The problem was not merely the sheer number of Mountain Leopards. More critically, even if the Capricorn clan attempted to break out, the leopards’ speed meant they would be relentlessly pursued. Escape would be anything but easy.
From their brief clash with the Mountain Leopards, combined with their assessment of the Capricorn clan warriors’ strength, it was clear that ordinary Capricorn warriors were only roughly equal to individual Mountain Leopards—and noticeably less agile. Their true strength lay in their battle formation. Once that formation was broken, survival would become unlikely.
As soon as Fa Hua and Lan Ge appeared, they were naturally noticed by the Capricorn warriors. The golden-horned female warrior’s gaze snapped toward them at once.
The Capricorn clan were humanoid in form. Despite her surprise, the golden-horned woman merely frowned slightly, as though weighing something in her mind.
Fa Hua raised his Wisdom Shield, placing himself in front of Lan Ge, and the two advanced quickly toward the Capricorn battle formation.
“Mu Tong! Ha!” The Capricorn formation roared as one. Long spears were lifted horizontally, aimed outward. The warriors’ gazes toward Fa Hua and Lan Ge were openly hostile.
“Stop!” the golden-horned female warrior shouted in fluent human speech. “Another step, and you die!”
Fa Hua was not surprised she spoke the human tongue. Human language itself was a common tongue in the Demon Domain. During the Ice Age, humans had lived across the Demon Continent. As for whether the language had been created by humans or by the demon and nymph races, that depended on whom one asked. Human legends claimed humans created language and earned recognition from the other races, after which it became widespread. The demon and nymph races, naturally, insisted they had created it and bestowed it upon humans.
“Don’t misunderstand—we’re on your side!” Lan Ge said with a bright smile, flashing a row of white teeth.
At that moment, even more Mountain Leopards closed in. Their speed was terrifying. Though descending from all directions, they surged like a tide. Each leap carried them twenty or thirty meters at a time. In moments, the area was sealed off completely.
The Capricorn clan had not attempted a breakout earlier precisely because they understood the leopards’ speed. A reckless charge would only drain stamina and risk scattering the formation. This battle was unavoidable. To retreat safely, they would have to force the Mountain Leopards back.
“Rooaaar—”
A Mountain Leopard over four meters long let out a deep roar. Thousands of answering roars followed instantly. The oppressive momentum, mixed with the stench of blood, rolled forward like a physical force.
Fa Hua and Lan Ge stood about a hundred meters from the Capricorn formation. Back to back, they braced themselves, ready for the inevitable onslaught.
“Looks like the Capricorn clan doesn’t appreciate our help,” Lan Ge chuckled.
“That’s normal,” Fa Hua replied calmly. “Until they see what we do, they won’t trust us. Fight first. Talk later.”
As he spoke, the Divine Codex in his hand flipped open.
Fourth Page: Holy Spirit Body.
Sixth Page: Clone.
His body abruptly grew taller. With a single motion, three identical figures split off from him. Together with his original body, four Fa Huas surrounded Lan Ge at the center.
Armor manifested. Wisdom Shield in his left hand, Wisdom Sword in his right. The defense was airtight.
The Mountain Leopards attacked.
Hundreds of them charged at once. Some rushed toward the Capricorn formation, others directly toward Fa Hua and Lan Ge. Their eyes burned with ferocity. Their speed was terrifying. Some leapt off their companions’ backs to gain height, then plunged downward for midair assaults.
“Mu Tong! Ha!” The Capricorn warriors roared again. The outer ring thrust their spears forward as the entire circular formation began rotating, shifting positions fluidly.
Pff! Pff!
Blood burst into the air. Several Mountain Leopards were skewered and fell. Any that landed inside the formation were instantly finished off by a forest of spears. But at the same time, sharp claws raked across Capricorn warriors.
The Capricorn clan’s unassuming gray light armor proved surprisingly resilient. When struck by the leopards’ blade-like claws, it threw sparks and left deep marks, but did not shatter outright.
Still, light armor was light armor. It could not protect everything. Wherever flesh was exposed, injuries followed.
The most dangerous aspect of the Mountain Leopards’ assault was its three-dimensional nature. Many could leap more than twenty meters into the air, plunging down toward the formation’s interior. This severely limited coordination between the inner and outer rings.
Fa Hua and Lan Ge were simultaneously beset by more than a dozen Mountain Leopards.
“Hold them,” Lan Ge said. “Give me time to prepare something vicious.”
There were simply too many enemies. Fa Hua did not counterattack. The four figures relied entirely on the Wisdom Shields, smashing aside any Mountain Leopard that lunged at them. With the shield and Holy Spirit Body, they remained uninjured.
After several exchanges, they formed a rough assessment. Even the weakest Mountain Leopards were comparable to fourth-rank human cultivators. Their speed and power were formidable, especially their agility and attack strength. Against an unprepared human, even a fourth-ranker might be torn apart by a surprise attack.
Their intelligence was higher than expected as well. They advanced and retreated in coordination, clearly accustomed to fighting together. They never overcrowded tight spaces, yet they also gave Fa Hua no room to breathe.
More than ten seconds passed. Lan Ge still had not acted.
“Are you doing this on purpose?” Fa Hua asked.
“Scared?” Lan Ge laughed.
“Then I’ll stop defending,” Fa Hua replied calmly. “I don’t mind pain.”
“Damn it, can you let me win once?” Lan Ge snapped. His frustration poured directly into the attack that followed.
A red-and-violet figure slowly rose from the center of the four Fa Huas. Multi-colored light intertwined around Lan Ge, obscuring his true form.
The next instant, piercing thunderclaps rang out. Even Fa Hua felt a numbing shock ripple through his body. The sky flashed.
Centered on Lan Ge, dozens—then hundreds—of violet lightning bolts erupted outward. Each carried a faint red halo within.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Some bolts missed as Mountain Leopards dodged. Others struck home. Every bolt detonated a heartbeat later, unleashing terrifying power.
One Mountain Leopard barely managed to swipe with its forepaw before the bolt exploded. Lightning paralyzed it instantly, and the fire bound within engulfed its body in a flash.
Its scream was brief. When it hit the ground, it was already a charred corpse.
Lightning and fire. Two of the most violent elements, fused into one. The preparation time had been long precisely because of their volatility. Even with Lan Ge’s control, careful buildup was required.
Hundreds of lightning-flame bolts scattered across the battlefield. The nearest dozen Mountain Leopards were obliterated instantly. Others reacted fast, sensing danger and scattering in retreat.
But there were far too many of them.
Explosions roared. Thirty or forty Mountain Leopards were swallowed by the blasts, clearing a fifty-meter-wide zone. Panic rippled briefly through the pack, and Fa Hua and Lan Ge immediately drew heightened attention.
With the pressure eased, flames continued to scorch the ground, leaving an open space around them. The four Fa Huas merged back into one.
At that moment, Fa Hua made an unusual movement.
He flipped his left hand. The Divine Codex turned over, revealing its reverse side.
The same three characters—Ju-dg-e—were engraved there. But this time, the light was not gold. It was silver.
Even Lan Ge had never seen this side of the Codex before.
Fa Hua opened the first page.
It was identical. The Divine Statue stood there with nine* halos orbiting it, revealing its complete layered form.
(T/N: This initially had me confused so I’m adding a T/N here. To clarify, Fa Hua still has 8th-Rank cultivation, but his Divine Statue has already advanced to the 9th stage. Looking at previous chapters, his Divine Statue was already at the 9th stage when he helped with the blue mango back at the Green Sea of Life.)
Yet when Fa Hua invoked its power, even Lan Ge was startled.
A pale, misty radiance drifted out from the Divine Statue, gathering into a cloud in midair. Faint golden light shimmered within it as it floated straight toward the Capricorn formation.
What is that? Lan Ge wondered.
“Watch,” Fa Hua said simply.
The golden-horned female warrior noticed the cloud at once. With a sharp cry, she leapt from the formation and slashed with her spear, sending a massive blade of light toward it.
The cloud split—but did not disperse. It was not ordinary energy.
The next moment, it descended like a gentle glow, enveloping all five hundred Capricorn warriors.
The golden-horned woman’s eyes widened. Then warmth surged through her body. Fatigue vanished completely. In an instant, she felt restored to her peak.
A silky, mellow energy flowed through her pores, converging through her limbs and bones into her core. The sensation was light, clear, and profoundly comfortable.
Even her skin took on a faint golden sheen.