# Chapter 18: Confrontation
Ye Fan held the ancient bronze lamp in his left hand, stepped back two paces, and with his right hand, "bang," grabbed the male classmate by the collar, nearly lifting him off the ground.
Pang Bo, standing nearby, immediately became furious upon realizing what was happening. He shouted, "You ungrateful wolf-hearted bastard! Have you forgotten who shared the bronze lamp with you just moments ago, protecting your life and delivering you safely here?"
Pang Bo reached out with his large hands, grabbed this male classmate by the collar, and wanted to throw him directly off the Five-Colored Altar. The scene before him was simply too infuriating.
"Cough..." The male classmate's face turned pale. When Ye Fan grabbed him with one hand, he began struggling but couldn't break free from Ye Fan's grip. Now with Pang Bo choking his neck, he could barely breathe.
The expressions of the others varied. Some had already grown restless in their hearts, but none had expected anyone to actually take action, and against someone who had shown them kindness.
"You ungrateful wolf—do you have any conscience at all? If Ye Fan hadn't saved you, you would have died out there just now!" The more Pang Bo thought about it, the angrier he became. He was a man of passion and felt that simply throwing the other out wouldn't be satisfying enough. He raised his right hand and delivered four or five loud slaps, "crack crack crack crack crack."
A male classmate from behind stepped forward to mediate, saying, "We've been classmates for four years. Don't do this, Pang Bo. Let him go!"
Pang Bo glanced sideways at him and said, "You want me to let him go just because you say so? Didn't you see him trying to kill Ye Fan just now? If Ye Fan hadn't reacted quickly, he would have been pushed off the Five-Colored Altar and fallen into the storm. Can such a vicious bastard be let off?"
"We all come from the same place after all. Now we should stick together through thick and thin. Let's talk this out peacefully. Release him first." Another male classmate stepped forward to mediate.
Pang Bo saw clearly—this person was one of those standing with Liu Yunzhi earlier. Although they had separated now, the two were definitely in cahoots. Moreover, the male classmate he had grabbed was also with them earlier. Though there was no evidence they were conspirators, Pang Bo didn't care about rules. Once he made up his mind, evidence or not, he remembered the other person.
"You speak so lightly. If someone tried to kill you, could you stay calm? How about I try pushing you off the Five-Colored Altar and see!" The more Pang Bo spoke, the angrier he got. "Crack crack crack crack," he ruthlessly slapped a few more times.
"Don't cause a death. Let's talk this out peacefully. Put him down first, and we'll discuss how to deal with him." A female classmate also chimed in to help, glancing lightly at Liu Yunzhi as she finished speaking.
Throughout this process, Liu Yunzhi remained very calm. He neither stepped forward to mediate nor offered any opinion, acting as if it had nothing to do with him, simply observing the situation unfold.
Ye Fan took in everyone's expressions. Seeing that he couldn't provoke Liu Yunzhi into stepping forward, he stopped Pang Bo and said, "Let him go."
"Yes, let him go first."
"Right, release him first. There's nothing between classmates that can't be resolved. Don't let things get too tense."
The two male classmates and the female classmate who had been mediating all spoke up. At the same time, seeing that Ye Fan himself had spoken, the others also joined in the persuasion.
"Too tense... Do you think we haven't already crossed that line?" Pang Bo glared at the male classmate who was in cahoots with Liu Yunzhi. "He almost killed Ye Fan, and you're still making excuses for him."
But Pang Bo didn't continue the commotion. Seeing Ye Fan's signal, he eventually let go.
However, no one expected that although Pang Bo let go, Ye Fan himself did not. With one hand gripping the other's collar, he nearly lifted the man off the ground and walked several steps to the edge of the Five-Colored Altar, as if intending to throw this male classmate out.
Everyone was stunned. No one had expected Ye Fan to do this. At the same time, they were very surprised by Ye Fan's strength. They couldn't help but recall his nickname "Barbarian" from their school days on the soccer field. Ye Fan looked gentle, but his physique was very strong, and his strength was astonishing. He lifted that male classmate with one hand like a chick and carried him to the edge of the Five-Colored Altar.
"Before this, I saved your life. Why did you want to harm me?" Ye Fan pressed him down with one hand at the edge of the altar, ready to push him off at any moment, less than half a foot from that hazy light barrier.
This male classmate's heart and guts turned cold. He shouted loudly, "Don't push me! I'm wolf-hearted and ungrateful. I was momentarily possessed by ghosts. I didn't know what was good for me. Spare me! I won't dare do it again..."
Ye Fan smiled, revealing a mouthful of snow-white teeth, looking very bright. "People do things for a reason. You won't tell me? I really don't want to see you being swept up into the sky by the storm..." With that, he pressed down hard with one hand on this male classmate, pushing him toward the outside of the Five-Colored Altar.
"Help!" This male classmate was truly terrified. He screamed loudly, "Let me go! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything..."
As a modern city dweller, he had never experienced such an ordeal. This male classmate broke down on the spot. Facing the storm so close, his face was deathly pale, without a trace of blood.
"This isn't good, Ye Fan. Let him go. That's too dangerous."
"Right, everything can be discussed. Don't disregard classmate friendship like this. It wouldn't be good if someone actually died."
It was still those same few classmates who stepped forward to dissuade. They had slowly walked over.
"Bang!"
Pang Bo slammed the half-person-tall Great Thunderclap Monastery copper plaque heavily onto the ground, glaring at them, which immediately stopped those few in their tracks.
Ye Fan turned back and smiled gently. "It's fine. He's willing to tell me the reason. I also want to hear what I did wrong. Nothing unpleasant will happen between us. You all can rest assured."
When he turned back to face the male classmate pressed at the edge of the altar, his gaze immediately sharpened. If the other didn't speak, he would push him out directly—this was the message Ye Fan conveyed with his eyes.
"I... I didn't get anything in the ancient temple. I didn't obtain any divine artifact. I felt a sense of danger, so... I became greedy. I really am wolf-hearted and ungrateful!" As he spoke, he began slapping himself.
Ye Fan said nothing. He directly pushed him outward. Half of the man's body was immediately suspended in the air, almost touching that dim light barrier.
"No... Help!" This male classmate screamed in terror. "It was Li Changqing... He was the one who gave me the idea!"
Ye Fan pulled him back. As for this spineless "soft gun," he didn't take him seriously at all. This kind of person couldn't amount to much and posed no threat. If he actually pushed him off the Five-Colored Altar in front of everyone, the other classmates would likely have a very bad opinion of him. After all, they were classmates. Doing so wouldn't be worth it.
Ye Fan very naturally took the bottle of mineral water from the man's body, then patted him on the shoulder. "We've been classmates for four years, going through this upheaval together. We should stick together and support each other."
"Definitely... definitely!" After regaining his freedom, this male classmate's body was still trembling. He stumbled backward.
At this moment, Pang Bo was already furious. He picked up the copper plaque and charged forward, smashing it toward the classmate named Li Changqing.
"Bang!"
Pang Bo was tall and strong, with tremendous strength. The copper plaque swung over and immediately knocked that person to the ground.
"No wonder you kept dissuading. So you were the one behind this!" Pang Bo pressed the copper plaque against the other's body. "You even scheme against your classmates of four years. Do you have any humanity?" He was very angry. Li Changqing was one of those standing with Liu Yunzhi earlier, and also one of those who kept persuading just now.
Ye Fan walked over and very naturally took the bottle of water from Li Changqing's body, handing 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, in perhaps a few more hours, water would become the most precious thing for everyone.
Ye Fan felt very regretful that he couldn't drag Liu Yunzhi out. Although he knew it was mostly him instigating this, there was no evidence. It wouldn't be good to openly turn against him in front of everyone right now.
Li Changqing's mouth was very hard. Even after Pang Bo gave him a thorough beating, he admitted nothing. He only said his head was hot and he shouldn't have spoken recklessly, causing that classmate to develop covetous thoughts and make a move on Ye Fan.
Pang Bo really wanted to throw him directly off the Five-Colored Altar, but considering the feelings of the other classmates, he could only suppress his anger and didn't do so. However, he felt this seemingly peaceful relationship wouldn't last much longer. If another survival crisis occurred, the former classmate friendship and face would likely be torn to shreds, because some people's hearts were already growing restless.
Ye Fan wasn't angry. He smiled very amiably at Li Changqing and said, "People are sometimes complicated. Some things might be beyond one's control, but it's best to maintain some self-awareness and not be used as someone else's weapon."
With that, he crouched down and calmly reached toward Li Changqing's waist. His target was a broken fish-drum—the very ancient artifact Li Changqing had found in the Great Thunderclap Monastery.
"What are you doing?" Li Changqing struggled violently. He hadn't even changed color when Pang Bo was beating him up earlier, but now he panicked. He tried to cover the fish-drum at his waist with his hand, but his upper body was still pinned by Pang Bo's copper plaque. He couldn't muster any strength to stop him.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, the fish-drum on Li Changqing's body emitted a sound like muffled thunder. Streams of cyan light shot out, dancing like bolts of lightning.
It was like the divine drum of the Thunder God, humming and vibrating, then emitting an even louder muffled thunder sound. Purple light coiled around it, immediately protecting Li Changqing inside.
The light there was brilliant, like a purple giant cocoon, radiating dazzling divine radiance, illuminating even the Five-Colored Altar.
The people around were greatly startled. Their ears buzzed with thunderous sounds. A few even lost their balance and nearly fell to the ground.
At the same time, the copper plaque in Pang Bo's hand burst forth with tens of thousands of rays of light, accompanied by rumbling thunder. The four characters "Great Thunderclap Monastery" shone brilliantly into the sky, and ethereal Buddhist chanting began to sound.
The Buddha's voice spoke the Dharma, sounding like thunder!
The brilliant light from the Great Thunderclap Monastery copper plaque immediately suppressed the purple giant cocoon. The sound emitted by the fish-drum nearly disappeared.
Meanwhile, the ancient bronze lamp in Ye Fan's hand scattered down gentle specks of light, instantly enveloping his entire body. A layer of sacred divine light evenly covered his body surface, as if he had put on a suit of holy battle armor.
The light wasn't blinding, very hazy and gentle, but it made everyone feel reverence. It was as if a deity stood there. That layer of sacred light truly resembled a god's divine garment, making Ye Fan appear transcendent and otherworldly.
The fish-drum was immediately suppressed. The purple light retracted inward. The giant cocoon disappeared. The broken fish-drum became dim and lusterless, returning to ordinariness. Ye Fan remained calm and composed. He reached out and took it into his hand. Nothing could stop him. He now seemed like a living deity. The ancient bronze lamp flickered with specks of divine radiance, highlighting his ethereal quality even more.
At this moment, the female classmate who had once dissuaded Ye Fan and Pang Bo, standing not far from Liu Yunzhi, stepped forward holding a broken copper bell. "Ye Fan, what you're doing is going too far!"
Immediately after, another male classmate followed up. "We should be harmonious, not confrontational like this. Let bygones be bygones. Don't be too resolute."
These two had been speaking on behalf of Liu Yunzhi and Li Changqing's side from the very beginning. Their stance had long been clear. Now stepping forward, it was obvious they didn't want Ye Fan to obtain another divine artifact.
At this time, Liu Yunzhi, who had been standing aloof, stepped forward holding the Vajra Pestle. "Ye Fan, let bygones be bygones. Even if he was wrong just now, you can't punish him like this. Doing so is equivalent to depriving him of his life."
Unexpectedly for Ye Fan, Zhou Yi, who had remained noncommittal and acted as if the matter didn't concern him, also stepped forward holding the purple-gold alms bowl with one hand. "Ye Fan, you shouldn't take away his fish-drum. You already have the bronze lamp. Having one more artifact is useless. And if he loses the fish-drum, he might very well be killed by that unknown, terrifying thing in the darkness."