Chapter 821: Zodiac Battle Formation

Cultivation knows no years; five years of time flash by in an instant.

Yan Buji sat cross‑legged inside his mountain cave, his qi and blood swirling like a dragon, his Martial Dao Dao Marks numbering thirteen hundred, his cultivation solidly at mid Nascent Soul. Periodically he senses Yun Qing's condition, confirming that the Source Prime's rampage has not yet ceased, and that Luohuang Zhou's anomalous mist still shrouds the land, only then does he feel a little at ease.

"It seems the human and demon races are still at a stalemate…"

Just as he prepared to resume his seclusion, suddenly twelve hidden marks within his body stirred simultaneously—

The feedback from the Twelve Zodiac returns once more!

Yan Buji snapped his eyes open, a cold smile curling his lips: "Finally!"

Without hesitation, he formed seals with both hands and shouted low:

"Time Secret Technique·Age Wheel Summon!"

"Whoosh—"

In the void, an illusory Time River projection descended, its waters rushing and reflecting countless fragments of time. Immediately, twelve figures stepped out of the river, unmistakably the incarnations of Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.

Unlike before, their auras now brimmed with depth, each having reached the early Nascent Soul realm!

Yan Buji's gaze swept over the Twelve Zodiac, and he suddenly sensed a hint of peculiarity.

The strength of these zodiac incarnations corresponded exactly with his *lifespan*!

"Five‑hundred Age Wheel… early Nascent Soul?"

He furrowed his brows, calculating in his mind.

The Age Wheels of the Twelve Zodiac were synchronized with the years he himself had lived. He is now over five hundred years old, so the zodiac possess five‑hundred‑year Age Wheels, their strength likewise matching early Nascent Soul.

"If that's the case…" Yan Buji's eyes flashed, "If a cultivator lived a hundred thousand years, wouldn't his zodiac directly reach the Great Vehicle Stage, perhaps even the Tribulation‑crossing level?"

The discovery gave his heart a jolt.

The Twelve Zodiac technique is a defiant art that uses years as nourishment and lifespan as its foundation!

"No wonder… these twelve zodiac can even serve as twelve Nascent Soul Cultivators, though using them individually yields little effect… can they form a battle formation?"

Yan Buji sneered, raised his hand and waved; the twelve zodiac bowed their heads in unison, awaiting orders.

Twelve Nascent Souls!

Although a single zodiac incarnation's strength is not top‑tier, twelve Nascent Soul cultivators united, combined with Yan Buji's own cultivation, can cause his combat power to soar!

If one person can't defeat you, can a crowd still not?

Unless your realm is far higher than ours, right?

A thought flickered in his mind, and the twelve zodiac, as if sharing a telepathic link, swiftly shifted positions, forming a tight and orderly battle formation in the blink of an eye!

The formation resembled a massive gear, each zodiac occupying a specific slot, echoing and cooperating with seamless harmony. Their movements flowed as naturally as clouds and water, without any lag or hesitation.

The twelve zodiac in the formation exuded a powerful aura; Yan Buji stepped into it, feeling the zodiac's transmitted power make his magical power seem endless. Moreover, the flow of Age‑year force through him gave Yan Buji an inexplicable sense of comfort.

"Could it be..."

Yan Buji instantly activated the Instant Movement Technique, and the battle, along with him, vanished from the spot!

Soon after, Yan Buji returned, his face beaming with joy: "This zodiac battle formation can actually replenish the consumption of Dao Mark power? Though it can only supplement, not restore completely lost Dao Marks, it's still an extremely sharp amplification method!"

Yan Buji experimented and found that the marvel of the zodiac battle formation lies in the flow of Age‑year force; magical power consumption can be instantly replenished, and the divine abilities driven by Dao Marks also receive supplementation.

Ordinarily, invoking a divine ability requires Dao Mark support; the Dao Mark's power is the cultivator's tangible grasp of the Great Dao's laws, essentially a key that lets a cultivator lever the heavens and earth, and the key must be replenished after use; however, if one employs a method that completely sacrifices Dao Marks, the resulting divine ability can erupt with even greater power!

Thus, the quantity of Dao Marks is the best measure of a cultivator's strength; Yan Buji currently possesses four rule‑based Dao Marks—Martial Dao, Cosmic Dao, Way of the Universe, and Five Elements Dao—though his cultivation is modest, his potential is great.

This zodiac battle formation is far more potent than Yan Buji's Great Form Transform Heaven Technique used in Martial Dao, though it consumes the zodiac Age Wheels; fortunately, the zodiac can be released into the Time River for nurturing, so it costs him little.

Realizing the strength of the Time Secret Technique, Yan Buji reviewed its cultivation method.

The first layer's twelve zodiac are nearly exhausted; Yan Buji uses the second layer's Four Seasons Scenery sparingly, as altering celestial phenomena offers him little benefit, and he still does not know the optimal application for the Four Seasons Scenery.

"Perhaps it could affect the transformation of a certain region?" Yan Buji admits he's not entirely sure.

As for the third layer's Heavenly Evolution Years, Yan Buji cannot cultivate it yet; it requires absorbing a great amount of Time Sand to practice.

Yan Buji's magical power is sufficient to support many divine abilities, such as the five Earth Fiend Divine Abilities he has mastered, and the Wenwu Fire of the Burning Heaven technique, which counts as a fire‑based Dao ability, plus the Instant Movement Technique and a host of others; overall, even if he were to unleash them all at once, it would not pose a serious problem.

He even possesses a tome titled Heavenly Gang Divine Ability—Straight Standing No Shadow—in his hand, though it requires the Transformation God Stage to cultivate.

This is also Yan Buji's greatest gain from practicing the Nine Turns Technique; his robust magical power is enough to sustain him in arduous battles.

However, after recalling the twelve zodiac, Yan Buji continues his Martial Dao cultivation.

Yan Buji now intends to study how to combine magical power with Immortal Essence to boost his instant combat capability.

That day.

Across the wilderness, dozens of Nascent Soul‑stage demonic beasts roared forward, their demonic aura soaring, the ground trembling. These beasts varied in form—some cloaked entirely in scale armor, others sprouting twin wings, fangs menacing, eyes flashing with blood‑thirsty light. Sensing the human aura on Yan Buji, they lunged without hesitation!

"You lowly beast, dare block me?"

Yan Buji held a Rift Staff in his left hand and a Sea Kun Hammer in his right, facing the surging beast horde, a cold smile curling his lips.

He channeled magical power; the tip of the Rift Staff suddenly burst with dim light, several black rifts tearing open from nothing, like void eyes, hovering across the battlefield!

"Swish—!"

Yan Buji's form flickered, stepping directly into a rift and instantly appearing atop a massive horned rhinoceros!

"Die!"

The Sea Kun Hammer, bearing terrifying force, slammed down boldly; its runes glowed, faintly echoing the roar of a raging deep sea!

"Boom!!!"

The rhinoceros's skull burst like a watermelon, blood and brain matter spraying everywhere!

The beast horde roared in anger, turning to charge, but Yan Buji had already stepped into another rift, vanishing without a trace!

"Howl!" A spine‑spiked wolf demon lunged at nothing, snarling in fury.

Yet the next second!

"Bang!"

Yan Buji stepped out from a rift behind it, the Sea Kun Hammer sweeping horizontally, smashing its spine to pieces!

The wolf demon howls in anguish and collapses, while Yan Buji's figure has already slipped back into another rift.

Thus, Yan Buji darts between the rifts like a specter; each time he appears, a demonic beast meets death!

A rift flashes, and the hammer smashes skulls!

The rift closes, and his form vanishes!

The rift reopens, and the slaughter continues!

The pack of beasts falls into Chaos; they cannot catch Yan Buji's trail and can only be hit passively!

In a brief moment, dozens of Nascent Soul demonic beasts are all executed, the wasteland littered with corpses, blood flowing like a river!

Yan Buji steps out of the final rift, fresh blood dripping from his Sea Kun Hammer, and the glow of the Rift Staff fades.

He scans the area, confirming no survivors remain, then lets out a cold snort:

"What a disgusting tactic," Yan Buji says with a smile.

If he meets someone using the Void Prohibition Technique, Yan Buji can even trigger the Luo‑weave Needle to pierce the spatial seal.

In truth, unless one's realm is far higher than Yan Buji's, defending against his style is almost impossible; don't forget the rift can also release stingers—if someone deliberately waits for Yan Buji to teleport there, they might get a nasty bite.

Having said that, he sheathes his artifact, his figure turning into a black shadow that darts toward Luohuang Zhou.