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

The cheers gradually died down, and the joy on the faces of the city defenders slowly faded, replaced by lingering fatigue and a trace of inexplicable uneasiness.

"What's wrong, Mengmeng?" Xiao Yichen keenly noticed Chu Mengmeng's abnormality and asked with concern.

Chu Mengmeng shook her head and tried to force a smile: "Nothing, just a little tired. We won, we should be happy."

"Yes, we won." Xiao Yichen repeated this sentence, but his eyes drifted away involuntarily. The city under the night sky seemed to have returned to its former tranquility, but he always felt that something was wrong.

Su Mubai walked up to the two of them, frowning, "Do you think the fog today is a little strange?"

After he said this, Chu Mengmeng and Xiao Yichen noticed that a thin layer of mist had appeared in the originally clear night sky, carrying an indescribable chill and depression.

"Maybe it's just the weather change." Lin Wan'er said with a forced smile, but she also felt a little uneasy in her heart.

At this moment, a city guardian on patrol came running over in a panic, saying, "Report! Unknown runes appeared in the west of the city, and... and..."

"And what?" Su Mubai asked.

"And those runes are still spreading outwards at a very fast speed!"

Everyone's faces changed, and they immediately realized that things were not simple. They quickly rushed to the west of the city, but the scene in front of them made them gasp.

The once bustling streets were completely covered by thick fog, with extremely low visibility. On the ground, dense runes emitted a faint light, spreading around like poisonous snakes. Wherever they passed, the buildings seemed to be corroded and quickly became dilapidated.

"What is this?!" Lin Wan'er exclaimed.

"These runes... seem to be some kind of ancient seal..." Chu Mengmeng carefully identified the runes, her face becoming more and more solemn, "If I'm not mistaken, these runes seal an extremely terrifying existence..."

"Is he more terrifying than the master of shadows?" a city guardian couldn't help but ask.

Chu Mengmeng took a deep breath and said slowly: "According to the ancient prophecy, in the endless darkness, there is a terrifying existence called 'Shadow King' sleeping. He has the power to control darkness, which is a hundred times stronger than the shadow master, and can even destroy the entire world..."

"The Shadow King..." Everyone's heart trembled, and an unprecedented sense of fear arose.

"Could it be that the appearance of the Black Shadow Master is just to awaken this 'Shadow King'?!" Xiao Yichen's face turned pale. If this is true, then a more difficult battle will be waiting for them!

The fog is getting thicker and the runes are spreading faster and faster, as if foreshadowing a greater disaster is about to come. The city guardians stand under this strange night, feeling uneasy and confused. They don't know what will happen in the future, but they know that in order to protect the city and the people they love, they must bravely face the upcoming challenges!

The name of the Shadow King was like a bolt from the blue, exploding in everyone's heart. The power to control darkness, the ability to destroy the world, all of this indicated that an unprecedented catastrophe was about to come.

"We must find a way to stop him!" Su Mubai clenched his fists, his eyes determined.

"But, we don't even know what he looks like or what his weaknesses are..." A city guardian could hardly hide his fear in his tone.

"There will always be a way." Chu Mengmeng took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. "Since the ancient books have predicted the coming of the Shadow King, there must be a way to restrain him. As long as we find those ancient books and study them carefully, we will definitely find the answer!"

A glimmer of hope ignited in everyone's hearts. Yes, as long as they found a way, they could overcome all difficulties!

Therefore, the city guardians split into two groups. One group was led by Xiao Yichen, responsible for strengthening the city's defenses and responding to possible crises; the other group was led by Chu Mengmeng, and together with the guardians of the ancient ruins, they devoted themselves to studying ancient books and looking for ways to fight against the Shadow King.

Time was running out and the atmosphere was depressing. Chu Mengmeng, Lin Wan'er and others spent almost every day in the library of the ruins, flipping through the mountains of ancient books, hoping to find a clue.

“Mengmeng, look at this!” Lin Wan’er pointed to a passage in an ancient book and exclaimed in surprise, “It says here that the source of the Shadow King’s power comes from the Heart of Darkness!”

"Heart of Darkness?" Chu Mengmeng leaned in to take a closer look. The text was written in an ancient language and was difficult to understand. "Does it mean that as long as the Heart of Darkness is destroyed, the King of Shadows can be defeated?"

"It's very likely!" Lin Wan'er said excitedly, "But where is the Heart of Darkness?"

At this moment, a guardian of the ancient ruins ran in hurriedly, looking excited: "Found it! We found the key information to fight against the Shadow King!"

Chu Mengmeng and Lin Wan'er looked at each other, and a glimmer of hope rose in their hearts. Could it be that they really found a way to defeat the Shadow King?

The guardian led them to a wall and pointed at the ancient murals on it, saying excitedly: "Look!"

The mural depicts a mysterious ceremony, with a group of people in black robes surrounding a huge black sphere, chanting something, as if performing some kind of summoning ritual. The black sphere exudes a frightening dark energy, as if it wants to devour everything.

“Could this black sphere be…” Chu Mengmeng’s heart moved, and she vaguely guessed something.

The guardian nodded, his tone solemn: "Yes, according to our research, this black sphere is the legendary 'Heart of Darkness', and that ritual is the key to summoning the Shadow King!"

"But the mural doesn't say where the Heart of Darkness is?" Lin Wan'er asked puzzledly.

The guardian pointed to the corner of the mural, where a small symbol was engraved, which was almost imperceptible without careful observation.

"This symbol..." Chu Mengmeng recognized this symbol. It was the symbol they had seen at the entrance of an ancient secret room under the city!

Could it be that the Heart of Darkness is hidden in that secret room? As soon as this thought came to mind, it grew wildly in Chu Mengmeng's heart like a weed.

"Let's go to that secret room!"

With their hearts filled with anticipation and anxiety, Chu Mengmeng, Lin Wan'er and the others immediately set off and rushed towards the ancient secret room under the city... The shadow of the dark night is coming again

The entrance to the ancient secret room was hidden deep underground in the city. The air was filled with a stale smell, the walls were covered with moss, and the ancient runes could be vaguely seen flashing with a faint light. Chu Mengmeng, Lin Wan'er and others stepped into the secret room cautiously, their hearts full of expectation and uneasiness.

"It's really... eerie here." Lin Wan'er couldn't help but shiver and clenched the weapon in her hand.

"Be careful, everything here is weird." Chu Mengmeng warned in a low voice, looking around vigilantly.

The secret room was larger than they had imagined, and the walls were carved with exquisite murals that recorded the history and legends of the city. Most of the murals were blurred, but one of them was still clearly visible, depicting the ritual of summoning the Shadow King that they had seen in the ancient books.

"It seems we have found the right place." Su Mubai pointed at the mural with a hint of excitement in his tone.

"But where is the artifact?" Lin Wan'er looked around and did not find anything resembling a divine artifact.

Just then, Chu Mengmeng noticed an inconspicuous stone platform below the mural. On the stone platform was a quaint box with intricate patterns carved on it, emitting a faint golden glow.

“Could it be…” Chu Mengmeng walked forward, her heart beating faster involuntarily.

"Be careful!" Xiao Yichen grabbed Chu Mengmeng, protected her behind him, and stared at the box vigilantly.

"What's wrong?" Chu Mengmeng asked puzzledly.

"This box is surrounded by restrictions. Once touched, it is likely to cause danger." Xiao Yichen explained, scanning the area around the box with sharp eyes, trying to find a way to break the restrictions.

After careful observation, Xiao Yichen finally found the key to the restriction. He signaled everyone to step back, and then used his spiritual power to carefully release the restriction.

As the ban was lifted, the box slowly opened, and a golden sword emitting dazzling light appeared in front of everyone. The sword had a slender blade, and a dazzling gem was inlaid on the hilt, emitting powerful spiritual power fluctuations.

"This is... the divine weapon that can restrain the Shadow King?" Lin Wan'er exclaimed, her eyes full of desire.

Just as everyone was about to pick up their swords, the secret room suddenly shook violently, and the murals on the walls began to twist and deform, as if coming alive, turning into hideous monsters that pounced towards them.

"Be careful!" Xiao Yichen shouted and swung his sword at the monsters.

However, these monsters were not physical entities, but were condensed from some mysterious force, and Xiao Yichen's attacks had no effect on them.

"What should we do?" Lin Wan'er asked anxiously, waving the weapon in her hand continuously, but unable to stop the monsters from approaching.

At this moment, a deep voice echoed in the secret room: "If you want to obtain the artifact, you must pass my test!"

A tall figure slowly walked out of the shadows, his body was wrapped in a black cloak, his face could not be seen, only a pair of scarlet eyes emitting a chilling light.

"Who are you?" Xiao Yichen asked vigilantly.

"I am the guardian of this artifact. Only those with sufficient strength are qualified to own it." The black shadow said coldly, his voice full of unquestionable majesty.

A fierce battle is about to break out...