Inside the shattered Pale Library, the hollow howl of historical fragments swept endlessly across the collapsed pillars and walls. In the boundless darkness of chaos, the library's boundaries trembled and heaved, expanding and contracting restlessly.
Then, in an instant, all that turmoil stopped.
As if time had reversed, the collapsed bookshelves, scattered books, and stone slabs rapidly returned to their original positions. The vortex formed from historical fragments rolled backward to its starting state. Between the enormous bookshelves that restored themselves with a thunderous roar, Baili Qing's figure wavered and reassembled like a reflection in water, quickly regaining physical form.
Behind her, a final trace of turbulence remained amid the shattered fragments of light and shadow. It was as though countless struggling illusions were trying to squeeze out of the phantasm, accompanied by layer upon layer of wailing—
"Save us! We're still alive, we're still alive..."
"Everything outside is fake... The real world was left in this prison. Turn back, turn back quickly..."
"Child, run! Go find someone and save us..."
"Sis! It's me, Little Xue—You left me behind! The one beside you is fake! She's fake!"
Baili Qing opened her eyes. The things struggling and wailing within the illusions behind her instantly turned back into the hollow howls of historical fragments, then gradually faded away.
Only then did Baili Qing finally glance back. After a moment, she let out a soft breath.
"Any new discoveries?" an aged voice came from the stone platform, while the radiance in the crystal skull's eye sockets swayed.
Baili Qing turned around. Her expression held some complexity and hesitation, but she quickly composed herself and nodded lightly. "...I found some clues that hadn't been discovered before."
"Good," the crystal skull said indifferently. "As usual, I won't ask what exactly you found. Since you returned