Covering the sky

"You all saw what happened just now. Everyone should have an idea of what went on," Ye Fan said. Holding the bronze lamp in his left hand and the damaged fishing drum in his right, he did not retreat but instead took a few steps forward. "Since I've already retrieved the fishing drum, I cannot give it back to him."

The divine light emitted by the bronze lamp was as dazzling as the sun, pure as the moon, and resembled a divine rainbow, radiant and sparkling, completely harmonizing with Ye Fan. The two seemed to be one, as if he were a celestial being wearing divine robes, transcending the mundane.

Though the fishing drum in his right hand was broken and had lost its former glow, everyone had witnessed its thunderous power just moments ago, with purple lightning streaking across the sky and thunder booming. Now it lay in Ye Fan's grasp, still commanding great respect.

"Li Changqing shouldn't have spoken out of turn, which led him to covetous thoughts and caused this unpleasant incident. But Ye Fan, it's indeed excessive to take away his life-saving artifact," Liu Yunzhi stepped forward, holding a golden Vajra pestle in his hand, its brilliance giving off a heavy and condensed aura, very imposing.

He was accompanied by a man and a woman, both of whom had been blocking Pang Bo from acting earlier and were now speaking in defense of Li Changqing.

"I understand your anger, Ye Fan," the female student said calmly, standing as if on the side of reason, neither partial nor biased, presenting herself in a position of fairness. "Under such circumstances, taking away his life-saving item means something significant. You shouldn't go too far."

In her fingers was an old copper bell, appearing dusty and dull, looking plain, but it drew attention. When she spoke, her slender fingers would occasionally move, emitting a faint ringing sound.

The male student beside Liu Yunzhi added, "We should all have a heart of forgiveness. We've known each other for four years and have all faced today's calamity together. We should support each other. The unpleasantness should be left behind, and Ye Fan, you should return the fishing drum to him. You surely don't want to watch him lose his life."

In his hand was a rusty incense burner, about the size of a palm, with some broken walls but still exuding an ancient and natural feel.

The three of them, standing together, each held a divine artifact left behind by a deity after their gains in the Great Thunder Sound Temple. Their words, therefore, carried considerable weight.

"Clang!"

Pang Bo stepped forward, slamming the Great Thunder Sound Temple bronze plaque onto the ground, and said, "It's easy to talk, but I see you three have mastered the art of turning black into white. First, you need to understand what happened earlier. Secondly, you should know that being upright is important! Li Changqing tried to harm Ye Fan. How did it end up as Ye Fan not being magnanimous? What kind of reasoning is that? Ye Fan was almost killed by him, and now he takes away the thing Li Changqing relied on for survival. What's wrong with that? If we follow what you said, Ye Fan becomes the villain, and Li Changqing seems without fault. Don't pretend to be all righteous—it's disgusting to watch!"

At this moment, the glow around Pang Bo remained undiminished. The words "Great Thunder Sound Temple" on the bronze plaque glowed with intense light, and a Buddhist chant, like thunder, reverberated in the air. Pang Bo, surrounded by this immense pressure, felt like a blazing sun, commanding everyone's attention.

As Pang Bo finished speaking, the faces of the man and woman who had just spoken grew dark.

"We never said Ye Fan was wrong, we just want him to think of the friendship and not take Li Changqing's fishing drum, allowing him to survive."

They conveniently sidestepped the fact that Ye Fan had almost been pushed into the Five-Color Altar and nearly swept away by the storm. They focused on Ye Fan taking away the life-saving artifact as if he were condemning Li Changqing to death.

Ye Fan smiled faintly and said, "Actually, there's no need for you three to worry. I don't want to hold a grudge against him."

Surrounded by divine light, Ye Fan gave off an air of tranquility and serenity, making him seem otherworldly and peaceful.

"But I must correct one thing—Li Changqing tried to kill me, not the other way around. This is something everyone can witness." Ye Fan swept his gaze across Liu Yunzhi and the others and continued, "Many people here didn't obtain anything in the Great Thunder Sound Temple, but they're still alive. Why? Because just a moment ago, we all shared the divine artifacts in our hands. I took Li Changqing's fishing drum simply because I didn't want him to have a tool to harm others. He can use it to command others to steal my things, and the same can happen to anyone else. You needn't worry about his safety, I will share the artifacts with him just like we shared them before. If you don't want to share your copper bell, incense burner, or Vajra pestle with him, let him stay with me. I won't turn my back on the friendship of our classmates."

Ye Fan pointed out the core of the issue directly. Then, he casually mentioned the idea of sharing divine artifacts, reminding everyone that it was his suggestion that had saved many lives. Finally, he subtly rebuked Liu Yunzhi and the other two, addressing their arguments in a manner that left them with nothing to say.

Zhou Yi, who had remained silent until now, spoke up. "Li Changqing is indeed in the wrong, and whatever you do to him isn't excessive. But Ye Fan, don't you think it's a bit wasteful for you to hold two divine artifacts? Many of the others didn't even get a single piece."

Zhou Yi came from a family with some background, but he had always been humble and unassuming, making his comments about the artifacts particularly striking.

"Since I'm willing to share my bronze lamp with everyone, it's only fair that I consider the matter with the fishing drum as well," Ye Fan smiled and waved to a male student behind him. "Zhang Ziling, this is for you. If danger arises, remember to share it with the others nearby."

Zhang Ziling had been standing behind Ye Fan and Pang Bo, and he had a closer bond with Ye Fan since their time playing football together. He hadn't taken action like Pang Bo but clearly stood on Ye Fan's side.

Zhou Yi twitched his lips but said nothing in response.

Liu Yunzhi frowned and immediately retorted through the female student beside him. "There are many male students here who gained something in the Great Thunder Sound Temple, but few female students found a divine artifact. I think it should go to a female student," she gestured toward one of the girls behind her.

Pang Bo sneered, "What's the difference who you give it to? Shouldn't we all share the divine artifacts? Are you unwilling to help others?"

He ignored the real issue and made it sound like an attack, causing the female student to become frustrated, her face turning a mix of green and white as she tried to argue, "Don't misinterpret me!"

Zhang Ziling stepped forward and took the fishing drum from Ye Fan, and neither of them said anything, understanding everything without words.

Ye Fan ignored Liu Yunzhi, not even looking at him, and asked Zhou Yi, "What do you think, Zhou Yi?"

"I have no opinion. We're stranded here, and we should help each other. I hope there will be no more unpleasantness," Zhou Yi replied calmly, and then said nothing more.

The other students, observing this subtle exchange, could sense the underlying tension, but Ye Fan handled it with effortless ease, defusing the situation.

This reminded everyone of Ye Fan during their student years—always calm and composed, yet sharp when necessary. He never instigated trouble but was never afraid when it came knocking.

Pang Bo, still holding the Great Thunder Sound Temple plaque, looked at Liu Yunzhi and the others and said, "Ye Fan doesn't hold grudges, but there's something I must say. Heaven is watching over us, and at this point, no one can deny the existence of the gods. People should act upright, and avoid doing things that can't stand the light!"

His words were a blatant slap to the faces of Liu Yunzhi and the others, but no one could refute him because he spoke from the side of "truth."

Liu Yunzhi remained calm and composed, with no sign of embarrassment. He simply nodded and said, "Well said. We'll avoid such things in the future."

Lin Jia and Wang Ziwen, standing behind, both took neutral stances and spoke in turn.

"To prevent further conflict, I think we should discuss things properly."

"Now, we should decide how those who gained something in the Great Thunder Sound Temple should help others, and how many people each should assist."

Meanwhile, Li Xiaoman had been silent the entire time. She watched Ye Fan from a distance as he calmly resolved the situation, her eyes expressionless and detached, showing no allegiance to either side.

Kade, who had only a basic understanding of Chinese, was just beginning to comprehend what had transpired. He was silently astonished by the turn of events.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, a loud cracking sound echoed through the air. Everyone was startled as the protective barrier around the Five-Color Altar shattered, and something shot through.

Everyone looked toward the source of the noise.

A dark light sped toward them with incredible speed, and with a "thump," it pierced a male student's forehead. A spray of blood erupted, and the student's eyes widened in shock. He collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Had it not been for the protective barrier, the deadly attack would have been almost undetectable. Everyone recalled the recent assassinations under the night sky, and their hearts filled with dread. The dark light had appeared from nowhere, like a harbinger of death.

The appearance of the dark light seemed to announce that death had returned!

Terrified screams filled the air, and the altar became chaotic. Those without divine artifacts rushed toward Liu Yunzhi, Zhou Yi, Wang Ziwen, and others, clinging to them desperately, demanding they share the artifacts.

"Roar..." Suddenly, an eerie roar pierced the storm, overwhelming even the thunderous sandstorm.

"It's the Great Thunder Sound Temple..."

Many of the students' faces turned ashen, as they recognized the direction of the sound. It came from the Great Thunder Sound Temple!

"The Great Thunder Sound Temple is destroyed. Could it be that something was sealed beneath it...?"

Pang Bo's words sent a shiver down everyone's spine, causing a chilling wave of fear to sweep over them.