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

The shortcut that Allen mentioned was not a smooth road, but a road of trials full of thorns and tests. Deep in the misty forest, there was no sunlight all year round, and the humid air was filled with the smell of rotten leaves and soil. The towering trees blocked the sky, with only mottled spots of light scattered here and there.

"Be careful where you step." Xiao Yichen supported Chu Mengmeng and reminded her.

Chu Mengmeng nodded and followed Alan closely. They fought their way through the thorns and finally found an ancient temple deep in the forest.

The temple has long been in ruins, and the moss-covered stone pillars silently tell the vicissitudes of time. The huge stone door is half-open, as if inviting people to enter.

"It's here." Allen pointed at the temple, his tone solemn, "The Guardian Ring is in the deepest part of the temple, but to get there, you must pass a series of trials."

Just as he finished speaking, a magic circle suddenly lit up in the open space in front of the temple, flashing a strange light.

"This is..." Chu Mengmeng looked at the scene in front of her in surprise.

"This is the teleportation array leading to the interior of the temple. Only those who pass the trial can enter." Allen explained, "You must be careful. These trials are created by the power of the Guardian Ring and are very dangerous."

Chu Mengmeng and Xiao Yichen looked at each other and saw the determination in each other's eyes.

"We are ready." Chu Mengmeng said.

They stepped into the teleportation array and the world was spinning before their eyes. When they opened their eyes again, they were already inside the temple.

The interior of the temple is even more magnificent than it appears from the outside. The towering dome is painted with mysterious patterns, the surrounding walls are carved with ancient texts and totems, and the air is filled with a solemn atmosphere.

"This is the first floor of the temple. We must find the entrance to the next floor." Xiao Yichen looked around and observed the surrounding environment.

"I know where the entrance is." Alan pointed to a huge stone statue in the center of the temple. "As long as you solve the puzzle on the statue, you can open the passage to the next level."

Chu Mengmeng and Xiao Yichen walked up to the stone statue and carefully observed the patterns and words on it.

"This looks like some kind of ancient magic circle." Chu Mengmeng said, pointing to a complex pattern on the chest of the stone statue.

"Yes, and it is a very ancient magic circle." Xiao Yichen added, "I have seen a similar pattern in an ancient book. It is said that only people with powerful magic power can decipher it."

"Let me try." Chu Mengmeng said, stretched out her hand, and injected her magical power into the magic circle of the stone statue.

As she moved, the magic circle on the stone statue began to emit a dazzling light, and the air around it began to fluctuate violently.

"Be careful!" Xiao Yichen felt a powerful force surging out of the stone statue, and quickly pulled Chu Mengmeng behind him.

At this moment, the stone statue suddenly made a loud noise, and a huge stone door slowly opened, revealing a passage leading to the next level.

"Success!" Chu Mengmeng said excitedly.

"It's not over yet. This is just the first trial." Allen reminded, "There are more dangerous challenges waiting for us next."

They walked down the passage and came to the second floor of the temple, which was darker and damper than the first floor, and the air was filled with a disgusting stench.

"What's that smell?" Chu Mengmeng asked, covering her nose and frowning.

"It seems so..." Xiao Yichen's face suddenly changed before he finished speaking, "Be careful!"

Before he could finish his words, countless black vines emerged from the walls and the ground and attacked them like poisonous snakes.

"Get out of the way!" Xiao Yichen pushed Chu Mengmeng away, but he was entangled by vines and couldn't move.

"Xiao Yichen!" Chu Mengmeng exclaimed and quickly waved her staff, trying to cut the vines.

However, these vines were extremely tough and her magic attacks were completely ineffective.

"It's useless. These vines are created by dark magic. Your magic has no effect on them." Alan shouted, "I'll deal with these vines. You guys go find the entrance to the next level!"

As he spoke, Alan formed seals with his hands and muttered something. A powerful magical force burst out from him, shaking away all the surrounding vines.

"Hurry up!" Alan urged again.

Chu Mengmeng and Xiao Yichen did not dare to delay and hurriedly ran towards the depths of the temple.

They dodged the attacks of vines all the way and finally reached the third floor of the temple.

This is a huge secret room with walls covered with all kinds of strange patterns and symbols. In the center of the secret room, there is a huge magic circle. In the center of the magic circle, there is a shining ring.

"That's the ring of protection!" Chu Mengmeng pointed at the ring and said excitedly.

"Don't go over there!" Alan suddenly shouted, "That's a trap!"

However, it was too late.

Chu Mengmeng had been attracted by the light of the guardian ring. She walked towards the magic circle step by step, completely unaware of the magic trap that suddenly appeared under her feet.

"No!" Xiao Yichen wanted to stop her, but it was too late.

Chu Mengmeng stepped into the magic trap, and the magic circle was activated instantly, with a dazzling light shooting up into the sky...

"Mengmeng!" Xiao Yichen rushed towards Chu Mengmeng desperately, but was bounced back by an invisible barrier halfway.

"Hahaha, don't even think about stopping me!" A cold voice came from the depths of the secret room.

A mysterious figure wearing a black robe and a mask on his face slowly walked out of the shadows. In his hand, he held a black staff that exuded an evil aura.

"Who are you?" Xiao Yichen asked vigilantly.

"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that you all have to die here!" the mysterious figure said, raising the staff in his hand and pointing it at Xiao Yichen, "Let's start with you first!"

A black beam of light shot out from the staff and headed straight for Xiao Yichen... The black beam of light, with the power to destroy the heavens and the earth, shot straight at Xiao Yichen. At the critical moment, a figure stood in front of him. Chu Mengmeng, with her not-so-strong body, forcibly withstood the blow.

"Meng Meng!" Xiao Yichen's eyes were bloodshot, and his heart-wrenching cry echoed in the empty temple. He struggled to get up, but found that his body seemed to be hollowed out and he couldn't use any strength at all.

The mysterious figure chuckled, his tone full of sarcasm: "It's really touching, but unfortunately, it can't be used."

Chu Mengmeng fell in a pool of blood, her face as pale as paper, but there was still a hint of smile on the corner of her mouth: "Don't... don't worry about me... I'm fine..."

"Mengmeng, how are you? Hold on, I will definitely save you!" Xiao Yichen's hands were trembling. He wanted to touch Chu Mengmeng, but was afraid of hurting her.

"It's useless," the mysterious figure said grimly, "She has been hit by my dark magic, no one can save her."

"Shut up!" Xiao Yichen roared, "Who are you? Why are you doing this?"

The mysterious figure was silent for a moment, then slowly took off the mask, revealing a handsome but extremely pale face. His eyes were full of pain and struggle, as if he was fighting against something.

"I am..." He started speaking with difficulty, but suddenly stopped, as if he had something to hide.

"Who are you?!" Xiao Yichen asked again, his tone full of anxiety and anger.

The mysterious figure took a deep breath and seemed to have made a decision: "I am here to help you. I know how to save her, and I also know how to pass the next test."

"Are you serious?" A glimmer of hope ignited in Xiao Yichen's eyes.

"I never lie." The mysterious figure said, pulling out a bottle of black liquid from his arms, "Give it to her, it can temporarily suppress the dark magic in her body."

Xiao Yichen took the medicine bottle and fed it to Chu Mengmeng without hesitation. Soon, Chu Mengmeng's complexion began to improve and her breathing became stable.

"Next, I will guide you through the next trials," the mysterious figure said, "but I want to remind you that the later trials will be more difficult, so you must be mentally prepared."

"As long as I can save Mengmeng, I will try it no matter how difficult it is!" Xiao Yichen said firmly.

The mysterious figure nodded, turned and walked towards the depths of the temple. His back looked particularly lonely in the dim light. Xiao Yichen carefully picked up Chu Mengmeng and followed.

"Wait," Chu Mengmeng suddenly grabbed Xiao Yichen's sleeve and said weakly, "Something... seems to be wrong here..."

Xiao Yichen looked down and found that Chu Mengmeng's finger was pointing at an inconspicuous corner on the temple wall. There seemed to be a secret passage hidden there...

Trial Road

Chu Mengmeng leaned weakly against Xiao Yichen, but her eyes never left the secret corner. "Yichen, let's go over there and take a look." She said softly, with a barely perceptible tremor in her voice.

Xiao Yichen followed her gaze and said, "You mean that wall? But..."

"I know you are very weak now, but my intuition tells me that there is something unusual there." Chu Mengmeng insisted, "Perhaps there is some secret hidden there."

Xiao Yichen couldn't persuade her, so he had to force himself to stand up and slowly walked towards the wall.

The wall looked ordinary, but the moment Xiao Yichen's hand touched it, it emitted a faint light. Then, a sound of a mechanism turning was heard, and the wall slowly opened to both sides, revealing a dark passage.

"Be careful!" Chu Mengmeng reminded worriedly.

Xiao Yichen nodded, holding the sword tightly in his hand, and stepped into the passage first. Chu Mengmeng followed closely behind, and the two of them groped forward cautiously.

The passage was silent, with only the gentle breathing of the two people echoing. As they went deeper, an ancient and mysterious atmosphere filled the air.

"Wait, there's a magical fluctuation!" Chu Mengmeng suddenly stopped and gently stroked the walls on both sides of the passage. "There's a powerful magical restriction set up here. We can't move forward rashly."

"Restriction?" Xiao Yichen frowned, "Do you know how to break it?"

Chu Mengmeng shook her head. "This restriction is very ancient, and I have never seen it before. But..." She paused, "I feel that this restriction seems to have a resonance with my power."

"Your power?" Xiao Yichen looked at her in surprise.

"Yes." Chu Mengmeng closed her eyes, concentrated her mind, and tried to sense the power of the ban. "I need your help, Yichen."

"Tell me, what should I do?" Xiao Yichen said without hesitation.

"Pour your power into my body."

Xiao Yichen was slightly stunned, then he understood. Without any hesitation, he stretched out his hand and placed his palm on Chu Mengmeng's back.

A warm and powerful force instantly surged into Chu Mengmeng's body. She felt her strength increasing, and at the same time, her perception of the restriction became clearer and clearer.

"I understand!" Chu Mengmeng suddenly opened her eyes, "This restriction requires the combined strength of both of us to break it!"

After saying that, she took Xiao Yichen's hand, merged the power in their bodies together, and slowly injected it into the restriction in front of them.

As the power was injected, the originally peaceful passage began to tremble violently. The magic runes on the wall flickered, as if they would collapse at any time.

Chu Mengmeng and Xiao Yichen did not dare to relax. They concentrated their minds and poured all their strength into the restriction. Finally, with a deafening roar, the restriction was broken.

However, before they could breathe a sigh of relief, a more powerful force swept in from the depths of the passage. A huge black shadow slowly appeared in front of them...

The moment the ban was broken, a suffocating pressure surged like a tide. Chu Mengmeng and Xiao Yichen groaned and took a few steps back at the same time. Before they could see the scene in front of them clearly, a huge claw came with a strong wind and slapped them fiercely.

Xiao Yichen reacted quickly, pulling Chu Mengmeng over and narrowly avoiding the attack. He looked up and saw a tall figure slowly walking out from the depths of the passage, and every step seemed to step on their hearts, bringing a heavy sense of oppression.

The figure was covered in a black cloak, and his face could not be seen clearly, only two scarlet eyes flashed fiercely in the darkness. In his hand was a huge bone axe, and the axe blade was still stained with blood, emitting a disgusting bloody smell.

"What kind of monster is this?" Chu Mengmeng exclaimed. She had never seen such a horrible creature.

Xiao Yichen did not answer. He stared at the black shadow intently, the sword in his hand trembling slightly, that was the fear from deep in his heart. He could feel that the powerful aura emanating from this creature was far beyond their ability to contend with.

The shadow seemed to disdain to pay attention to them, just growled, and swung the bone axe again, attacking them. This time, it was faster and more powerful, and it was obviously determined to kill them.

"Be careful!" Xiao Yichen shouted. He pushed Chu Mengmeng behind him and rushed forward towards the bone axe.

"Bang!" With a crisp sound of metal collision, the long sword in Xiao Yichen's hand broke, and his whole body was blown away by the huge force. He fell heavily to the ground, and a mouthful of blood spurted out.

"Yi Chen!" Chu Mengmeng exclaimed. She wanted to rush forward, but was blocked by the black shadow.

"Roar!" The black shadow roared, as if mocking her for overestimating her own abilities. It slowly raised the bone axe in its hand, and aimed the sharp axe blade at Chu Mengmeng's neck. The shadow of death enveloped her, making her feel suffocated.

At this critical moment, a deep voice came from deep in the passage: "Stop!"

The shadow paused for a moment, then slowly turned his head and looked in the direction where the sound came from. Chu Mengmeng also struggled to raise her head, and saw a tall figure walking out of the darkness.

It was a man in a black robe. His face was hidden in the shadow of his hood and could not be seen clearly, but his deep eyes seemed to be able to see through everything, making people dare not look directly at him. He walked up to the shadow and said calmly, "Enough, you have lost your mind, come back."

The black shadow seemed to be struggling. It looked at the bone axe in its hand, then looked at Chu Mengmeng, and finally let out an unwilling roar, and the bone axe in its hand fell down weakly.

"Who are you?" Chu Mengmeng looked at the man in black in front of her, her heart full of doubts.

The man in black did not answer her question, but said calmly: "If you want to pass here, you must pass me first."