Taking the opportunity of traveling through books

The mystery is now full of confusion

I slowly turned around, and there was no one behind me. A cold wind rustled fallen leaves, adding to the dead silence. "Nothing..." I muttered to myself, feeling even more uneasy. This sudden appearance and disappearance only added to the mystery of the mark.

"Really... nothing?" Wei Xue's voice trembled violently, as if she had seen something terrifying. She gripped my arm tightly, her fingertips cold. Hao Yang also looked around with a vigilant expression, his hand already on the sword at his waist.

I shook my head, forcing myself to remain calm. "Perhaps we were mistaken..." Though I said this, I knew in my heart that we were definitely not mistaken. That black flame, that eerie aura, had truly existed.

I squatted down again, examining the ground carefully. Although the markings had vanished, a faint black mark still lingered, as if burned. I reached out and gently touched it, feeling a strange sensation at my fingertips, like touching some ancient rune.

I closed my eyes, trying to recall this feeling. These runes... I felt like I'd seen them somewhere before. Suddenly, a sharp pain washed over me, and my head felt like it was about to explode. Countless images flashed through my mind, but they were blurry and unclear, and I couldn't grasp any specific details.

"Yaoyao!" Hao Yang's anxious voice rang in my ears. I opened my eyes, but everything was blurry and I could only see his worried expression. "What's wrong with you?"

I held my forehead, trying to stay awake. "I...I'm fine..." I took a deep breath and looked at the ground again. The black marks were still there, as if mocking my ignorance.

"You look bad." Wei Xue's voice was filled with concern. She stretched out her hand, and a faint green light emanated from her palm. "Let me help you..." A warm power slowly flowed into my body, and the headache gradually eased.

I glanced at her gratefully, then focused my attention back on the traces left on the ground. I had to figure out what this was. This wasn't just about my own safety, it was also about Hao Yang and everyone I cared about.

Suddenly, I felt a chill on my back, as if someone was watching me... I turned around abruptly...

Cold sweat trickled down my temples, my heart pounding like a drum. Behind me, there was still no one. I took a deep breath and told myself to stay calm. "Maybe it's just an illusion..."

Wei Xue's palm was still pressed against my back, sending a steady stream of warmth into my body, dispelling the biting cold. "Are you sure you're okay? Yaoyao, you still look terrible."

I forced a smile. "It's okay, probably the aftereffects of the headache I just had." I looked at the ground again. The black marks seemed deeper than before, as if they were spreading silently. I had a vague feeling in my heart that this was definitely not a good sign.

"These traces..." I muttered to myself, running my fingers lightly across the scorched earth, trying to find a clue.

Suddenly, there was a ripple in the air, and a powerful pressure instantly enveloped us. I looked up and saw a man in black appear out of thin air before us. He was completely shrouded in a black cloak, and his face was unclear. All I could see was a pair of cold eyes, staring at me like a venomous snake.

Without a single warning or word, the man in black launched his attack. A black sword materialized from thin air in his hand, its blade swirling with black flames and emitting a suffocating aura of death. The sharp sword energy bore directly into my face; I could even feel the icy chill of the blade's edge.

"Be careful!" Hao Yang shouted and pushed me away. At the same time, Wei Xue also reacted quickly. A green barrier instantly appeared in front of us, blocking the attack of the man in black.

"Boom!" With a loud bang, the green barrier trembled violently, ultimately unable to fully withstand the black-clad man's attack and shattered. I was thrown back a few steps, and Hao Yang quickly supported me.

The man in black did not stop attacking. He flashed and appeared in front of us again. The long sword in his hand was like black lightning, piercing Hao Yang's heart.

"Hao Yang!" I exclaimed. Hao Yang dodged the attack by leaning sideways, and a long sword appeared in his hand, fighting with the man in black.

I watched everything unfold before my eyes, filled with fear and anger. Who was this man in black? Why was he attacking us?

Wei Xue stood in front of me, her hands constantly changing the magic formula, and green light flew towards the man in black, trying to restrain his movements. "Yaoyao, think of a way! This man is very powerful, we are no match for him!"

I took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. Now wasn't the time to panic. I had to find a way to find this man in black's weakness. I looked at the system panel... "Got it!" I shouted...

The analysis results on the system panel cheered me up: "The time pattern for virtual-real conversion is once every three breaths!" I immediately shouted, "Hao Yang, attack his left shoulder after three breaths! Wei Xue, prepare to bind!"

Hao Yang didn't hesitate. The sword in his hand shone brightly, ready to strike. Three breaths of time seemed like a moment, and also like a lifetime. "Now!" I shouted.

Hao Yang's body moved like lightning, and the sword flashed straight into the black-clad man's left shoulder. The black-clad man seemed to have anticipated this and dodged, trying to disappear into the void. However, Wei Xue's green vines were already prepared, and at the moment he was about to disappear, they entangled him tightly.

"Ah!" The man in black groaned as his left shoulder was cut by the sword energy. His black cloak was torn open, revealing the dark red clothes underneath.

"Continue!" I looked at the system panel again, and new analysis results appeared: "The virtual-real conversion was interrupted, and the next conversion time was extended to five breaths!"

Hao Yang and Wei Xue worked in perfect harmony, and my command became increasingly effective. Each attack only made the man in black more miserable. His black cloak was already tattered, revealing more of his dark red clothing. The air around them also grew scorching hot from the fierce battle, like a gigantic furnace.

When I was dodging an attack from a man in black, Hao Yang held me tightly behind him. His breath was warm in my ear. "Don't be afraid, Yaoyao, I'm here."

This short sentence filled my heart with a sense of security. I held his hand tightly, feeling the warmth of his palm. At this moment, I was extremely grateful to have him.

The black-clad man's attacks grew fiercer, yet he seemed increasingly powerless. He hadn't imagined we could break his technique of switching between reality and illusion.

Just when we thought we had victory in our grasp, the man in black suddenly let out a sharp scream, and his body began to become blurry, as if he would disappear at any moment.

"Oh no! He's trying to escape!" Wei Xue exclaimed.

Before we could react, the man in black had completely disappeared into thin air, leaving only one sentence echoing in the air: "You shouldn't explore this mark..." My eyes fell on the black marks on the ground, and my heart sank... What exactly is this mark?

After the man in black disappeared, a lingering smell of burning lingered in the air, mixed with a faint stench of blood. It was nauseating. I stared at the black marks on the ground. They resembled some strange writing, twisting and spreading, as if to devour everything.

"He escaped?" Hao Yang's voice came from behind me, with a hint of unwillingness. He walked to my side and looked at the ground along with my gaze. "What is this?"

"I don't know." I shook my head, my uneasiness growing stronger. "System, can you analyze the meaning of these traces?"

"Analyzing...Analysis failed, insufficient data." The system's cold voice made my heart sink.

Wei Xue, standing nearby, also looked a bit pale. She walked over to the black marks, squatted down, and examined them carefully. "This... seems to be an ancient rune. I've seen similar patterns in family records before."

"Ancient runes?" I perked up. "Can you tell what they mean?"

Wei Xue frowned and lightly brushed over the marks with her fingers. "I don't remember clearly, but I just remember that this kind of rune is usually related to... some kind of forbidden technique."

"Forbidden technique?" Hao Yang's voice rose a few degrees. "What forbidden technique?"

Wei Xue shook her head. "It was too long ago. I only saw it by chance. I can't really say what kind of forbidden technique it was." She stood up, her expression solemn. "But one thing is certain, this mark is definitely not simple."

"You shouldn't explore this mark..." The man in black's words before disappearing echoed in my ears again. Was he warning us? What secrets lay hidden behind this mark? My hand unconsciously touched my chest, where an inexplicable power seemed to surge.

"Yaoyao, what's wrong with you?" Hao Yang asked with concern, his hand gently holding mine.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. "It's okay." I raised my head, my eyes determined. "Since he doesn't want us to investigate, we must find out what's going on!" I looked at Wei Xue. "Do you remember where you've seen this rune before?"

Wei Xue thought for a moment, "I remember... it seems to be an ancient book in the family library..." Before she finished her words, my system panel suddenly flashed, and a new prompt popped up: "Energy fluctuations detected, direction: due west..."

I suddenly looked up and headed west. There, something seemed to be calling me... "Let's go!" I grabbed Hao Yang's hand and ran west. Wei Xue followed closely behind, a strange light flashing in her eyes.

We ran all the way in the direction of the energy fluctuations, through the dense jungle and across the turbulent river...