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

Yun Ying frowned, then stood up decisively and said, "No matter what, we must prepare for the worst. First, send two people to take turns on guard duty. The rest of you should quickly rest and recover your strength. We will continue to set off for the ruins tomorrow."

Just as Lin Xuan was about to make specific arrangements, a sudden gust of wind swept in... As everyone frantically reinforced the makeshift tents, a cold, eerie voice whispered, "Good night, everyone! I hope you all have sweet dreams tonight. You might never get the chance again..." Lin Xuan quickly turned around, only to be met with pitch blackness, devoid of even a ray of light. "Youyou?!" His heart sank, a sense of foreboding rising in his chest.

"Brother, what's going on?" Big Bear asked hurriedly, obviously also flustered by the sudden change.

Lin Xuan frowned. "It's that woman. Everyone, don't let your guard down. She might attack us at any time."

At this moment, the little rabbit beside the campfire suddenly whispered, "Listen..."

Everyone fell silent, only to hear strange noises coming from the surrounding vegetation—something seemed to be rapidly approaching them! "Oh no! Quick, everyone, form a formation and defend yourselves!" Yunying quickly reminded his teammates.

"Oh, it's really coming!" Lily screamed in fear and quickly hid beside Mo Nianran for shelter.

However, in this dangerous night, Mo Nianran did not intend to retreat. He stood in front of the girl and said firmly: "No matter what happens, I will protect you. Please don't be afraid."

Suddenly, a dark figure sprinted toward the center of the camp like lightning, accompanied by several loud explosions. When the smoke cleared, a tall, imposing figure stood not far from the campfire, a cold, intimidating sword in hand, silently gazing at the prey before him. "Hey, I didn't expect you'd still have the leisure to chat. What an interesting bunch of kids!" the visitor grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp, white canine teeth.

Hearing this, Xiaohu involuntarily took two steps back, but soon he mustered up the courage to meet the other party's provocative gaze and retorted: "Hey! Brother, are you kidding me? We are not children!" Having said that, he couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

The other man glanced at the little fellow with disdain. "Oh, your courage is commendable! But what about your strength?" He swung his massive, blue-glowing sword, and instantly, the air seemed to condense into frost-white crystals that fell to the ground. "Now that we've met, let's stop hiding. How about we have a good fight? Of course, that's assuming you rookies can still hold your own..."

Seeing this scene, the usually calm and rational Big Bear couldn't help but swallow his saliva. After all, the aura displayed by this guy in front of him was definitely extraordinary. "Who is this guy... Could he be sent by the guardian of the ruins?"

At this moment, a sharp cold light flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes and he stared at the other party tightly: "No matter what you think, we will not give up the treasure hunt easily." After that, he slowly clenched his fists and prepared to strike, "But before that, I can have a good talk with you..."

"Oh my~ You're quite boastful!" The mysterious man shrugged, a playful smile on his face as he said, "Very good, very good. Originally, I just came here to take a look. In that case, why not have some fun tonight——"

Just as the standoff between the two grew increasingly tense, several fires unexpectedly appeared at the edge of the distant forest, gradually approaching. "Hey, there seems to be something going on over there!" Mo Nianran, who was the first to notice something unusual, immediately pointed towards the depths of the night.

Everyone turned to look, only to see dozens of masked, black-clad warriors silently approaching. Each face was obscured by a thick iron mask, revealing only a pair of cold, ruthless eyes that shone with murderous intent. "Oh, this is terrible..." Bunny groaned softly, trembling with fear.

Then, the companions who had just been chatting and laughing, eating and celebrating their adventurous life, suddenly fell silent...

Faced with this sudden crisis, Yunying was the first to break the silence. "Everyone, prepare to fight. We can't hesitate any longer. We must find a way out."

"That's right, we must persevere." Although there was still a hint of fear in the little rabbit's tone, the determination in her eyes further strengthened the team's confidence.

Just as everyone was nervously preparing for battle, an old voice rang out from the darkness not far away: "It seems our warriors are in trouble."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw an elderly man slowly stepping out of the shadows. He had a kind face, wielding a cane inlaid with exotic gemstones, and exuded a reassuring aura. "Who are you, old man?" Lily asked curiously.

The old man smiled slightly: "My name is Luo Yan. I have been in this snow mountain for a hundred years and I know a thing or two about the things here. What you are looking for does exist, but I must warn you that the real danger has just begun..." His words were like a pool of autumn water, adding a bit of mystery to this tense night.

As a cold wind blew through the woods, Luo Yan's gaze became more profound: "Are you ready for the next challenge?"

Lin Xuan clenched his fists and responded firmly, "Yes. No matter how difficult and bumpy the road ahead is, as long as it is for the sake of our dreams and the safety of our companions, we will move forward without hesitation - until we achieve our goal!!!"

"Well done, young men. I wish you all good luck." The old man nodded with satisfaction and then turned into a wisp of smoke and disappeared into the night, leaving only a faint fragrance lingering in his ears for a long time...

And what kind of unknown and exciting experiences will be waiting for them next...?

At this moment, the surroundings once again fell into an eerie silence, with only the occasional howl of a distant monster echoing through the valley. Lin Xuan took a deep breath: "Brothers, are you ready? No matter who or what we face next... remember that we are each other's strongest support."

"Understood!" the team members answered in unison, their eyes gleaming with determination as they prepared to face the upcoming challenge. And not far away, countless pairs of eyes in the darkness silently watched all this...

"Let's go." Yunying said softly.

Just as they took their first step, a stronger wind swept through the trees, accompanied by an unidentified whisper. The snow-capped mountains at night seemed particularly mysterious, foreshadowing that the journey ahead would be no simple matter. What story awaited them?