In the boundless, deathly silence, Lin Qiye slowly opened his eyes.
An unprecedented wave of dizziness overwhelmed his mind. He bent over and dry-heaved uncontrollably, as if he had ridden a roller coaster hundreds of times in a row at an amusement park without a moment of rest, leaving his consciousness a complete haze.
A hand gently patted his back, and a soft voice came from beside him:
"Brother Qiye, are you all right?"
Lin Qiye's consciousness gradually returned. He shook his groggy head and turned to look, only to see Yurina Takishiro crouching beside him, her cross-star-like eyes brimming with concern.
"I'm fine..."
Lin Qiye took a deep breath and swept his gaze around. Everywhere he looked was an endless expanse of gray, like a cocoon completely enclosing him, yet also like a vast gray universe... Here, the naked eye could not distinguish the concept of "distance" at all. Only endless deathly silence filled the surroundings.
"Where is this?"
"I'm not sure either." Yurina Takishiro shook her head. "Lingbao Tianzun said this is the gap between time and space, and also the ruins of history."
"Lingbao Tianzun..."
Lin Qiye murmured the name, his mind fully clearing. "Where are the others?"
"They split up to look for a way out," Yurina Takishiro said. "But you woke up rather late. Tianzun told me to stay here and watch over you, so you wouldn't run around... In a place like this, once you get separated, it's almost impossible to find each other again."
"If this place is so dangerous, wouldn't splitting up make it easier for everyone to get lost?"
"Not really."
Yurina Takishiro pointed to a black dragon banner behind her. "This is a treasure Lingbao Tianzun left behind. The banners come in parent and child sets. Ours is the parent