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

As the night deepened, the lights in the camp went out one by one, and only the occasional whisper and the faint sound of the wind in the distance broke the silence. Most people fell asleep, while those on duty stared at their surroundings with increasing vigilance, fearing that some unknown creature would suddenly attack.

In the silence, a young man quietly emerged from the tent, a slender wooden stick in hand, his eyes determined and focused. He quietly approached the elderly man dozing by the campfire. "Senior..." he called softly, his voice almost drowned out by the surroundings, "I've discovered something strange..."

The old man opened his eyes and smiled slightly, apparently not disturbed. "Tell me, child, what happened?"

"Just now, when I was checking around, I found some strange noises coming from the southeast. I suspected there might be something unusual there, but I couldn't see it clearly at the moment." The young man lowered his voice, trying not to let others hear their conversation.

After hearing this, the old man nodded thoughtfully: "Very good, you are very careful. But remember, don't act rashly. After all, safety comes first."

"I understand. I will continue to observe." The young man turned and was about to leave, but was stopped by the old man.

"By the way, call Xiaoyue as well. Her abilities may play a key role in this darkness." The old man reminded, his tone revealing his trust in the girl.

It wasn't long before Xiaoyue was awakened and joined the two. "What do you want from me?" she asked softly, the scepter in her hand seeming to emit a faint light, as if it were also listening to the conversation.

The young man briefly told her about the unusual situation he had discovered. "There seems to be some strange movement over there, and it's getting more and more obvious as time goes by. I think it's best to investigate."

After hearing this, the girl frowned slightly. "Well, we really can't let our guard down." Then she turned to the two people beside her. "How about this, I'll go and investigate. But just to be safe, I'd like you two to keep watch outside. If anything unexpected happens, notify everyone immediately and be prepared to respond."

Thus, under the cover of darkness, the three of them cautiously advanced southeastward. Along the way, they constantly utilized their respective strengths to collaborate with each other, gradually advancing deeper into unknown territory. After about half an hour of tense and silent progress, they finally reached the center of an open area. Not far ahead, they saw a dilapidated stone tablet, engraved with ancient, blurred characters.

At this moment, a chilly wind blew, filling the air with an indescribable oppressive atmosphere. Immediately following, a low, chanting voice echoed from all directions—a tone no human could imitate...

"This feels so weird!" The young man clenched his fists involuntarily, sweat breaking out on his forehead. However, before he could finish his words, the ground beneath his feet suddenly began to tremble violently. Simultaneously, countless shadowy yet clearly visible life forms slowly emerged into view, slowly approaching the three people's position...

Xiaoyue tightly grasped the magical instrument in her hand, closed her eyes, and sensed the changes in the surrounding energy. She finally concluded, "This is some form of soul binding! We need to break this bondage immediately, otherwise, once we are completely trapped, even escaping will become extremely difficult... Quick! Concentrate and recite this spell with me!"

So, in this critical situation, the three of them jointly initiated an unprecedented ritual—light against darkness, courage against fear. Soon, a warm and dazzling golden aura appeared around them, rapidly spreading out to counteract the invisible yet despairing pressure.

As the last few words fell, the dark force that had originally surrounded them gradually disappeared; but just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, a huge black hand suddenly reached out from deep underground and slapped the unsuspecting young warrior directly... At this critical moment -

"Danger! Watch out behind you!" Someone nearby cried out in alarm, followed by a sharp sound of piercing the air...

Just as the dark hand was about to reach the young man's back, a streak of silver light pierced the night sky, precisely severing the giant hand. Everyone turned to look, only to see a silver sword suspended in mid-air as a figure slowly stepped out of the shadows. It was the camp's recognized expert—the stern and handsome Luo Feng.

"Fortunately, I followed you." Luo Feng said coldly, his eyes like a torch, "You three are too careless. If I hadn't discovered it in time..." Before he finished speaking, he suddenly felt that the surrounding environment changed again, as if some more terrible threat was quietly approaching.

Just then, several patrolmen came from a distance, and one of them shouted in surprise: "What is going on? What happened?!" He couldn't help but widen his eyes at the scene in front of him, obviously not expecting things to get so out of control.

"Don't panic," Luo Feng ordered quickly, "Return immediately to inform the leader and prepare for battle. I'm afraid this is not just a simple supernatural event." After that, he once again focused all his attention on the crisis in front of him.

The patrolmen immediately grew nervous upon hearing this. After exchanging glances, they turned and quickly ran towards the camp. One of them couldn't help but glance back at the three people still standing there, as well as Luo Feng standing beside them. "These guys are truly amazing! If I hadn't seen them myself, I wouldn't have believed there were such extraordinary people in the world."

Xiaoyue breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, and she quickened her chanting speed. "Brother Luofeng, thank you. But we may have truly encountered an unprecedented enemy... The power of this ritual has been unleashed to its fullest, yet it still seems difficult to resist."

Luo Feng frowned and observed carefully for a while before nodding: "Indeed. But we can't just sit there and wait for death. We must find a way to crack it!"

The young man silently pondered a countermeasure. Despite lingering fear, he didn't retreat, but instead became even more resolute. "If a direct breakthrough doesn't work, perhaps we could try disrupting the connection between them?" he suddenly offered. "I remember reading in a tome that certain high-level spells can sever the connections between lower-level magic."

Luo Feng nodded dignifiedly and replied in the affirmative, "It's worth a try. You will be responsible for reciting the relevant passages, and I will use force to buy you precious time." He then turned to the little girl who was trying to sense the flow of energy, "From now on, we will need everyone's close cooperation."