I walk sideways in the game world

Black fog rolled in, and a tall figure slowly emerged from the void. This person was clad in a black cloak, his face hidden in the shadows, revealing only a pair of eyes as deep as stars, as if they could see through everything.

"Master!" When the man in black robe saw the person coming, he immediately knelt on one knee and was extremely respectful.

Ren Xiaoyao was startled. This sudden change caught both him and Xia Lin off guard. Xia Lin struggled to her feet, staring warily at the man in black before her. She whispered, "Brother Xiaoyao, who is this man?"

Ren Xiaoyao shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either. He gripped his sword tightly, his gaze fixed on the man in black, and asked in a deep voice, "Who are you? Why are you interfering in our affairs?"

The man in black ignored Ren Xiaoyao and turned his gaze to Xia Lin. He said in a cold tone, "Are you a descendant of the Xia clan?"

Xia Lin's heart trembled, and she subconsciously took a step back and asked, "Who are you? How do you know my identity?"

The man in black sneered and said, "I am the Lord of Shadows. There is nothing in this world that I don't know." He paused and continued, "The game world is not as simple as you imagine. It is not virtual, but real."

"What?!" Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin exclaimed at the same time, looking at the man in black in disbelief.

The man in black ignored their shock and continued, "Everything you've experienced is nothing more than a carefully designed test. And you," he pointed at Ren Xiaoyao, his tone icy, "your arrival is not accidental, but the one chosen by fate."

"Chosen by fate?" Ren Xiaoyao frowned, his heart filled with confusion and uneasiness. "What exactly do you want to say?"

The man in black didn't answer directly. Instead, he stretched out his hand, and a black crystal ball appeared in his palm. Countless stars could be vaguely seen twinkling in the crystal ball. "This world is about to face a catastrophe, and you are the only hope."

"Me?" Ren Xiaoyao pointed at himself and asked in disbelief, "What can I do?"

"Join us," the man in black said in a low and seductive voice, "Become our leader and lead us against the coming darkness."

Ren Xiaoyao was silent. He looked at the man in black, then at Xia Lin beside him, his heart in a struggle. At this moment, the man in black suddenly stretched out his hand, and an invisible force enveloped Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin.

"Your choice determines the fate of this world..." The voice of the man in black echoed in their ears, and then Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin's eyes went dark and they lost consciousness.

When they woke up again, they found themselves in a strange place...

When Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin woke up again, they found themselves in a misty forest. Towering trees blocked out the sun, and only scattered light filtered through the gaps between the leaves, casting spots of light on the ground.

"Where is this place?" Charlene looked around, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. "Where is that man in black?"

Ren Xiaoyao shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either. He vaguely remembered the last words of the man in black, and his heart was filled with doubts and uneasiness.

"Chosen by fate? Fighting against darkness? What on earth is going on?" He whispered to himself, tightening his grip on the sword.

"Brother Xiaoyao, what should we do now?" Xia Lin walked to his side and gently pulled the corner of his clothes.

Ren Xiaoyao took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and said, "First, find a way to leave here, and then return to Qingyun City."

They walked along a hidden path, and along the way, Ren Xiaoyao told Xia Lin what the man in black had said.

"So the game world isn't what we imagined..." After hearing this, Xia Lin's expression became serious. "Should we believe him?"

"I don't know." Ren Xiaoyao shook his head, "But my intuition tells me that things are not that simple." He paused and said firmly, "No matter what, I will not join them. I will protect this world and you in my own way."

Xia Lin felt warm in her heart and looked up at Ren Xiaoyao, her eyes full of trust and dependence.

After some effort, they finally walked out of the misty forest and returned to the familiar Qingyun City. However, the scene before them surprised them.

The once bustling street now seemed unusually deserted, with only a few pedestrians hurriedly walking by, each with a hint of uneasiness on their faces.

"What's going on?" Charlene asked in a low voice, "Something seems different here."

Ren Xiaoyao also sensed the strange atmosphere. He stopped a passerby and asked in a deep voice, "Brother, what happened in the city? Why do people seem so..."

"Shh!" Before Ren Xiaoyao could finish, the passerby quickly made a hushed gesture and said in a low voice, "You guys just came back from outside, right? Things have been a bit turbulent in the city lately, so it's better not to ask too much."

After saying that, the man left in a hurry.

Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin exchanged glances, feeling even more uneasy. They came to the bulletin board in the city center and saw a notice posted on it:

"Recently, the demons are making moves, and the border situation is getting tense. Residents, please be vigilant and take precautions..."

"The demon clan?" Ren Xiaoyao frowned. "Could it be that the darkness the man in black was talking about is the demon clan?"

Xia Lin's heart tightened, and she asked worriedly, "Brother Xiaoyao, what should we do now?"

"Let's go to the City Lord's Mansion first." Ren Xiaoyao made a prompt decision and pulled Xia Lin towards the City Lord's Mansion.

However, when they arrived at the gate of the City Lord's Mansion, they found that it was heavily guarded, the gate was heavily guarded, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

"Stop! Who are you?" Two guards blocked their way.

Ren Xiaoyao was about to explain when he suddenly heard a commotion in the City Lord's Mansion. Then, a familiar voice rang out:

"Lord City Lord, something terrible has happened! The demon army is approaching, and has already..."

The voice suddenly stopped, and Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin's hearts suddenly sank, and an ominous premonition came to their minds...

Ren Xiaoyao's mind raced, unconcerned with the events at the City Lord's Mansion. He grabbed Xia Lin's hand and ran toward the crowded area. He knew that at this moment, the only way to get to the bottom of the matter was to ensure his own safety. The two of them dodged and ducked along the way, finally escaping the guards' sight and blending into the panicked crowd.

"It seems that things are more complicated than we imagined." Ren Xiaoyao said to Xia Lin in a low voice with a serious expression, "The game world is very complicated. We must be careful and cautious."

Xia Lin held Ren Xiaoyao's hand tightly and asked worriedly, "Brother Xiaoyao, where are we going next? What are we going to do?"

Ren Xiaoyao pondered for a moment and said, "Let's go to Tianji Pavilion first. Maybe we can get some useful information there."

Tianji Pavilion, a mysterious organization in the gaming world, is known for gathering intelligence and predicting the future. Ren Xiaoyao once helped an elder there, so perhaps he could get some help from him.

However, when they arrived at Tianji Pavilion, they found that it was already deserted and only silence remained.

"It seems that Tianji Pavilion also received the news in advance." Ren Xiaoyao frowned, and the feeling of uneasiness in his heart became stronger and stronger.

They inquired around the city and found that some originally neutral forces, such as the "Shenbing Villa" famous for making weapons and the "Yaowang Valley" famous for refining elixirs, had begun to move secretly and recruit soldiers, as if preparing for the upcoming war.

"Why are these forces involved in this war?" Xia Lin asked in confusion.

Ren Xiaoyao pondered, "Perhaps they were also forced to make a choice, or perhaps..." His tone became deeper, "They have other purposes."

In order to find out the truth, Ren Xiaoyao decided to conduct an in-depth investigation. He used his reputation and connections in the game to secretly contact several people who were related to the mysterious forces.

After some maneuvers, he finally got an important clue from an informant: the leader of the mysterious force is a mysterious figure named "Tianming". He possesses powerful power and ambition. His purpose is not only to protect the game world, but to use Ren Xiaoyao's power to break the barriers between the game world and the real world, so as to realize greater ambitions!

When Ren Xiaoyao learned the truth, his heart was filled with shock. He realized that he was involved in a huge conspiracy, and if this conspiracy succeeded, it would bring unimaginable disaster to the real world.

He must stop this!

However, just as Ren Xiaoyao was about to make the truth public and expose Tianming's conspiracy, a sudden attack disrupted his plans.

A group of men in black descended from the sky and surrounded Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin.

"Protect the young master!" The leader in black gave an order, and everyone launched a fierce attack on Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin.

Ren Xiaoyao fought hard to resist, but the opponent had a large number of people and each of them was very strong, so he gradually fell into a disadvantage.

"Brother Xiaoyao, be careful!" Xia Lin shouted anxiously, but had no time to care about her own safety.

In the chaos, Ren Xiaoyao was ambushed by a man in black and was seriously injured.

"Go!" He tried his best to push Xia Lin away, but he was surrounded by men in black.

"Brother Xiaoyao!" Xia Lin watched helplessly as Ren Xiaoyao was overwhelmed by the men in black. She could do nothing but cry out his name in despair, her voice gradually drowned out by the night...

"Don't let her get away! Chase her!" The leader in black gave the order, and everyone rushed in the direction of Xia Lin's escape, leaving only Ren Xiaoyao, who fought alone in the night, his figure gradually swallowed by the darkness...