Chapter 18: Opposition

## Chapter 18: Confrontation

Ye Fan, holding the ancient bronze lamp in his left hand, stepped back two paces. With a "bang," his right hand seized the male student's collar, almost lifting him off the ground.

Pang Bo, realizing what was happening, immediately became enraged and yelled, "You heartless wretch, you ungrateful backstabber! Have you forgotten who shared the bronze lamp with you, protected your life, and brought you safely here just now?"

Pang Bo reached out with his large hands, grabbed the student's collar, and was ready to throw him out of the five-colored altar. The current situation utterly infuriated him.

"Cough..." The male student's face was pale. He had begun struggling the moment Ye Fan grabbed him with one hand, but he couldn't break free. Now, with Pang Bo choking him, he was on the verge of passing out.

The expressions of others nearby varied. Some were already feeling uneasy internally but hadn't expected anyone to actually make a move, especially targeting Ye Fan, who had shown them kindness.

"You ungrateful hyena, do you have any conscience left? If Ye Fan hadn't saved you, you'd be dead outside right now!" The more Pang Bo thought about it, the angrier he got. Being a man of strong emotions, he felt simply throwing the person out wasn't enough. He raised his right hand and delivered four or five loud slaps.

A male student from the back stepped forward and pleaded, "We've been classmates for four years; don't do this. Pang Bo, let go!"

Pang Bo shot him a sidelong glance and said, "You tell me to let go, and I'll just let go? Didn't you see him trying to kill Ye Fan just now? If Ye Fan hadn't reacted quickly, he would have been pushed out of the five-colored altar and fallen into the storm. How can such a malicious scoundrel be let off?"

"After all, we're all from the same place. We should stick together now and talk things through. Let him go first," another male student stepped forward to persuade.

Pang Bo saw clearly that this person was one of those who had been standing with Liu Yunzhi earlier. Although they were separated now, they were definitely in alliance. Furthermore, the male student he was holding had also been with them. While there was no concrete evidence they were accomplices, Pang Bo, without hesitation, decided they were involved and committed them to memory, regardless of proof.

"You say it so lightly. If someone tried to kill you, would you be able to stay calm? How about I push you out of the five-colored altar and see how you like it!" Pang Bo grew angrier as he spoke, delivering several more harsh slaps.

"Don't cause a death. Let's talk this through. Let him down first, and we can discuss how to deal with him," a female student also chimed in, subtly glancing at Liu Yunzhi as she finished.

Throughout this, Liu Yunzhi remained calm, neither stepping forward to persuade nor offering an opinion, as if the situation had nothing to do with him; he merely observed its development.

Ye Fan observed everyone's expressions. Seeing that he couldn't provoke Liu Yunzhi, he stopped Pang Bo, saying, "Let him go."

"Yes, let go first.""Right, release him first. There's nothing among classmates that can't be resolved; don't make it too tense."The two male students and the female student who had been speaking earlier all chimed in. At the same time, others, seeing that Ye Fan himself had spoken, also joined in the persuasion.

"Too tense... do you think we haven't crossed that line yet?" Pang Bo glared at the male student who sided with Liu Yunzhi, saying, "He almost killed Ye Fan, and you're still defending him."However, Pang Bo didn't continue the commotion. Seeing Ye Fan's signal, he finally released his grip.

But to everyone's surprise, while Pang Bo let go, Ye Fan did not. He held the student's collar with one hand, practically lifting him up, and took a few steps to the edge of the five-colored altar, as if intending to throw him off.

Everyone was stunned; no one had expected Ye Fan to do such a thing. At the same time, they were greatly astonished by Ye Fan's strength, recalling his nickname "the barbarian" from back in school on the sports field. Though Ye Fan appeared quiet, his physique was exceptionally strong, and his strength was astounding. He lifted the male student to the edge of the five-colored altar with one hand, as if picking up a small chick.

"Before this, I saved your life. Why did you try to harm me?" Ye Fan held him against the altar's edge with one hand, ready to push him off at any moment, just half a foot away from the hazy light shield.

The male student was utterly terrified and cried out, "Don't push me! I'm a heartless wretch, I was just momentarily possessed and didn't know what I was doing. Please, let me go, I'll never dare again..."

Ye Fan smiled, revealing a mouthful of bright white teeth, looking quite radiant. He said, "People always have motives for what they do, don't they? I really wouldn't want to see you swept high into the sky by the storm..." With that, he pressed down hard on the student with one hand and pushed him towards the outside of the five-colored altar.

"Help!" The male student was truly terrified and screamed, "Let me go, I'll talk, I'll tell you everything..."

As a modern urbanite, he had never experienced such a situation. The male student immediately broke down, his face utterly pale, devoid of any color, as he faced the storm so close at hand.

"This isn't good, Ye Fan. You should let him go; that's too dangerous.""Exactly, everything can be discussed. We shouldn't disregard our friendships like this. It would be terrible if someone died."It was still those same few students who spoke up to dissuade him, slowly approaching.

"Clang!"Pang Bo slammed the half-human-tall bronze plaque of the Great Thunder Sound Temple he was holding onto the ground, glaring at them. This immediately made the others halt.

Ye Fan turned back and smiled gently, saying, "It's fine. He's willing to tell me why, and I also want to hear what I might have done wrong. There won't be any unpleasantness between us, so the rest of you can rest assured."

When he turned back to face the male student pressed against the altar's edge, his gaze immediately sharpened. His eyes conveyed a clear message: if the student didn't speak, he would be pushed out immediately.

"I... I didn't get anything in the ancient temple, no divine objects, and I felt in danger, so... I became greedy. I truly am a heartless wretch!" As he spoke, he began slapping himself.

Ye Fan said nothing, simply pushed him outwards. Half of the student's body instantly hung suspended, almost touching the dim light shield.

"No... help!" The male student shrieked in terror, "It was Li Changqing... he gave me the idea!"

Ye Fan pulled him back. He didn't pay any mind to this spineless "tool"; such a person wouldn't amount to anything or pose a threat. If he were to truly push him out of the five-colored altar in front of everyone, other students might form a very negative opinion of him. After all, they were classmates, and doing so wouldn't be worth it.

Very naturally, Ye Fan took the bottle of mineral water from the student, then patted his shoulder and said, "We've been classmates for four years, and we're all facing this upheaval together. It's best if we stick together and support each other."

"Certainly... certainly!" The male student, now free, was still trembling, and he stammered as he stumbled backward.

By this point, Pang Bo was already furious. He charged forward with the bronze plaque, swinging it towards the student named Li Changqing.

"Bang!"Pang Bo was tall and well-built, with immense strength. The bronze plaque swung, knocking the person flat onto the ground on the spot.

"No wonder you kept trying to stop us! So you were the one instigating this!" Pang Bo pressed the bronze plaque against the other person's body and said, "You would even scheme against a classmate of four years? Do you have any humanity?" He was extremely irritated. Li Changqing was one of the people who had been standing with Liu Yunzhi recently, and also one of those who had constantly tried to persuade them.

Ye Fan walked over and very naturally took the bottle of water from Li Changqing's person, then handed it to Pang Bo.

Seeing him take the second bottle of water, everyone's faces showed complex expressions. If they couldn't quickly escape Mars, water would likely become the most precious commodity for them within a few hours.

Ye Fan felt regret that he hadn't been able to expose Liu Yunzhi. Although he strongly suspected Liu Yunzhi was the instigator, there was no concrete evidence, so it wasn't advisable to confront him openly in front of everyone right now.

Li Changqing was stubborn. Even after Pang Bo gave him a severe beating, he admitted nothing, only claiming he had spoken carelessly in a fit of recklessness, which led the other student to become envious and attack Ye Fan.

Pang Bo desperately wanted to throw him directly out of the five-colored altar, but considering the feelings of the other students, he could only suppress his anger and refrain from doing so. However, he felt that this seemingly peaceful relationship would not last much longer. If another survival crisis occurred, the former camaraderie and reputation among classmates would likely shatter completely, as some people's hearts were already becoming restless.

Ye Fan wasn't angry. He smiled casually at Li Changqing and said, "People are sometimes complicated, and some things might happen involuntarily. But it's best to be more independent and not let yourself be used as a pawn."

As he spoke, he squatted down and calmly reached towards Li Changqing's waist, aiming for a damaged fish drum—an ancient artifact Li Changqing had found in the Great Thunder Sound Temple.

"What are you doing?" Li Changqing struggled violently. He hadn't flinched when Pang Bo beat him moments ago, but now he panicked, desperately trying to cover the fish drum at his waist. However, his upper body was still pinned by Pang Bo's bronze plaque, so he couldn't exert any strength to stop Ye Fan.

"Thump!"Suddenly, the fish drum on Li Changqing's person emitted a muffled thunder-like sound, and streaks of cyan light shot out, resembling lightning dancing across the air.

Like the divine drum of the Thunder God, it vibrated with a humming sound, then let out an even louder, muffled roar of thunder. Purple light coiled around it, instantly enveloping Li Changqing.

The area shimmered brightly, like a colossal purple cocoon, radiating dazzling divine light that illuminated the entire five-colored altar.

Those around were greatly startled, feeling a buzzing roar in their ears. Several even lost their footing and nearly fell to the ground.

At the same time, the bronze plaque in Pang Bo's hand erupted with thousands of light rays, accompanied by rumbling thunder. The four characters "Great Thunder Sound Temple" shone brilliantly into the sky, and ethereal Buddhist chants echoed.

The Buddha's teachings, sounding like thunder!The dazzling light emitted by the Great Thunder Sound Temple bronze plaque immediately suppressed the purple giant cocoon, and the sound from the fish drum nearly vanished.

Concurrently, the ancient bronze lamp in Ye Fan's hand cast down soft points of light, instantly enveloping his entire body. A layer of sacred divine light evenly covered his skin, making him appear as if he had donned a holy battle attire.

The light was not dazzling; it was very hazy and soft, yet it instilled a sense of awe in everyone, as if a deity stood there. That layer of sacred radiance truly resembled a god's divine robe, making Ye Fan appear ethereal and transcendent.

The fish drum was suppressed on the spot; its purple radiance retracted, the giant cocoon disappeared, and the damaged fish drum became dull and ordinary. Ye Fan, calm and self-possessed, reached out and took it into his hand. Nothing could stop him. He now seemed like a living deity, the ancient bronze lamp flickering with divine light, making him appear even more extraordinary.

Just then, the female student near Liu Yunzhi, who had previously tried to dissuade Ye Fan and Pang Bo, stepped forward holding a damaged copper bell and said, "Ye Fan, what you're doing is going too far!"

Immediately after, another male student followed, saying, "We should be harmonious; we shouldn't be so confrontational. Let's just put this behind us; there's no need to be so resolute."

These two had sided with Liu Yunzhi and Li Changqing from the beginning, their stance already clear. Their intervention now was clearly to prevent Ye Fan from acquiring another divine artifact.

At this moment, Liu Yunzhi, who had remained aloof until now, stepped forward holding a Vajra pestle and said, "Ye Fan, let's just let this matter go. Even if he was wrong just now, you can't punish him like this. Doing so is tantamount to taking his life."

To Ye Fan's surprise, Zhou Yi, who had remained silent and seemed unconcerned, also walked over, holding a purple-gold alms bowl in one hand. He advised, "Ye Fan, you shouldn't take his fish drum. You already have the bronze lamp; another artifact would be useless to you. But if he loses the fish drum, he might very well be killed by that terrifying unknown entity lurking in the dark."