Not only the golden-horned female warrior—every one of the five hundred Capricorn warriors beneath the halo was now wreathed in golden light. Their presence surged explosively, as if a force of justice had been poured directly into them. In that instant, their attack, defense, and overall combat strength all rose by nearly twenty percent.
At the same time, Fa Hua’s Divine Codex flipped open to its second page. Streams of golden light burst forth, transforming into countless golden threads that stretched across a hundred meters before settling onto the Capricorn warriors.
Immediately, a thin layer of light formed around each of them.
This light membrane was not especially powerful, but it was sufficient to block a single strike from a Mountain Leopard’s claws.
Here, blocking even one strike meant the difference between life and death. It meant they could charge forward without hesitation and bring down more enemies.
With just these two changes, the Capricorn clan’s formation shifted instantly from a war of attrition into something as immovable as a mountain.
Lan Ge stared at the scene, stunned.
“It can do that too? Your Divine Codex has two sides?”
Fa Hua replied calmly, “Of course.”
“How come you never mentioned it?” Lan Ge asked in disbelief.
“What’s there to say?” Fa Hua said. “It’s common sense. The greatest strength of our Kingdom of Order’s Codex lies in group combat. Otherwise, why do we always take first place in the Tri-Domain Tournament’s team battles?”
As he spoke, the look he gave Lan Ge seemed to ask a silent question.
Are you really that ignorant?
A surge of humiliation welled up in Lan Ge’s chest. He silently vowed that if he ever got another chance, he would absolutely study harder.
Indeed, the Divine Codices of the Law Domain were all two-sided. However, only those who awakened as Law Enforcers could access the reverse side. Order Keepers possessed only the front three pages.
The front focused on individual enhancement.
The reverse side was devoted to group augmentation.
That distinction was the true foundation upon which the Law Domain had been established.
With Lan Ge’s lightning–fire assault and Fa Hua’s layered enhancements, the Mountain Leopard pack’s overwhelming advantage began to erode. In the brief span of time since the engagement shifted, more than two hundred of the three thousand Mountain Leopards had already fallen.
These beasts clearly possessed a measure of intelligence. At the Leopard King’s sharp commands, the pack gradually pulled back, ending the first wave of their assault.
They needed time to reassess.
The Capricorn warriors were far tougher prey than expected.
“Don’t think I can’t contribute,” Lan Ge said, unwilling to be outdone. “Watch this.”
As he spoke, his body turned translucent and water-blue.
A Water Elemental Body.
He gestured toward the lake. Dense Water Element energy surged toward him at once. In moments, rings of blue ripples formed around his body as the element condensed and deepened in color.
With a shift in hue and a gentle breeze, the gathered Water Element rose into the air and drifted above the Capricorn formation.
The next moment, it fell like a fine drizzle from the sky.
A gentle rain.
The droplets did little for uninjured warriors, but when they landed on the wounded, the effects were immediate. Blood slowed, torn flesh knit together, and pain eased beneath the soothing flow of elemental water.
A group healing spell.
Compared to light-based healing, water’s restorative power was slightly weaker in raw speed, but it strengthened the body at its foundation. The two healing paths had long stood side by side.
The Capricorn warriors’ gazes toward the two unfamiliar humans changed instantly.
They could distinguish friend from foe.
There was no doubt now—Fa Hua and Lan Ge were helping them.
“Allow us into your formation,” Fa Hua called out to the golden-horned female warrior. “Let us face the enemy together.”
The golden-horned warrior met his gaze. Fa Hua did not avert his eyes.
After a brief pause, she made her decision.
“Mu Tong! Ha!”
The circular formation split open toward them, creating a narrow passage. On both sides, Capricorn warriors raised their long spears, forming a corridor of sharpened steel. Anyone entering would be under threat from every direction.
Fa Hua stepped forward without hesitation.
Lan Ge followed, muttering, “Is this really how you treat allies? We just saved you.”
Fa Hua glanced at him.
“Courage is elegance under pressure.”
Lan Ge blinked, surprised.
“Didn’t expect you to say something like that.”
They spoke calmly as they walked into the spear corridor, ignoring the towering Capricorn warriors on either side. The spears above their heads might as well not have existed.
“Mu Tong! Ha! Mu Tong! Ha! Ha!”
The warriors on both sides shouted in unison.
Lan Ge flinched, then laughed.
“Ha! Ha!”
As they entered, the formation sealed behind them. Outside, furious roars rose again as the Mountain Leopards launched their second assault.
Fa Hua and Lan Ge quickly reached the center of the formation, where the golden-horned female warrior stood. Her expression was grave.
Up close, her appearance was unremarkable by human standards, but her tall, powerful build and resolute bearing radiated unmistakable martial authority.
Her presence alone inspired confidence.
“Names,” she demanded.
“Fa Hua.”
“Lan Ge.”
She studied them carefully.
“Law Domain. Blue Domain.”
Fa Hua was mildly surprised. Identifying their origins from their abilities alone was no small feat.
“You are perceptive,” he said.
Lan Ge, half-suspecting an insult, added reflexively, “Very perceptive.”
“I am Jin Yang,” the warrior said. “My clan calls me Great Jin Yang. You may do the same. Are you willing to fight alongside us?”
Great Jin Yang.
Seeing their hesitation, she added calmly, “Among our people, ‘Great’ is an honorific. Since you aided us, we are comrades. If we win, we are friends. If we lose, we die together.”
Simple. Direct. Absolute.
Fa Hua approved.
With a light step, Great Jin Yang leapt onto the shoulder of a towering Capricorn warrior at the formation’s core.
A soft glow lifted Fa Hua and Lan Ge into the air beside her.
From this vantage point, the second wave of the Mountain Leopard assault was clearly fiercer than the first.
Hundreds charged forward again, but many among them were larger, faster, and stronger.
If the first wave consisted mainly of Fourth-Rank threats, this one included Fifth- and Sixth-Rank Mountain Leopards.
They were easy to identify. Their fur was brighter, their frames heavier, and their presence more oppressive.
Yet the Capricorn formation remained stable, rotating smoothly as it met the attack. Fa Hua quickly noted that every silver-horned warrior possessed strength around the Sixth Rank. They formed the backbone of the formation.
Wounded warriors were rotated out immediately, treated, and sent back into battle.
The coordination was flawless.
Fa Hua raised his Divine Codex once more. The Divine Statue shone again as Holy Magic flowed outward in drifting clouds of light, reinforcing the warriors’ strength and renewing protective layers where needed.
Lan Ge, meanwhile, focused purely on offense.
Wherever the Mountain Leopards pressed hardest, fire and wind descended in waves, driving them back and cutting down their numbers.
With the two humans reinforcing the formation, the Capricorn line held firm.
Then, a strange roar echoed across the battlefield.
From a nearby hillside, a tide of dark red spread rapidly across the ground.
Where it passed, the Mountain Leopards changed.
Their fur darkened. Their eyes turned crimson. Their auras surged with savage bloodlust.
Jin Yang’s expression changed sharply.
“Leopard Shaman.”
Three massive Mountain Leopards, each over seven meters long, emerged atop the slope. Seated upon their backs were hunched figures cloaked in heavy robes.
From beneath the cloaks, furred hands gripped long wooden staffs.
They stood upright.
Their fur was dark red, streaked with black, and the oppressive aura they radiated made the air feel heavy.
“Leopard Shaman?” Lan Ge asked quietly. “What’s that?”