Covering the sky

In addition to the Vajra Pestle, several others found damaged incense burners,戒尺 (a Buddhist measuring stick), copper bells, fishing drums, and so on.

Among them, the female student who had appeared distressed and weary during the class reunion, found something particularly special. It was a complete prayer bead necklace, consisting of only six beads. The beads were translucent and golden, resembling crystal, and each bead was as large as a longan.

"Could these be made from relics?" one person said, unsure.

The six beads were made of a pale golden crystal, resembling precious gemstones, easily evoking thoughts of the relics left behind by an ancient Buddha after their death. After all, these were artifacts found in the Great Thunder Sound Temple, so their material could not be simple.

This prayer bead necklace was extraordinary. The female student discovered it unintentionally from atop the stone Buddha's head. The six beads were strung together by a transparent fine thread, and each bead featured a blurred human figure carved into it, each in a different posture.

This was the third complete and undamaged artifact found, following Ye Fan's bronze lamp and Zhou Yi's begging bowl. Of course, the bronze lamp was still the most eye-catching, being the only artifact without any dust on it, burning eternally and clearly extraordinary.

Several beams of intense light occasionally glanced toward the bronze lamp in the temple. Although Ye Fan sensed it, he showed no sign of reaction and calmly accepted it.

The Buddha hall of the Great Thunder Sound Temple had been thoroughly searched, and no other artifacts were found. Everyone then exited the temple.

Pang Bo was most frustrated. Despite being the first to enter the temple, he had found nothing, while others had already discovered their treasures.

Standing in front of the temple and reexamining the ancient building, Pang Bo's eyes suddenly lit up. He quickly strode back inside, brought over several large stones to use as stepping stones, and took down the copper plaque inscribed with "Great Thunder Sound Temple." Many people were left dumbfounded by this.

At this moment, everyone realized that the copper plaque must be extraordinary. It had been battered by the elements, yet it bore no dust, remaining pristine. It was the only artifact in the temple, besides the bronze lamp, that had remained spotless. Clearly, it was unusual.

"It really is heavy..." Pang Bo dragged the copper plaque back. As soon as he left the temple, the entire structure began to shake. The stone Buddha inside unexpectedly cracked with a series of "crack" sounds.

Then, the six sacred words of Buddhism rang out: "Om, Ma, Ni, Padme, Hum..."

A vast, resounding Buddhist chant echoed across the heavens, shaking the very sky and earth, vibrating all of creation.

The compassionate, solemn, profound, and mysterious Zen sounds were immense, cleansing all impurities and washing away worldly dust. The area around the temple bathed in a holy and peaceful glow.

This time, it was not an illusion. Not only Ye Fan and Pang Bo heard it, but everyone else stood frozen in shock, unable to speak.

At the same time, every artifact found in the temple—whether intact or broken—began emitting a gentle glow, dazzling everyone and leaving them astounded.

Finally, with a loud crash, the stone Buddha in the temple shattered into dust, and the Great Thunder Sound Temple, too, crumbled to ashes with the slightest breeze.

"Poof!"

At the same moment, the Bodhi tree beside the temple also shattered. There was no wood chips, no broken branches—only endless flying ashes falling from the sky.

The glow from the Buddhist artifacts in everyone's hands dimmed, losing their brilliance and returning to normal.

Everyone stood in stunned silence, uncertain why such a thing happened. Was it because they had taken the artifacts or removed the copper plaque?

All that remained in the ancient temple were ashes. After a moment of contemplation, Ye Fan spoke, "Taking the Buddhist artifacts and removing the plaque from the temple caused the already abandoned Great Thunder Sound Temple to lose its purpose. Perhaps that is why it disintegrated in the wind."

Zhou Yi, usually calm and polite, was now extremely excited, his eyes shining with fervor. "I am now even more convinced that there are indeed deities in this world. Perhaps we can follow the traces they left behind. What we have encountered today might be a tremendous opportunity."

Gods, Buddhas, immortality... these absurd legends were now being invoked, and no one thought them too far-fetched. The events they had witnessed suggested that many common beliefs could be overturned; gods were not absolutely impossible.

"Following the path left by the deities… It sounds easy, but I don't see any hope," Pang Bo said with a sideways glance at Zhou Yi. "Right now, the most important thing is surviving. This desert has no villages ahead or behind, no water, no food. In seven or eight hours, things could get really bad."

"All signs point to this planet being Mars. And we all know Mars cannot support life." Li Xiaoman, who had grown increasingly calm after the series of events, continued, "If gods really exist, maybe that explains everything. This might just be a small haven on Mars."

Her words had barely finished when deep rumbling sounds suddenly filled the air. The vast land shook, as if thousands of horses were galloping, or like a furious sea was surging.

"A sandstorm... a superstorm on Mars!" Kaide, who was standing near Li Xiaoman, exclaimed, his face pale, shouting in broken Chinese.

Mars is often shrouded in vast sandstorms for a quarter of the year. On Earth, typhoons can reach winds of over 60 meters per second, but on Mars, storms can reach 180 meters per second. A superstorm can sweep across the entire planet.

Not even heavy tanks would survive such winds!

In the blink of an eye, the sky, stars, and moon disappeared entirely, and endless red-brown sand covered the heavens. A massive storm was brewing to engulf the entire planet.

"Wait, there's no storm here..."

Everyone had been terrified earlier, fearing their imminent doom, but now they realized that, although the storm raged far away, it was perfectly calm where they stood.

A shimmering, faint energy dome enveloped the area around the Five-Color Altar and the Great Thunder Sound Temple, creating a hazy barrier with a radius of more than a thousand meters. This shield separated them from the outside world.

Li Xiaoman's words turned out to be true. This place was indeed a small haven, sealed off from the storm by supernatural power. It indirectly proved the possible existence of deities, and that this place might be under their protection.

"Not good, the faint energy shield is fading! It's about to disappear!" A female student, gazing up at the sky, turned pale.

The glow of the energy shield above was gradually dissipating, and it seemed unlikely that it would last much longer. Upon seeing this, everyone's face changed. Death felt so close—no one could remain calm.

"What do we do? Are we really going to die here?" Some voices trembled in fear.

"I don't want to die..." Several female students began crying.

"If the shield disappears, we'll be crushed by the superstorm!" Even the male students were filled with terror. The only haven on Mars would be gone, and there would be no place left to survive.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The storm sounded like thunder, and the entire earth seemed to quake, as if the land itself were shuddering from the force of it. The world seemed dim, and everywhere was engulfed in sand. Fear spread rapidly among the group.

Ye Fan, however, remained calm. Looking at the swirling storm, he spoke serenely, "Right now, there may be only one way to survive."

"We can escape? Quick, tell us how!"

"This haven will no longer exist, where else can we survive?" The group, frantic and filled with dread, pressed for answers.

"Follow the path the deities once traveled, and leave this place where survival is impossible," Ye Fan said.

Some understood what Ye Fan meant immediately, though others were still confused.

"Yes, that may be our only way out," Zhou Yi nodded in agreement.

According to Ye Fan's reasoning, long ago, deities opened an ancient star road that led from Earth to Mars, but this might not be the final destination.

There was also a Five-Color Altar on Mars, which could be connected to an even more distant star realm. This ancient path, once traversed by the gods, was now their only hope of survival. They had no choice but to follow it and leave Mars to have any chance of living.

At this point, everyone understood, and they rushed toward the Five-Color Altar.

Though the distance was only a thousand meters, it felt like a vast ocean separating them. This distance was a matter of life and death. If they didn't reach the altar before the energy shield disappeared, they would surely die.

The ruins of the vast heavenly palace lay scattered with debris. It was a difficult journey. In their haste, someone twisted their ankle but dared not stop. They gritted their teeth and kept going, determined not to fall behind.

Even if they made it to the Five-Color Altar, whether they could activate the ancient star road was still an unknown, casting a shadow of doubt over their minds. After all, everything had been passive before in Taishan. But now, there was no other choice. The altar was their only lifeline, and they had to get there first and figure things out afterward.

"Ah…" A female student suddenly screamed as she ran through the ruins. She stumbled, fell into the dust, and remained motionless.

Terror was written all over her face.