Chapter 46: The Hourglass of Time

Li Chen and Xian'er were transported by the Sage into an unknown stellar region.

Just as Li Chen and Xian'er looked around in bewilderment, trying to find a way back, the surrounding starry sky suddenly surged with brilliant radiance, resembling thousands of shooting stars converging to weave ancient totters.

To their astonishment, these totters slowly rotated, their center gradually forming a gateway leading to another realm. Beyond the door lay an otherworldly realm filled with fantasy colors: floating islands, luminous plants, and wondrous beasts of various shapes soaring across the sky—everything exceeded their imagination.

From then on, Li Chen and Xian'er became so immersed in this fantastical world that they forgot to return, living a life of blissful romance and eventually being blessed with a brood of children.

Just when they thought such peaceful and beautiful days would last forever, Xian'er, while exploring a secluded valley one day, inadvertently touched an ancient rune stone.

The rune stone suddenly burst into a dazzling light, enveloping her within it. When the light dissipated, Xian'er surprisingly found herself endowed with the ability to communicate with wondrous beasts. She discovered that this foreign world harbored an ancient prophecy, and that she and Li Chen were the very keys destined to lead this world toward peace.

The wondrous beasts came forward one after another, escorting them through various fantastical lands to search for lost divine artifacts in order to confront the impending dark threat. From ordinary explorers, Li Chen and Xian'er leaped to become the guardians of the fate of this alternate world.

Together, the couple brought four daughters and one son into the world; the eldest was twenty-two, and the youngest fifteen. Abandoning their adventurous battles, the couple poured their hearts entirely into their six children.

Just as Li Chen and Xian'er were wholeheartedly nurturing their offspring, hoping they would thrive in peace, a bizarre celestial phenomenon suddenly appeared in the sky of the alternate world—seven stars aligned in a straight line, releasing an unprecedented radiance that illuminated the entire realm. This light guided their youngest child, the fifteen-year-old youth Li Xu, to discover a forgotten mystic realm.

Hidden within the realm was an ancient codex recording a ritual capable of awakening the slumbering powers of the alternate world. Driven by a yearning for the unknown and a sense of familial duty, the youth Li Xu embarked on a journey to gather the materials required for the ritual, vowing to protect the land that had granted them endless miracles and love.

Li Xu stepped deep into the mystic realm and chanced upon a white-haired elder who claimed to be a descendant of the ancient guardians of the alternate world, holding the crucial clues to awakening the power.

The elder informed Li Xu that to awaken the slumbering power, he also needed to collect seven divine artifacts scattered across various locations, with each artifact concealing a trial and challenge.

Li Xu resolutely accepted the mission, and the elder bestowed upon him an ancient compass to guide him toward the locations of the artifacts. His first stop led him to a forgotten mist-shrouded forest, where a mystery capable of piercing human hearts lay concealed.

Entering the misty forest, Li Xu soon felt the eerie atmosphere permeating the woods. The surrounding trees seemed to have come to life, their branches and leaves swaying gently while emitting low whispers.

Suddenly, a surge of mist rose, and an illusory figure appeared before Li Xu—a woman in a long gown with a sorrowful expression and a trace of tears shimmering in her eyes. She slowly extended her hand, guiding Li Xu deeper into the forest.

As he ventured further, Li Xu noticed that all the creatures in the forest were watching him, as if he were the savior the forest had long awaited. And that woman did not seem to be a mere phantom; every guidance she offered brought Li Xu one step closer to the divine artifact.

Following the woman's guidance, Li Xu arrived before a set of ancient ruins. At the center of the ruins stood a massive stone tablet carved with intricate runes that flickered with a faint glow. Just as Li Xu gazed at the tablet, attempting to decipher the runes, the ground suddenly shook, and the tablet slowly slid aside, revealing a passage leading underground.

From deep within the passage came the muffled sounds of distant bell chimes, as though some ancient power were summoning him. Li Xu took a deep breath and resolutely stepped into the passageway, his heart filled with both fear of the unknown and a yearning for power.

At the end of the corridor, Li Xu stepped into a radiant hall, at the center of which floated a brilliant divine artifact—the Mirror of the Soul. Just as he reached out to take it, the mirror suddenly projected a series of images depicting a future catastrophe in the alternate world: wondrous beasts wailing, the earth shattering, a landscape of complete apocalypse.

The images in the mirror finally froze upon a pair of resolute eyes—they were none other than Li Xu's own eyes, flashing with unyielding light. Li Xu snapped awake with a start, realizing that this was not merely a simple quest to find an artifact, but a heavy responsibility he must shoulder to save the entire alternate world.

Clutching the Mirror of the Soul tightly, Li Xu watched as the light within it gradually subsided, transforming into a warm surge of energy that flowed into his body. Just as he prepared to leave, a distant, ethereal song echoed from the depths of the hall, sounding like celestial music that calmed the unease in his heart.

Guided by the song, Li Xu discovered a small door hidden in a corner of the hall. Beyond the door lay a glowing corridor leading toward deeper secrets.

He stepped into it without hesitation. At the end of the passage, a brilliant starry sky came into view, featuring an ancient altar floating at the center, inscribed with an unknown incantation seemingly tied to the ritual for awakening the slumbering power of the alternate world.

The stars around the altar flickered unusually, as if recounting ancient secrets. Just as Li Xu stared at the incantation, trying to comprehend its meaning, the altar suddenly burst into intense light, entirely enveloping him within it.

When the light dissipated, he was astonished to find that he could understand the whispers of the surrounding stars, which seemed to be guiding him toward the location of the next divine artifact.

A nameless excitement welled up in Li Xu's heart, as if he had established some mysterious connection with this starry expanse. Taking a deep breath, he followed the guidance of the stars and embarked on the journey to find the second divine artifact.

Li Xu traversed a desolate desert, at the center of which stood a crystalline palace hidden from view. The palace emitted a faint blue glow that contrasted sharply with the surrounding intense heat. The palace gates opened automatically to welcome him:

A middle-aged man adorned in magnificent robes, holding a staff embedded with precious jewels, claimed to be the incarnation of the Desert Spirit. He told Li Xu that the second divine artifact—the Hourglass of Time—was hidden in the deepest chambers of the palace, but could only be obtained by passing a trial of wisdom and courage. Upon entering, Li Xu found himself trapped within a shifting labyrinth where every single step required careful calculation to avoid falling into an eternal loop.