Time Hourglass

Regaining his composure, Kraun began the visualization of the Golden Light Incantation.

Once the cycle concluded, the decaying, terrifying wails once again erupted in his mind, and the pain throughout his body persisted.

He couldn't tell if it was just his imagination, but he felt the duration of the agony had decreased slightly compared to yesterday.

As his body gradually returned to normal, a fierce look flashed across his face, and he continued his visualization.

By noon, he clearly felt that the wailing in his mind after the visualization cycle had weakened significantly, and the pain in his body had also subsided quite a bit.

Kraun stretched out his hands and was pleasantly surprised to find that the black patches on his arm skin had faded considerably.

"Hoo."

Exhaling a long breath, he happily went to cook a meal.

The drain from the Golden Light Incantation combined with the physical pain consumed his stamina and energy very quickly; the food he had prepared last night had already ended up in his stomach.

After letting his body relax for a while and enjoying a hearty meal, Kraun had no intention of resting for even a few minutes and continued to visualize the Golden Light Incantation.

A bright moon appeared before his eyes, then sank into the space between his brows, followed the planned path to the Dantian, shifted left to his heart, and he visualized his heart blooming with golden light like a red sun, illuminating his internal organs. Finally, this red sun moved to the Dantian, shining upon his entire body from there and radiating outward.

This visualization technique had slowly become an instinct for Kraun; he was as proficient at it as breathing.

Two hours later, most of the black patches on his body had become very faint.

Another two hours passed, and as the sunset slanted westward, all the black patches vanished. His skin had completely returned to its normal state, even faintly possessing a jade-like luster.

At this moment, Kraun finished a session of visualization, and plumes of thick black smoke rose from his body, a faint stench permeating the room.

The whispers of the Evil Spirit, which had become very weak, suddenly turned shrill before rapidly fading away again.

Kraun felt a new scene appear in his mind.

A monster resembling an octopus was rolling frantically amidst golden flames. The monster's head and tentacles were covered in eyes, and black smoke burned from its body.

The smoke swirled around the monster, growing thinner and thinner.

As it burned, the monster's size shrank until it couldn't hold on any longer, finally transforming into an hourglass filled with fine golden sand.

The hourglass began to spin rapidly, as if crossing through space to reach another scene, arriving around a massive crystal ball and slowly rotating around it.

Kraun's consciousness lingered there as well; he felt as if he had become an intangible object, with only his consciousness remaining.

He observed carefully and discovered that the large crystal ball was the one that appeared after he visualized under the morning sun.

At this moment, the faint layer of gold on the left side of the crystal ball had disappeared.

Where is this, and how do I get out?

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Kraun felt his consciousness fall from the sky, rapidly returning to his body.

A nauseating stench filled his nasal cavity, and he nearly vomited on the spot.

He hurriedly stood up, opened the window, and then walked quickly toward the door.

Passing the full-length mirror by the door, he froze abruptly.

The man in the mirror had fair skin, and his face held a rosy luster.

With sword-like brows and star-bright eyes, he looked radiant, and even his hooked nose appeared somewhat charming.

So handsome!

Strength is only temporary, but being handsome is a lifelong affair!

Kraun narcissistically touched his hair twice and walked out of the room.

The Golden Light Incantation actually has a beauty-enhancing side effect; I have to give this skill a thumbs up!

In high spirits, Kraun changed to another room; he wanted to perform the visualization once more to ensure that the hidden danger of the Evil Spirit had been completely eradicated.

After a familiar visualization, he felt completely refreshed. Aside from hunger, there was not a trace of the Evil Spirit's presence.

"Haha," he laughed softly. His slightly tense spirit completely relaxed, and he happily heated up some rice, devouring four full bowls.

After his feast, Kraun sat in a chair, resting while deep in thought.

He considered buying an alarm clock or a pocket watch for timing; it was difficult to judge the time now, which prevented him from comfortably performing his visualizations at the hours of the Rabbit and the Rooster.

He had already pondered the methods for crafting the Heart-Clearing Talisman and the Golden Light Talisman.

The golden substance obtained in the crystal ball after visualizing under the morning sun was one of the raw materials for drawing the Golden Light Talisman, known as Sunfire Liquid.

One of the raw materials for the Heart-Clearing Talisman was called Moon Dew, which the instructions stated was obtained during visualization at the hour of the Rooster.

He did not know the practical utility of the two Daoist talismans, but given the power displayed by the Golden Light Incantation after its advancement, he was filled with anticipation.

Kraun expressed his intent to reach the location of the crystal ball, and his consciousness instantly arrived there.

The purpose of the crystal ball was clear: it was a container for storing Sunfire Liquid and Moon Dew.

However, the function of the hourglass transformed from the Evil Spirit still needed to be tested slowly.

It was an hourglass with a brass base, and inside the crystal-clear glass was a shallow layer of fine sand emitting a golden glow.

The fine sand did not fall, but remained at the top of the hourglass.

It was also spinning continuously, and Kraun saw two silver stars engraved on the base of the hourglass, which flashed simultaneously every second.

He touched the Time Hourglass with his mind, attempting to see if he could flip it over.

To his surprise, the hourglass seemed fused into the void; he could not budge it in the slightest.

What he found somewhat novel was that when he touched the hourglass, it felt as if he were stroking his own skin—the sensation was exquisite.

Kraun felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead. Self-caressing, and it feels like that?

How could I have such an indecent thought?

Despite such shameful thoughts, he still couldn't help but "stroke" the hourglass over and over again.

After the stars on the brass base flashed once more, they did not dim, but remained lit.

A flash of inspiration welled up in Kraun's consciousness, and he understood the two functions the hourglass currently possessed.

The first was timekeeping; he could now sense the passage of time with a precision of fifteen minutes.

The second was time suspension; he could consume Time Sand—the fine grains within the hourglass—to briefly halt time around his body. More specific capabilities would require him to conduct more precise tests.

Kraun's consciousness returned to his body, and he felt an urgent desire to experiment with these two mysterious abilities.

"It is five forty-five."

Naturally, he spoke the current time aloud.

Since he had no timer, there was no way to verify it, but he glanced at the sky outside and felt that it was roughly correct.

He then fished out a silver coin and tossed it gently into the air.

As the coin began to fall, he shifted his intent and activated the power of the hourglass. The coin seemed to lose its weight, truly hanging suspended in mid-air.

He maintained this ability for about three or four seconds before the coin regained its mass and began to fall once more.

Reaching out to catch the falling silver coin, Kraun's consciousness returned to that unknown space.

He saw that the golden fine sand inside the hourglass had been completely exhausted.

What a miraculous ability. From now on, I shall call you the Time Hourglass!