This invention discloses a time-locked fiber self-erasing material with a step-by-step decryption function for special information transmission, its preparation method, and its anti-counterfeiting applications. The material is prepared by chemically grafting amino-modified phosphors onto the surface of carboxylated cellulose nanocrystals, followed by electrostatic attraction between the phosphors and gold nanoclusters stabilized by the carboxylated cellulose nanocrystals. The material of this invention uses carboxylated cellulose nanocrystals as a bridge connecting the donor and acceptor, inhibiting the self-aggregation of gold nanoclusters, enhancing fluorescence intensity and stability, and improving the energy transfer efficiency between the donor and acceptor. Based on changes in the degree of energy transfer, the time-locked fiber self-erasing material exhibits a color pattern over a time scale, adjusted by the donor-acceptor ratio.