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

"I hope everything goes well..." a passerby whispered, feeling a mixture of anticipation and unease. The sound of hurried footsteps approached, and the branches in the forest rustled in the wind. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the direction of the sound, tense and wary.

Finally, a figure rushed out from the shadows of the trees. He was dressed in simple clothes, his face full of fatigue and panic, and he almost stumbled and fell in front of everyone.

"Please, please... help me..." The man's breathing was disordered, and his voice was hoarse and weak. "Something is chasing me!"

Passersby immediately started talking about it: "What's going on? This person looks so miserable, is there really a monster?"

"Looking at him, he doesn't look like an ordinary person." Ferens frowned slightly and said softly to Zhao Yan.

Zhao Yan nodded: "Help him stabilize the situation first, then ask him clearly."

Lin Xi squatted down, gently helped the stranger who had fallen to the ground up, and comforted him softly: "Don't be afraid, tell us what happened?"

The stranger looked up at everyone, his eyes filled with gratitude. "I, I got lost in the forest and stumbled into a cave. I found a lot of strange things there, and... a dark shadow. It suddenly appeared and attacked me, so I ran away desperately..."

Ferrens immediately became alert and asked in a low voice: "What did that shadow you saw look like?"

The stranger shuddered, trying to recall: "It was completely black, moving at an alarming speed, and seemed to be invisible, disappearing in the blink of an eye. I also heard someone call it 'Shadow'..."

"Shadow? That name sounds dangerous." Zhao Yan gripped the hilt of the sword tightly, his tone solemn, "We must be careful."

At this time, the little boy pulled Lin Xi's clothes and asked timidly: "Sister, is Shadow a very powerful monster?"

Lin Xi patted the little boy's head and smiled gently, "Don't worry, I'm here, nothing will happen."

Suddenly, a cold voice came from not far away, as if it came from all directions at the same time, making it difficult to tell the direction: "Hey, I found it, little guy. You actually managed to escape here, not bad."

Everyone's nerves were once again tense. A dark figure quietly emerged from the darkness, as if slowly materializing from thin air. It was a humanoid creature in a black robe, its eyes glowing red, and in its hand, it held a long, pitch-black sickle.

"That's it!" the stranger cried in horror.

Cass suddenly drew his sword and shouted, "Who the hell are you? How dare you trespass into my hunting grounds!"

Shadow grinned, revealing his glowing fangs, and taunted, "I am the master of this darkness, Shadow. You foolish humans are no match for me."

Zhao Yan gritted his teeth and said, "Stop talking nonsense and see who is more powerful!"

Ferens also quickly took a fighting stance: "Everyone, attack together, don't give him a chance to breathe!"

Everyone worked together to besiege Shadow, unleashing various skills and weapons. However, Shadow was incredibly fast and elusive, always managing to dodge at the last moment and even strike back. After several rounds, no one had managed to harm it at all.

"This guy is too fast!" Zhao Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead, extremely anxious.

"We have to change our strategy." Ferens pondered for a moment while defending himself. "Lin Xi, use your light spells to see if you can restrict its movements!"

Lin Xi nodded, clasped his hands together, and gathered the power of light: "I hope it will be useful this time."

A bright halo spread from her fingertips, gradually enveloping Shadow. Affected by the light, Shadow's movements slowed, his once lightning-fast speed dropping significantly.

"The opportunity has come!" Ferens was overjoyed when he saw this. He took the lead in charging, and his long sword cut through the air and went straight for Shadow.

Several other passersby assisted, each unleashing their own skills to coordinate their attacks. After several rounds of fierce fighting, Shadow gradually lost his ability to withstand the attack, suffering wounds all over his body. He was eventually subdued by the others.

"Phew, that was a close call..." A passerby breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest, "Luckily you were here, otherwise we would have been in danger."

The little boy excitedly circled around Lin Xi: "Sister is so amazing, you defeated such a powerful enemy!"

Lin Xi smiled and patted his head, but did not let down his guard. "Now is not the time to completely relax. We must move on quickly. Cass said that this road is full of unknowns and challenges. Who knows what dangers we will encounter?"

Just as they were about to contact the source of light again, they suddenly heard bursts of low horn sounds coming from afar, as if summoning something.

"Not good!" Cass's expression suddenly changed. "This sound means that even bigger trouble is about to come. We must solve the puzzle here as soon as possible, otherwise..."

Before he could finish his words, the ground began to shake violently, swaying the surrounding trees. A strong sense of unease filled the air, as if the whole world was tilting.

"What's going on?" Passerby A asked in surprise.

Lin Xi looked up into the distance with a determined gaze: "No matter what happens, we must face the challenge head-on. To find the truth and to protect everyone's safety, we cannot retreat!"

Ferrens gripped his sword tightly and nodded in agreement: "Yes, no matter what lies ahead, we will face it together!"

At this moment, a golden light suddenly rose from the source of light, illuminating the entire forest. Along with that light, there seemed to be a warm and powerful force, providing everyone with immense confidence and courage.

"Let's go and see what miracle will happen..." Lin Xi led everyone to take firm steps, moving towards the bright direction and meeting new unknown challenges.

As they stepped across each piece of land, the sound of the horn grew louder and louder, and the scene ahead became clearer and clearer. However, no one knew what fate awaited them...

"May everything be for the best..." a passerby whispered a prayer. Guided by a golden light, they passed through the dense forest and eventually arrived at an open area. Here, an ancient stone tablet stood quietly, engraved with ancient texts. The sunlight bathed the open space, making it appear exceptionally peaceful and sacred.

"Is this the location of the source of light?" Zhao Yan asked, his eyes full of curiosity and awe.

Ferens nodded and said softly, "Look at the runes on this stone tablet. It seems to be hiding some important information."

Everyone gathered around and carefully examined the words on the stone tablet. At this moment, a passerby suddenly exclaimed in surprise: "These words seem to be the legendary ancient language. Could it be that there are really ancient secrets hidden here?"