Nightmare Time, 9:40 PM. Torches were already lit along the West Gate wall of Qingmu County.

The orange firelight stretched along the wall like a winding fire dragon, carving a line between the dark red sky and the grayish-black wall.

The wind blew in from the western plains, carrying the scent of withered grass and a faint, lingering metallic tang of blood.

Five hundred Awakened from the Yuehua Guild were already in position.

They wore uniform white gear that gave off a dull luster under /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ the torchlight, while their weapons were green.

Spears, sabers and shields, bows and crossbows—all were categorized and neatly arranged.

The squad leaders of ten-man teams stood at the front of the ranks; their equipment was noticeably better, with at least two pieces glowing green.

Further up, ten mid-level captains were scattered across the wall. Each was a Level 19 first-advancement professional, their weapons glowing with a faint blue light and their gear entirely green, exuding an aura completely different from the regular members.

Su Yuehua, accompanied by Feng Qingshuang, Feng Qingyan, and Shi Pojun, walked slowly along the wall. Lin Anye had disappeared again at some point, likely hiding in the shadows.

The Awakened along the way straightened their posture upon seeing Su Yuehua, pressing their right hands to their chests and bowing their heads slightly.

"President Su."

"Good evening, President Su."

Su Yuehua nodded to each of them, her gaze sweeping over every face. Occasionally, she would stop to ask, "Have you checked your gear?" or "Do you have enough potions?" Her voice was gentle, but every word brought a sense of security.

Feng Qingyan followed behind her with light steps, her ponytail swaying. She waved to those she recognized.

"Captain Cui! Don't chicken out tonight!"

"Sister Li! Did you change your bowstring? Last time, it snapped halfway through!"

"Big Brother Zhang! You polished that shield so bright—are you using it as a mirror tonight?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Some of the captains she called out gave bitter smiles, some rolled their eyes, and others pretended not to hear.

Yet, everyone had a smile on their face—a smile of being trusted and relied upon.

Feng Qingshuang walked half a step behind her sister without saying a word. She held a ruby staff, the flame patterns on its body flowing faintly in the firelight.

Her gaze scanned every firing position and every battlement on the wall, as if she were calculating something.

Shi Pojun brought up the rear, carrying his shield. His steps were heavy, and the edge of his tower shield glinted coldly in the firelight.

He remained expressionless, but he gave a slight nod every time he passed a member holding a shield.

Seeing him nod, those members straightened their backs even more.

When they reached the middle of the wall, Su Yuehua stopped. Ahead, several familiar figures were coming up from the other side of the wall.

Zhao Hu led the way, his half-body iron armor dull in the firelight. His bone-crushing greatsword hung at his waist, and his steps were steady.

Su Yurou followed him, holding her blue crystal staff, the gem at its tip glowing with a faint golden halo in the night.

Tie Dun, A Wang, Scarface Liu, Wang Wu, and Arrow Eye followed closely behind.

As soon as Tie Dun stepped onto the wall, his eyes went wide.

His mouth hung open as his gaze swept over the five hundred Awakened of the Yuehua Guild.

Uniform white gear, green weapons, orderly ranks, and a chilling atmosphere.

He swallowed hard, his voice cracking. "Good grief... Is this the strength of one of the three top guilds in Zhenyue City?"

Feng Qingyan had sharp ears. Hearing this, she tossed her ponytail and lifted her chin, her eyes curving into a smile. "Impressive, isn't it? Just wait, I'll show you how powerful I am later!"

Tie Dun scratched the back of his head and chuckled, though it was unclear if he was intimidated or just amused.

Zhao Hu glared at him, and Tie Dun immediately shrank back, hiding behind A Wang.

Su Yuehua smiled slightly and turned to Zhao Hu. "Captain Zhao, could you briefly introduce Miss Su's group healing? It would help us know what to expect."

Zhao Hu nodded, stepped aside slightly, and looked at Su Yurou. "Yu Rou, you explain."

Su Yurou stepped forward. Her voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"My skill is called Blessing of All Living Beings. By consuming mana, I can apply a status to a large number of allies that lasts for thirty minutes."

"The effect is that when the blessed target's health drops below one hundred points and they aren't killed in a single hit, it immediately triggers a recovery of one hundred and eighty health points. This can be triggered at most once every two minutes for the same target."

The wall fell silent for a moment. Feng Qingyan's mouth formed an 'O' shape, Feng Qingshuang's fingers tightened around her staff, and Shi Pojun's brow twitched.

The captains looked at each other, seeing the shock in one another's eyes.

Among the five hundred-plus Awakened of the Yuehua Guild, some gasped quietly, some sucked in a breath of cold air, and others couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

"One hundred and eighty health? That's practically an extra life!"

"It's not an extra life, it's automatic healing at low health. Once every two minutes—it could trigger several times in one battle!"

"One person can buff that many allies? What kind of god-tier skill is that?"

"A rare healing class... I've finally seen one today."

Feng Qingyan was the first to rush forward, grabbing Su Yurou's hand, her eyes shining like stars:

"Sister Yu Rou! You're way too strong! If we get this buff in advance, all five hundred of us will have it. Then what is there to fear from the Nightmare Legion?"

Su Yurou was stunned by the sudden grab. Before she could answer, Su Yuehua spoke, her voice still gentle but with an added note of solemnity: "Sister Yu Rou, could I trouble you to buff everyone?"

Su Yurou checked the time—9:49 PM. She nodded. "No problem."

She took two steps back, held the blue crystal staff with both hands, and raised it to her chest.

The gem at the tip of the staff suddenly erupted with a blinding golden light.

The light surged out from her like a tide, spreading in all directions.

All five hundred-plus Awakened of the Yuehua Guild, including Zhao Hu, Tie Dun, A Wang, Scarface Liu, Wang Wu, and Arrow Eye.

A faint golden halo lit up on everyone, as if they had been draped in a veil of moonlight.

The light lasted for about three breaths before gradually fading.

Su Yurou's face grew a few shades paler, and a layer of fine sweat appeared on her forehead.

She lowered her staff, pulled an intermediate blue potion from her waist, uncorked it, and drank it all in one gulp.

As the potion went down, her complexion slowly began to recover.

The wall fell silent once more. Over five hundred people looked down at the faint golden halo on themselves. Some touched their arms, some patted their chests, and some turned their hands over to look at the backs of their palms.

The halo was very faint, almost invisible if one didn't look closely, but everyone could feel a warm, reassuring power slowly rising from deep within their bodies.

"One person... buffing over five hundred people..." Feng Qingyan murmured to herself, then suddenly turned to look at Su Yurou, the stars in her eyes almost overflowing.

"Sister Yu Rou, you're too strong! Once this battle is over, you must come visit Zhenyue City!

I'll take you to hunt rare monsters! I know several places where the drops are amazing!"

Su Yurou was a bit embarrassed by her gaze. She lowered her head slightly and said softly:

"Thank you for the kind offer, Miss Feng. However, I probably won't be going to Zhenyue City for a while.

Even if I were to go, I would need Lord Lin's permission."