I am the Holy Poisoner, the Empress advised me to calm down

Liu Qingcheng's words were like a breath of fresh air in the tense atmosphere, giving everyone a glimmer of hope. Several soldiers nodded, quickly adjusted their formation, and moved towards the hidden passage.

"Follow me!" the young wizard shouted, his voice trembling slightly. The group quickly crossed the chaotic battlefield and rushed towards the newly discovered secret passage entrance.

At this time, in a corner on one side of the village, several villagers gathered together, whispering about the incredible things happening before their eyes.

-"What do you think this monster is? I've never seen it before." An old woman asked with lingering fear.

"Who cares what it is?" the young man next to him replied. "What matters is that our village survives this disaster."

Just as the warriors were about to reach their target, another group of strange creatures suddenly emerged from all directions, surrounding the entire passage. "Damn it!" the leading warrior cursed, but he quickly calmed down and looked determined: "Are you ready? We're going to charge in all at once!"

"Come on! We must win!" A little girl in the crowd excitedly waved her arms, cheering on the brave explorers. Her father held his daughter's hand tightly. Although nervous, he still tried to encourage her: "Look at how brave they are. There is nothing we can't overcome!"

The secret passage was dark and long, with a faint glow from a crystal just ahead. "Just a little further!" the young wizard said excitedly. But just then, the ground shook violently, evidently indicating the approach of some powerful force. Everyone turned to see that the massive black lion dragon had spotted their whereabouts!

"This is terrible... We're in real trouble now." Jack's face was solemn, but his tone was resolute. "There's no other choice but to charge through. Are you all ready for battle?"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the village, Ye Qingqing and the others were still engaged in a fierce battle against the resurrected monsters. She noticed the tremors coming from afar and knew something was amiss: "It looks like things aren't looking good. There's a new situation over there. Regardless, we must act quickly!"

The "Guide's" laughter rang out again: "I didn't expect you could hold on until now... Well, in that case, let's perform this show to the best of our ability!" Then he slowly disappeared into the night, leaving the brave warriors full of questions to face the greater challenges that were about to come.

When the warriors finally reached the crystal, they saw the blue gem emitting a powerful light. "Quick, destroy it now!" the young wizard quickly chanted a spell, preparing to unleash a powerful magical attack.

Just as the energy ball was about to reach its target, space suddenly distorted. A figure silently appeared behind them. "So eager to sabotage my plan?" a familiar yet chilling voice echoed—it was the "Guide," finally unable to contain himself and coming to personally thwart the operation.

"You..." Lin Tao was furious, but before he could finish his words, he was silenced by the other party's wave of his hand. "Haha, how naive," the guide sneered. "The game is far from over..." With these words, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

At the same time, everyone present could sense the increasingly intense malicious aura in the air around them—an unprecedented crisis was quietly approaching...

---

As the "guide" vanished, the overwhelming pressure that permeated the arena also subsided. But no one dared to relax even for a moment: they knew the true decisive battle had just begun. "We must stop this from getting any worse!" Ivy shouted, her gaze unwavering, inspiring everyone around her.

Suddenly, a usually obscure, seemingly ordinary old man stepped forward, trembling. "Children, perhaps I can offer some assistance." He pulled out a yellowed piece of ancient parchment from his pocket, upon which were inscribed certain mysterious and powerful magical symbols. "This is a family heirloom... perhaps it will come in handy at a crucial moment."

Seeing the old man's heroic performance, many young people present couldn't help but admire him:

-"Wow, the old man is so cool! So handsome~"

-"I really wish I had an elder like you. Nothing would be a problem for me!"

After receiving this valuable information, the young wizard immediately began studying it with full concentration. "This does indeed increase our chances, but time is running out," he said, looking up at his companions. "What we're about to do might be quite difficult, so I hope everyone is mentally prepared!"

Just as everyone was immersed in thinking about the uncertainty of the future, Liu Qingcheng broke the silence: "No matter what happens, the most important thing for companions is to trust and support each other." This statement immediately attracted a wave of echoes:

-"That's right, no matter what difficulties we encounter, we should unite and face them together!"

-"Yes, as long as there is love, miracles can be created!"

At that moment, a series of strange noises suddenly erupted from somewhere. "Hey, what was that just now...?" Jack frowned, instinctively sensing some danger approaching...

The unusual sound grew clearer, like the vibration of something heavy falling, instantly alerting everyone present. The young wizard quickly turned his gaze toward the source of the sound, the ancient parchment in his hands trembling slightly with his emotions. "We must act quickly!" he warned anxiously, attempting to decipher the clues within the mysterious document.

Meanwhile, not far from the village, several passersby were quietly observing the unfolding battle. "Do you think this group can really win this?" one of the young men asked in a low voice, his voice revealing obvious nervousness.

"Who knows! But that little wizard seems to have something new in his hands." Another person replied, "Maybe he can really turn the situation around."

"I hope so... If they fail, the entire village might be in jeopardy." Another middle-aged man passing by shook his head and sighed worriedly, "We can only pray for their good luck."

"Listen up everyone!" Just as the soldiers were preparing to set off again, Liu Qingcheng loudly called out to her companions' attention: "According to the information provided by this old man, we need to find a special method to truly destroy the crystal core - this may be the only chance." Her words were like a match, lighting a ray of hope in the silence.