The male protagonist of the book is poisonous

The roar grew closer, like surging waves, one after another, constantly impacting my eardrums. My heartbeat grew increasingly rapid, as if it was about to burst through my chest and leap into my throat. I glanced nervously at Luo Chen. He gripped his sword tightly, his eyes etched with determination, and his steps were as steady as a tree rooted to the ground. Each step was filled with determination, without the slightest hesitation.

"Luo Chen, this sound sounds so scary. Should we really move forward?" I asked with a trembling voice.

Luo Chen turned his head and looked at me, his eyes full of comfort. "We have no way to retreat. For the sake of our sect, to stop that evil force, we must move forward. Besides, the artifact fragments may be just ahead."

I took a deep breath and clenched my fists. "Okay, then we'll face it together."

Suddenly, a massive spider slowly emerged from the darkness. Its body was larger than the two of us combined, its eight legs like thick stone pillars covered in sharp spines. Each spine was like a carefully polished dagger, gleaming with a chilling gleam. Its eyes were like two ghostly green will-o'-the-wisp lights, their light shone with cruelty and bloodlust, as if sizing up its prey.

"This...this spider is too big!" I widened my eyes and took a step back unconsciously.

Luo Chen didn't flinch at all. He tightened his sword and whispered to me, "Don't be afraid, we can handle it." Then, he shouted at the spider, "Monster, today is the day you die!"

Luo Chen launched the attack first. He roared and charged at the spider. His roar was like a charge horn, filled with power and determination. His sword flashed through the air like a meteor streaking across the night sky, piercing the spider with incredible speed. But the spider dodged nimbly, and Luo Chen's sword missed, piercing the ground deeply, sending up a cloud of dust and small stones.

"This thing is so fast!" I couldn't help but shout.

Luo Chen didn't respond. He stared at the spider intently, his eyes unblinking, as if he wanted to see through its every move. He murmured softly, "We have to find its flaw."

The spider seemed enraged by Luo Chen's provocation. It opened its bloody maw and let out a sharp scream, like metal scraping against glass. The sound echoed through the cave, making my ears buzz. Then it pounced at Luo Chen, its body bringing with it a gust of fishy wind, mixed with the stench of decay that made me want to vomit.

"Luo Chen, be careful!" I shouted anxiously.

Luo Chen dodged quickly, his movements as nimble as a monkey's. His body was like a shadow, dodging to the side the instant the spider pounced. Simultaneously, he swung his sword at one of the spider's legs. The blade collided with the spider's leg, sending up a shower of sparks. But the spider's leg sustained only a shallow wound, like a scratch on solid steel, causing no significant damage.

"This spider's shell is so hard." Luo Chen said with a frown.

"Then what should we do?" I asked anxiously.

"Attack its joints, which should be more vulnerable." Luo Chen replied.

The spider lunged at Luo Chen again, this time its long legs thrusting at him like spears. Its legs rapidly retracted and contracted, each thrust carrying a powerful force that seemed capable of piercing a human body with ease.

"I'll help you!" I said, chanting a defensive spell. Every syllable of the spell flashed through my mind, like dancing notes, playing a mysterious melody in my mind. My hands, like nimble butterflies, formed seals rapidly, my fingers leaving blurry traces of light in the air. A transparent shield formed around Luo Chen, like a layer of crystal clear crystal, emitting a faint light.

"Thank you!" Luo Chen looked at me gratefully.

The spider's long legs pierced the shield, making a clang-clang sound that echoed throughout the cave like the sound of iron hammering. With each impact, ripples formed on the shield, spreading outward like ripples on water.

Luo Chen took the opportunity to attack again. He was like a hunter who had found the weakness of his prey, and a glint of determination flashed in his eyes. He jumped up, and his body drew a graceful arc in the air, like an eagle spreading its wings. He held the sword in both hands, raised it high, and stabbed it fiercely at the spider's head. The spider seemed to sense the danger, and its head suddenly retracted. Luo Chen's sword only pierced one of its eyes. Green mucus flowed from its eyes, and the mucus emitted a pungent stench, like the smell of a rotting corpse. It struggled in pain, its body twisting wildly in the cave, and the surrounding stalactites were shaken by it. Some small stalactites fell from the top of the cave and hit the ground with a crisp sound. Some hit the spider's body, but were bounced off by its hard shell.

"We have to find a way to defeat it completely." Luo Chen shouted to me.

I was also thinking of a countermeasure quickly in my mind, my eyes fixed on the spider. Looking at the spider's wound, I suddenly had an idea.

"Luo Chen, attack its wounds. Its leg joints and eyes are its weaknesses!" I said loudly.

"Okay, let's try again." Luo Chen responded.

Luo Chen adjusted his tactics. He began to deliberately lure the spider into attacking, jumping in front of it and shouting, "Come on, you ugly creature!"

The spider, enraged, lunged at him again and again. Luo Chen dodged deftly, his body like a phantom, always evading safety at the instant the spider struck. Meanwhile, he seized the opportunity to attack its injured leg joint. Each swing of his sword carried immense force, the blade slicing precisely at the joints of the spider's leg. With each strike, the spider hissed in pain, its legs becoming increasingly inflexible.

"Come on, Luo Chen, you're almost there!" I shouted excitedly.

I continuously replenished his shield, chanting my spells faster and faster, forming hand seals with increasing speed. Simultaneously, I cast smaller spells to disrupt the spider. I chanted, "Power of light, dispel darkness, calm!" Rays of light shot out from my hands. Like colorful ribbons, they flew toward the spider. Some of the rays struck the spider, temporarily blinding it, while others slowed its movements.

"Your magic is very useful!" Luo Chen praised.

With our tacit coordination, the spider's movements became increasingly sluggish. Several of its legs were severely injured, green slime oozing from the wounds, and its eyes were nearly blind. Its attacks became disorganized, no longer as threatening as before. But it refused to give up, still making a final struggle. Its body, supported by its remaining legs, continued to pounce on us, its dark green eyes filled with pain, but also revealed a sense of unwillingness.

"Luo Chen, let's give it the final blow." I said with fighting spirit.

"Okay, now!" Luo Chen replied.

Luo Chen saw the right moment. He seemed to feel the call of victory and gathered all his strength. A faint light emanated from his body, which seemed to be the manifestation of his strength. He jumped high, and his body spun in the air. The sword in his hand shone as brightly as the sun. He shouted, "Break!" and then stabbed at the spider's head. This time, the sword penetrated deeply into the spider's head, and the blade almost disappeared into it. The spider let out a last shrill scream, and the sound echoed in the cave, full of despair and unwillingness. The huge body collapsed, and when it fell to the ground, the whole cave seemed to tremble, raising a large cloud of dust.

"Huh, it's finally over." I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, but we can't relax. We have to continue looking for artifact fragments." Luo Chen reminded.

Before we could rest, a strange sound emanated from the depths of the cave. It sounded like the wind whistling in the narrow passage, or the breathing of some unknown creature. The sound rose and fell, like a mysterious rhythm, echoing through the cave, adding to the already tense atmosphere.

"What's that sound? Is there another monster?" I said worriedly.

"No matter what it is, we have to go and see it." Luo Chen said firmly.

We stepped over the spider's corpse, which exuded a strong stench of decay that made us want to cover our noses. We walked deeper into the cave, taking every step carefully and keeping our eyes alert.

"Luo Chen, do you think the artifact fragments will be deeper in this cave?" I asked softly.

"It's very likely. Based on previous clues, it should be nearby." Luo Chen replied.

As we went deeper, the air grew colder. The chill felt tangible, like countless icy needles piercing our skin through our clothes. An invisible pressure enveloped us, like an invisible mountain pressing down on our hearts, making it difficult to breathe. Every step required immense effort, my steps feeling as heavy as lead.

"I feel a little uncomfortable. This place is so depressing." I said with a frown.

"Hold on, we will definitely find the fragments." Luo Chen encouraged me.

Suddenly, a faint blue light appeared ahead. It felt like a ray of hope in the darkness, like a beacon after a long journey across a dark ocean, drawing us to quicken our pace. As we approached, we discovered it was a crystal fragment emitting a blue glow, quietly suspended above a stone platform. The crystal fragment was shaped like an irregular leaf, its surface smooth as a mirror, emitting a captivating blue light. The blue light seemed to have life, flowing slowly within the fragment like a blue river.

"Is this the artifact fragment?" I asked excitedly.

"It should be, but we have to be careful of possible mechanisms around us." Luo Chen approached the stone platform cautiously. His footsteps were light, as if he was afraid of disturbing something.

I stood nervously by, my eyes fixed on everything around me. My eyes were like a scanner, carefully scanning every corner of the stone platform, not missing any details.

"Luo Chen, look, there seem to be some strange symbols engraved on this stone platform." I said, pointing at the stone platform.

Luo Chen took a closer look and said, "These symbols look very complicated. I have never seen them before."

"Then what should we do? Will the mechanism be triggered?" I asked worriedly.

"Don't be anxious, let's observe carefully." Luo Chen comforted me.

Luo Chen slowly extended his hand, his movements so slow, like a slow-motion replay in a movie. His hand edged closer and closer to the fragments. Just as his hand was about to touch them, several laser beams suddenly shot out from around the stone platform. Those laser beams were like streaks of red lightning, incredibly fast and packed with powerful energy. Luo Chen quickly withdrew his hand, and the laser beams grazed his arm, leaving a scorch mark on his clothes. The scorch mark emitted a pungent smell, like the smell of burnt fabric.

"There is indeed a mechanism." Luo Chen said with a frown.

"Are you okay?" I asked hurriedly.

"It's okay, just a little scrape." Luo Chen replied.

I began to examine the stone platform closely, my eyes fixed on the strange symbols carved into it. They resembled mysterious hieroglyphics, each with a unique shape. Some resembled a bird with outstretched wings, others a serpentine snake, and still others a crescent moon. I pulled out an ancient tome from my pocket, a book on ancient mechanical engineering I'd found within my sect. The pages were yellowed, the edges frayed, and it exuded a stale air. I flipped through the book quickly, my fingers flicking across the pages, my eyes eagerly searching for any text that matched the symbols.

"Found it!" I shouted excitedly.

"Really? That's great." Luo Chen was also very happy.

Following the instructions in the ancient text, I began manipulating the symbols on the stone platform. I carefully moved the symbols, each movement like walking a tightrope, fearing a mistake. My fingers gently touched the symbols, then slowly moved them. As the last symbol fell into place, the laser mechanism ceased firing. In that moment, I felt like I had accomplished something immensely great, a sense of accomplishment filling my heart.

"You did it!" Luo Chen praised.

Luo Chen reached out his hand again, and this time he successfully picked up the artifact fragment. The fragment shone with blue light in his hand, and the light reflected on his face, giving it a blue halo.

"We did it!" I shouted happily.

Luo Chen also showed a relieved smile, but he quickly put it away and said: "This is just the first fragment, we still have a long way to go."

Carrying the artifact fragment, we left the perilous cave and headed for the next marked location on the map. The sunlight outside shone upon us, bringing a touch of warmth. That warmth, like a mother's embrace, dispelled the cold and fatigue. But we knew that countless difficulties still lay ahead. With unwavering faith, we embarked on a new journey. It felt like a road fraught with uncertainty, fraught with danger, but we were fearless.