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

A faint halo of light slowly rose from the woods. Although it was blurry, it was extremely eye-catching. Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to it.

"What does this mean?" the young villager exclaimed.

"Let's go take a look!" Lin Chen ordered decisively, "Everyone follow, be careful!"

Following his orders, the team members geared up and prepared to set out into this unknown territory. Behind them, the villagers looked on with anticipation.

"They are going to have another adventure. I envy them for being so brave." A little girl held her mother's hand, her tone full of longing.

"Yes, I hope they can return safely this time." Her mother stroked her hair gently, a trace of worry in her eyes.

"The captain will definitely be able to protect himself!" another sturdy man shouted confidently, "Just wait for good news!"

Amidst this conversation, Lin Chen and his team embarked on a journey into the unknown. What secrets lay hidden deep within the dense forest? What story lay behind that inexplicable energy? All the answers awaited their discovery...

"The light source is ahead, everyone be careful." Lin Chen reminded softly.

However, when they got closer, everyone was stunned by the sight before them - there was a small altar floating there, emitting a soft light, with a crystal ball placed on it, and some strange life form seemed to be sealed inside the ball.

"What is this?" Zhang Tao moved forward curiously, trying to see it more clearly.

"Don't come near, it's dangerous!" Lin Chen quickly reached out to stop him.

Almost at the same time, a low yet creepy voice came from the surrounding bushes: "You are finally here, my warriors..."

"Who's there?" Li Na immediately became alert and quietly drew her bow.

After a moment of silence, only the sound of light footsteps could be heard getting closer...

"Welcome to the Land of Oblivion, the gateway to another world." The voice spoke slowly, its tone gentle yet full of temptation. "Only the truly brave can enter this place and find the path to truth."

"Who are you? Why did you lead us here?" Lin Chen asked, looking around vigilantly.

The other party didn't answer, but continued in an almost dreamy tone, "Remember, the choice of your own destiny is always in your own hands. Are you willing to accept this challenge? Choose to move forward, or choose to leave?"

"We can't give up like this. We must find out what is going on!" Zhang Tao said firmly.

"I think so too." Li Na nodded in agreement.

Faced with the sudden decision, Lin Chen took a deep breath and gazed resolutely into the distance: "In that case... then let us face new challenges together!" His words echoed in the air, as if foreshadowing a greater adventure... Just as Lin Chen and his companions were about to embark on a new journey, a villager suddenly ran up from the edge of the dense forest and said nervously, "Village chief, something strange has happened again!"

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to the man. The villager continued hurriedly, "A strange light has appeared in the river north of our village, and... there's also a huge whirlpool! Everyone in the village says it's a bad omen."

When these words were spoken, not only Lin Chen and his teammates were shocked, but even the villagers watching around them started talking about it.

"What the hell is going on? The Dark Lord has clearly been destroyed, so how could this happen?"

"Could it be that a more powerful enemy has arrived? Our village is about to suffer again..."

"Everyone, don't panic!" Lin Chen decisively interrupted the surrounding chaos. He looked at the old village chief and asked, "Senior, what do you think we should do now?"

The old man's expression was unusually solemn, but he remained calm. "We must find out the truth as soon as possible. Lin Chen, I believe that you and your team will be able to protect our homeland again."

"Then let's split up." Lin Chen turned to look at his teammates. "Zhang Tao, Li Na, you follow me to the river to investigate. Wang Qiang and the others will stay behind to protect the village and be ready to support us at any time."

"Yes, Captain!" the team members responded in unison.

Amidst a mixture of anxiety and anticipation, Lin Chen's team embarked on a new journey towards the river north of the village. As they passed through the woods and finally reached the once peaceful river, they saw a massive whirlpool slowly swirling in the center, and within it, faintly visible streams of energy shimmered with strange brilliance.

"It's incredible..." Zhang Tao exclaimed.

"Do we really want to approach it?" Although Li Na was a little worried, her tone revealed firm determination.

Just then, several curious fishermen came over from the shore. One of them exclaimed, "Oh my! I've never seen anything like this before! I've heard my grandfather tell me about some mysterious power hidden in this river. I never thought we'd actually encounter it today."

Another fisherman said half-jokingly and half-seriously, "I think this thing is coming for Hero Lin, right?"

Hearing this, Lin Chen smiled and didn't answer directly. Instead, he nodded to express his gratitude and led the team forward. "Everyone, we're going to find out what's going on. Please keep an eye on the surroundings and notify us immediately if anything happens."

"Okay, don't worry. With us here, we will never let any bad guys attack you from behind!" One of the strong-looking men patted his chest and guaranteed.

As they approached the center of the vortex, Lin Chen and his companions noticed that the air around them seemed to grow colder and more oppressive. At this moment, ripples suddenly appeared on the surface of the water, and a figure slowly rose from the vortex. It was an old man in a magnificent robe, holding a staff emitting a faint blue light.

"Welcome to the source of the elements." The mysterious figure spoke, his voice as gentle as flowing water, yet carrying a certain irresistible power. "I am one of the guardians here, responsible for maintaining the balance of nature. Now, some accidents have occurred here, and we need the help of truly brave and wise people."

Faced with the sudden situation, Lin Chen did not panic. Instead, he responded calmly, "What exactly is the problem? We are willing to do our best to help."

The old man smiled slightly and continued, "Actually, there's an ancient secret behind these changes. Long ago, this land housed a portal to another world. Now, for some reason, this portal is losing control, causing the energies of the two worlds to interfere with each other. If this isn't stopped in time, the consequences will be disastrous."