The male protagonist of the book is poisonous

After leaving the snow-capped peak, Luo Chen and I, carrying our newly acquired artifact fragments, embarked on a long journey to find the next fragment, like travelers on a mission. Using an ancient and unclear map and a few clues, we explored all the way and finally arrived at a mysterious ruin.

Hidden deep within a dense jungle, this ruin is entwined with giant, tangled vines. Ancient trees tower like guardians of this mysterious place, shrouding the site in a profound silence. As soon as we entered, an air of ageless decay and mystery washed over us like a tide, a breath that seemed to have flown from ancient times, carrying countless unknown secrets. The ground beneath our feet was paved with massive stones, each engraved with bizarre patterns. These patterns resembled the hieroglyphics of some ancient creature, each line and shape telling a story. Like mysterious symbols recording a distant past, they concealed the shocking secrets of bygone times, beckoning us to explore.

Like prey caught in an unknown trap, we cautiously groped our way through the ruins, each step filled with vigilance, ever prepared for any sudden danger. Just then, a massive stone door suddenly appeared before us. It was tightly closed, like a silent behemoth, its surface engraved with intricate runes. These runes flickered faintly, a silent warning, a stern warning to us to forbid further exploration.

Luo Chen slowly approached the stone gate, his eyes filled with concentration and curiosity, fixed on the runes on it. He reached out and gently touched them, as if engaging in a silent conversation with ancient history. "These runes are extremely ancient. I can clearly sense the immense power they hold, but deciphering their meaning is fraught with difficulty," Luo Chen said, frowning, his expression slightly solemn.

I carefully searched around the stone door for a mechanism that might unlock it, my eyes sharp, not missing a single detail. Finally, on one side, I found a puzzle-like mechanism. It was composed of numerous small pieces, each engraved with runes. These runes seemed like a special code; only by arranging them in the correct order could the tightly closed stone door be opened.

I quickly called Luo Chen over, and the two of us studied this mysterious mechanism together.

"Look, this rune is a bit similar to the one on the stone gate. I think it may be the key part." I said, pointing to one of the small pieces.

"Well, what you said makes sense, but we can't determine the order based on this alone. We also have to consider the connections between other runes." Luo Chen responded while observing carefully.

We began to try various combinations. Every time we moved a small block, the mechanism would vibrate slightly, accompanied by a low humming sound. The sound seemed as if the mechanism was responding to our operation, and also like a hidden warning.

"This won't work. We seem to have reached a dead end," I said somewhat frustratedly.

"Don't be discouraged. Let's sort out our ideas again. Judging from the overall layout of these runes, there should be some pattern to follow." Luo Chen encouraged.

After countless attempts and explorations, we finally found the correct order.

As the last small piece fell perfectly into place, the stone door slowly opened, accompanied by a dull, drawn-out sound, like the low groan of an ancient beast. Beyond the door lay an immense, spacious hall. In its center stood a circular stone platform, a solitary island, quietly perched within the hall. Atop the platform sat an exquisite box, emanating an air of simplicity and mystery. Surrounding the platform were several luminous pillars, each inscribed with more runes. The light of these runes reflected in the hall, creating a mysterious and solemn atmosphere.

We entered the hall, filled with a mixture of nervous anticipation, and slowly made our way toward the stone platform. As we approached the platform, the surrounding pillars suddenly shone with a powerful light, a dazzling flash of lightning that instantly illuminated the entire hall. Then, phantoms slowly emerged from the pillars. These figures resembled ancient warriors, their figures swift and powerful, wielding gleaming weapons. Their eyes were filled with vigilance and hostility, as if we were uninvited guests in their territory.

"It seems that this is a defense mechanism. We must pass through them to get the things in the box." Luo Chen gripped the sword tightly in his hand, his eyes became cold and firm, like a cold star.

Without hesitation, we engaged these phantom warriors in a fierce battle. Though these apparitions seemed ethereal, like smoke in the wind, their attacks were incredibly powerful. Their swords swung with ferocity, each strike accompanied by a whistling sound that echoed through the hall like the roar of death. Luo Chen and I quickly struck a tacit rapture, coordinating our attacks. I focused on defense, my eyes fixed on the phantom warriors' every move, my weapon at the ready to deflect their blows. Luo Chen, like a sharp cheetah, sought every opportunity to strike.

During the fierce battle, I focused on observing the attack patterns of the phantom warriors, and gradually, I discovered the pattern of their attacks: these phantom warriors would first attack from the left, and then quickly switch to the right.

"Luo Chen, I've discovered their attack pattern! They attack from the left first, and then switch to the right." I shouted.

"Okay, then we'll deal with it accordingly." Luo Chen responded.

With his agility, he cleverly avoided the attacks of the phantom warriors according to this rule, and while dodging, he seized the opportunity to give them a fatal counterattack.

As we continued our attacks, the number of phantom warriors gradually dwindled. With each successful defeat, our tension eased a little. Finally, the last phantom warrior vanished without a trace. We breathed a sigh of relief, as if awakening from a nightmare, and slowly made our way toward the stone platform.

I slowly opened the box, and what came into view wasn't the artifact fragment we'd been waiting for, but an ancient crystal. It emanated a soft, mysterious glow, like a lake under moonlight, calm yet alluring. Within the crystal, images seemed to flicker faintly, like a mysterious world sealed within.

We carefully lifted the crystal, our eyes fixed on the image within, as if captivated by its mysterious presence. As we gazed, the image within the crystal gradually became clearer. It turned out to be a message regarding the artifact fragments. The image revealed that the artifact fragments were divided into five pieces. We had fortunately recovered three, and the remaining two were hidden in two distinct locations. One was in the Valley of Fire, a place of scorching heat, where flames licked everything wantonly like demonic tongues, and extremely dangerous fiery creatures roamed within. The other was in a mysterious underwater palace, where unimaginably powerful water pressure, like an invisible hand, held everything in check. Many unknown underwater monsters lurked in the dark depths.

"We must make a decision as to where to look for the fragments first." I raised my head and said to Luo Chen with a hint of confusion and worry in my eyes.

Luo Chen folded his arms across his chest, lost in deep thought. After a moment, he slowly spoke, "The Flame Valley is indeed fraught with danger. The high temperatures and fiery creatures are both threats that cannot be underestimated. However, in terms of distance, it's relatively close to where we are now. As for the Undersea Palace, while the journey is long, and there are strong water pressures and unknown underwater monsters, it carries many dangers. But perhaps, precisely because of this, there's less competition to search for fragments there."

"But the high temperature in the Fire Valley and those fire creatures are not easy to deal with. We might be burned to ashes before we even get close to the fragments." I said with a frown.

"That's right, but if we go to the underwater palace, how are we going to overcome the huge water pressure? We don't have special equipment to deal with water pressure." Luo Chen retorted.

"Maybe we can find something along the way that can help us resist water pressure, or find some people who know water pressure magic to help us." I put forward my idea.

"But this is just a possibility. No one knows whether we can find it. And looking for these things will take us a lot of time." Luo Chen said with some concern.

We both fell into deep thought, this decision weighing heavily on our hearts like a mountain. It hinged on whether we could successfully gather the artifact fragments and ultimately save the world. Each choice was like a thorny path, filled with uncertainty and risk. We had to make a choice between the two and then resolutely continue our journey.