Covering the sky

Ye Fan held the ancient bronze lamp in his left hand, taking two steps back. With a loud "bang," he grabbed the male classmate by the collar with his right hand, nearly lifting him off the ground.

Beside him, Pang Bo reacted immediately and shouted angrily, "You ungrateful scoundrel! You are truly a heartless, shameless wolf! Have you forgotten who shared the bronze lamp with you just now, protected your life, and safely brought you here?"

Pang Bo reached out with his large hands, grabbing the male classmate's collar, intending to throw him out of the Five-Color Altar. The situation infuriated him.

Cough... The male classmate's face turned pale as he struggled when Ye Fan grabbed him, but he couldn't break free from Ye Fan's grip. At that moment, Pang Bo choked him, almost cutting off his air supply.

Other classmates had varied expressions. Some had already been uneasy, but they didn't expect anyone would actually resort to violence, especially against Ye Fan, who had helped him.

"You heartless, ungrateful beast, have you forgotten that Ye Fan saved your life just now? If not for him, you would have been dead outside!" Pang Bo grew angrier, his emotions escalating. He couldn't contain his fury and slapped the male classmate across the face four or five times.

A male classmate from behind stepped forward, trying to mediate. "We've been classmates for four years, let's not take it this far. Pang Bo, let go of him!"

Pang Bo shot him a glare and snapped, "Let go just because you say so? Did you not see him trying to kill Ye Fan? If it weren't for Ye Fan's quick reaction, he'd already be out of the Five-Color Altar, falling into the storm. Such a vicious bastard can't just be let go!"

Another male classmate stepped up, saying, "We're all from the same place. We should stick together now and talk things through. Let go of him first."

Pang Bo could clearly see that this classmate was one of the people who had been standing with Liu Yunzhi earlier. Although they were no longer together, they were clearly allies. The male classmate who was being grabbed had also been with them. Even though there was no evidence they were co-conspirators, Pang Bo had already decided in his mind and didn't care about the lack of proof. He was going to keep an eye on them.

"You speak so easily, but if someone tried to kill you, would you stay calm? Should I throw you into the Five-Color Altar to see how you feel?" Pang Bo's anger rose even more as he delivered a few more sharp slaps.

"Please, don't do anything extreme. Let him go, and let's talk about how to handle this," a female classmate also spoke up, glancing at Liu Yunzhi as she spoke.

During this time, Liu Yunzhi had remained calm, neither stepping forward to mediate nor commenting on the situation, behaving as if it had nothing to do with him and simply watching the situation unfold.

Ye Fan observed everyone's expressions and, realizing that Liu Yunzhi wouldn't step up, stopped Pang Bo. "Let him go."

"Yes, let him go first."

"That's right. Let him go. There's nothing that can't be resolved between classmates. Don't make things too tense."

The two male classmates and the female classmate who had spoken earlier joined in urging Pang Bo. As soon as Ye Fan spoke, everyone else also started to speak up.

"It's not too late to stop now, is it?" Pang Bo glared at the male classmate who had been supporting Liu Yunzhi. "He almost killed Ye Fan, and you're making excuses for him?"

But Pang Bo didn't continue the argument. Seeing Ye Fan's signal, he finally released his grip.

However, no one expected that, even though Pang Bo let go, Ye Fan still held onto the male classmate's collar, lifting him up with one hand and taking a few steps toward the edge of the Five-Color Altar, seemingly intending to throw him out.

Everyone froze in shock, surprised by Ye Fan's strength. They were reminded of the nickname "Wild Man" Ye Fan had earned in school for his surprising physical strength despite his seemingly quiet appearance. With one hand, he was able to lift the male classmate as though he were a chick.

"Before this, I saved your life. Why did you try to harm me?" Ye Fan pressed the classmate against the altar's edge, only a half-inch away from the shimmering light barrier.

The male classmate's heart sank, and he screamed, "Please don't push me! I was ungrateful, misled, and didn't know any better. Please forgive me! I won't do it again..."

Ye Fan smiled, revealing a full set of white teeth, shining brightly. "Everyone has motives for their actions. Don't you agree? I truly don't want to see you caught up in the storm above..." With that, Ye Fan applied more pressure, pushing the male classmate closer to the altar's edge.

"Help! Please, I'll tell you everything! Don't push me!" The male classmate cried in fear, his face turning white as he realized the storm was only inches away.

As a modern city dweller, he had never experienced anything like this. In the face of the imminent danger of the storm, he had no strength left to resist.

"This is too dangerous, Ye Fan! Let him go, please."

"Yes, let him go. There's no need to make things so extreme. Classmates should help each other, not make things worse."

The same two male classmates and the female classmate who had tried to intervene before spoke again, stepping closer.

Pang Bo slammed the large copper plaque from Dalaoyin Temple onto the ground, staring at the others. His intense gaze stopped them in their tracks.

Ye Fan turned back with a gentle smile and said, "It's fine. If he's willing to tell me the reason, I'm happy to listen. I don't intend to cause any unpleasantness. Please rest assured."

He then turned back to the male classmate at the edge of the altar, his gaze sharpening. If the classmate didn't speak up, Ye Fan would simply throw him out.

"I... I couldn't find anything in the ancient temple. I felt desperate, so... I became greedy. I know I was wrong, I was heartless!" The male classmate began slapping his own face in self-reproach.

Ye Fan didn't say a word. He immediately pushed the classmate outward, and half of his body was hanging in the air, almost touching the light shield.

"Please don't... Help! Don't!" The male classmate screamed in horror.

Ye Fan, unphased, took the bottle of water from the classmate and patted him on the shoulder. "We've been classmates for four years, facing this disaster together. We should stick together, help each other."

"Yes... Yes!" The male classmate, still trembling, backed away slowly.

At this point, Pang Bo had already had enough. He lifted the heavy bronze plaque and charged toward the person named Liu Changqing, slamming it down on him.

Bang!

Pang Bo, tall and muscular, had immense strength. The bronze plaque struck Liu Changqing, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"No wonder you kept intervening! You were the one pulling the strings behind the scenes!" Pang Bo pressed the plaque on Liu Changqing's body. "You even schemed against your own classmates. Have you no conscience?"

Ye Fan walked over casually and took the water bottle from Liu Changqing's body, handing it to Pang Bo.

Seeing Ye Fan take the second bottle of water, everyone's expressions grew more complicated. If they didn't escape Mars soon, water would become the most precious commodity.

Ye Fan felt regretful. He hadn't been able to expose Liu Yunzhi directly, even though he suspected he was behind everything. But without evidence, he couldn't confront him openly in front of everyone.

Liu Changqing, however, remained tight-lipped. No matter how much Pang Bo beat him, he refused to admit to anything, claiming that his words had been rash and he hadn't meant to incite anyone to harm Ye Fan.

Pang Bo wanted to throw Liu Changqing out of the Five-Color Altar, but considering the other classmates' feelings, he held back. Still, he realized that maintaining the peaceful relations between them was becoming harder. If another life-or-death situation arose, those fragile bonds might shatter, because some of the classmates were already starting to feel uneasy.

Ye Fan wasn't angry. He smiled gently at Liu Changqing. "People can be complicated. Sometimes things happen beyond your control, but you should always be true to yourself and not be used by others."

With that, he crouched down, calmly reaching for a broken fishing drum on Liu Changqing's waist. It was the ancient artifact Liu Changqing had found in Dalaoyin Temple.

"What are you doing?" Liu Changqing struggled violently, but despite having been beaten by Pang Bo, he wasn't afraid of him. However, he panicked when Ye Fan tried to take the fishing drum, covering his waist with both hands.

Boom!

Suddenly, the fishing drum on Liu Changqing's body emitted a thunderous sound, and blue light surged out, dancing like lightning.

It was like the drum of the thunder god, vibrating with a deep rumbling noise. Purple light coiled around it, enveloping Liu Changqing in a dazzling cocoon.

The surroundings lit up with brilliant colors, casting a radiant glow across the entire Five-Color Altar.

Everyone was shocked, hearing a deafening hum in their ears. Some of