng exclaimed and hurriedly supported his shaky body.

"Hahaha, just prepare to die!" The Dark Lord laughed arrogantly and approached them step by step.

A mysterious figure stood in front of Chu Mengmeng and Xiao Yichen. A long sword emitting dazzling white light suddenly appeared in his hand and pointed directly at the Dark Lord. "If you want to hurt them, you have to get past me first!"

The Dark Lord sneered, "You don't know your own limitations!"

Before he finished speaking, he turned into a black shadow and pounced towards the mysterious figure. A battle was about to break out...

Chu Mengmeng tightly grasped the key of hope, and looked firmly at the life-and-death duel that was about to unfold. She knew that now was not the time to despair, and she had to use her own strength to protect and fight! Chu Mengmeng tightly grasped the key of hope, and the light emitted by the key flickered in her trembling palm, reflecting her worried and determined eyes. Xiao Yichen supported his injured body, and the sword edge drew a deep mark on the ground, barely supporting himself from falling down.

The mysterious figure was dressed in white, like a banished immortal, waving the sword in his hand, sending out streaks of white light, and each attack was as powerful as thunder. However, the dark lord was like a demon crawling out of hell, surrounded by black mist, and each swing brought a suffocating sense of oppression.

“You don’t know what you can do!” The Dark Lord laughed wildly and easily resolved the attack of the mysterious figure. He swung his palm fiercely and black energy surged towards the three people like a huge wave.

"Be careful!" Xiao Yichen threw Chu Mengmeng to the ground and protected her with his body. The huge impact made him groan, and blood flowed from the corner of his mouth again.

Chu Mengmeng was frightened by this sudden change and her face turned pale. She struggled to get up, but he held her tightly in his arms, "Don't move, leave this to me and..."

He looked at the mysterious figure, but found that the other person was shrouded in black fog and could not be seen clearly.

“Hahaha, you ants think you can fight me?” The Dark Lord’s voice came from the black fog, full of disdain and ridicule. “Do you think that getting the Key of Hope can change everything? Dream on!”

The black fog gradually dissipated, revealing the embarrassed figure of the mysterious figure. He knelt on one knee, the light of the long sword in his hand dimmed, and a trace of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth. It was obvious that he was seriously injured in the attack just now.

"You..." Chu Mengmeng wanted to go forward anxiously, but was stopped by Xiao Yichen, "Don't go over there. If you go over there now, you will only drag him down."

He took a deep breath, endured the severe pain in his body, slowly stood up, and looked at the Dark Lord with a firm gaze, "Even if it costs our lives, we will not let you succeed!"

The Dark Lord laughed loudly, his laughter full of contempt and cruelty. "Okay, very good! Then I will fulfill your wish and let you see what true power is!"

He raised his hands high, and the black energy gathered in his hands, forming a huge black vortex.

"What is he going to do?" Chu Mengmeng felt an unprecedented fear. This power made her feel desperate.

Xiao Yichen held her hand tightly, his eyes full of determination, "I don't know, but..."

Before he finished speaking, the Dark Lord suddenly roared, "Forbidden Dark Spell, Light of Destruction!"