Chapter 3: Discovering New Abilities
It was in the middle of the night, the moon barely able to escape the grasp of the night clouds. It illuminated the surroundings, including where Tang Feng seemed to be surrounded.
Tang Feng was fully aware of his situation even in his current condition, but he couldn't hide the grin on his face.
"Woah, brothers, look how this guy's smiling even in death," Bandit 1 said.
"He must be having a good dream," Bandit 3 added.
As they conversed, Tang Feng began communicating with Su Yan telepathically.
'Su Yan, can you tell what the bandits look like?' he asked.
Su Yan replied in a short tone,
After two seconds, Su Yan spoke up in Tang Feng's knowledge sea,
Tang Feng was surprised that Su Yan was now in his knowledge sea and confused about how she was able to do it. More importantly, he had no knowledge of this technique in his previous life.
Thinking back, all the techniques Su Yan had activated automatically were ones Tang Feng didn't know. He was so deep in thought that he didn't immediately realize he was clearly able to see the figures clad in black, even with his eyes shut. He had a bird's-eye view of all the bandits and his surroundings at large, but he could only see their eyes.
Curious, he tried focusing the technique to get a clearer view of their faces. That was when he realized—he could zoom in on long distances.
He memorized the eyes of his assassins, planning to search for them later. When he had memorized the last one, Bandit 5, who stood behind him, spoke in a husky, commanding voice.
"Shut up. You all know the character of our boss, so let's handle this quickly."
"Yeah, I can't wait to go to the Luo restaurant to have a taste of their good wine," another bandit responded, a slurry look on his face.
'I wonder who their boss is,' Tang Feng thought.
Still pretending to be unconscious, he couldn't move. Bandit 2 stepped on his back and kicked him, sending him flying toward one of the statues.
Tang Feng was still not fully healed, and as such, he almost spat out blood—but he let it hang in his mouth to maintain his act.
Su Yan's voice echoed as the new wounds that had opened up began closing.
As he lay on the grass, he opened his mouth slightly, letting the pool of blood in his mouth slowly flow out.
The bandits began laughing, and despite the humiliation, Tang Feng saw them as nothing more than unnecessary pieces on a chessboard.
"Boss will surely be pleased when we bring him this corpse," Bandit 4 said.
Another bandit walked over to Tang Feng and used his leg to flip him over onto his back.
Tang Feng was still hearing their conversation and seeing them through the Hidden Sight Technique.
"That's right, and I heard that a mysterious cultivator met up with the Sect Master last night. He was one of the Five Celestial Emperors."
Hearing this, Tang Feng's eyes shot open.
He grabbed the leg of the bandit who had flipped him, dragging him down until he fell. The others quickly mobilized to attack Tang Feng.
"You're not dead?" Bandit 3 asked.
"What is the name of the Celestial Emperor your boss works for?" Tang Feng countered, ignoring the question.
"Do you think we're your dogs that will answer when you ask us? Why should we tell you who our boss is?" Bandit 4 sneered.
Tang Feng had no time for their games. Not when a chance to gather information on Tianzong had landed on his lap.
Su Yan took control of Tang Feng, making him unconsciously activate an ancient technique: Silent Step.
His eyes glowed briefly, and in an instant, Tang Feng appeared behind Bandit 5—the one who had mentioned the Celestial Emperors.
While the technique was active, everything around Tang Feng stood still. The leaves of nearby trees floated midair, the grass swayed with the night breeze, and birds that had been mid-flight froze.
It was as if time had come to a halt.
Tang Feng's wounds reopened, blood seeping from his mouth and injuries. Quickly, he pressed acupuncture points on his body, sealing the wounds.
He looked at Bandit 5, placed two fingers on his face, and sealed his meridians from behind before delivering a knockout chop.
By the time he deactivated the technique, he had already returned to his initial position.
He began breathing heavily—his body couldn't take much more, especially since he wasn't fully healed.
'Su Yan, complete my recovery now,' Tang Feng said.
Immediately, his wounds began healing. The blood remained on his clothes, but he ignored it.
Hands behind his back, a stern look on his face, he suppressed the urge to kill everyone and instead take Bandit 5 into the cave for interrogation.
As the remaining bandits took their stances, Bandit 5 suddenly fell unconscious.
They turned back in surprise, then looked at the man before them.
"Brothers… this man is definitely not simple. Be careful," Bandit 2 warned.
They all nodded.
"I don't have time for games," Tang Feng said, closing his eyes as he sighed.
"If you tell me who the Celestial Emperor you spoke of earlier was, I will consider letting you leave here alive. Otherwise, don't blame me for not showing mercy."
The bandits instinctively took two steps back, sensing they had provoked an extraordinary person.
But then Tang Feng's eyes returned to their normal sharp golden color, and he smirked.
Realizing they had been played, the bandits were furious.
They could no longer hold themselves back.
"Go die for me! Ahhhhh!" one of them screamed, charging at Tang Feng with his sword.
Tang Feng remained composed. Bandit 4 was the first to reach him.
With a simple side-step, Tang Feng dodged the incoming attack.
Just like that, he continued evading every barrage of attacks aimed at him.
He kicked Bandit 3 away, blocked Bandit 2's strike, and punched him, sending him tumbling onto the grass.
"Brothers, let's keep attacking! I don't believe he can handle all of us at once!" one of them shouted, wiping blood off his lips.
They prepared to charge again but halted when Tang Feng held out two fingers to his face.
The tips of his fingers glowed, his silver-blue hair flowing and turning fully blue.
Su Yan's voice rang through Tang Feng's lips in a serious tone.
Tang Feng's body began moving on its own.
A bright blue glow emanated from his fingertips, intensifying as the beam condensed.
The bandits couldn't afford to wait—
They lunged at him with killing intent.
Suddenly, they all froze in place, coincidentally lined up in a straight formation.
Tang Feng pointed his fingers at them.
Then, he released Silent Step—
And fired the beam.
"Bad! Quickly, get away!" Bandit 4 shouted, using his soul treasure to escape just in time.
He landed safely but stumbled backward, then looked up—
Only to see his comrades blown to bits.
The top of the cave had also been destroyed.
Sweating profusely, Bandit 4 fell to his knees, mumbling,
"It's over…"
'Just what kind of existence have we provoked?'
Meanwhile, Tang Feng, now fully in control again, coughed up blood.
His body was screaming in pain.
The pain slowly faded away.
"Su Yan, what just happened?" Tang Feng asked telepathically, staring at the destruction before him.
But Su Yan remained silent.
'You have a lot of explaining to do later,' Tang Feng thought.
Yet now was not the time for questions—he still had unfinished business.
He turned toward Bandit 4, slowly approaching him with his hands behind his back.
The bandit immediately prostrated himself, planting his face onto the grass.
"Senior, please forgive me! I was foolish and didn't know what I was doing! Please don't kill me—I'll tell you everything you want to know!"
Tang Feng smirked.
"Who are you people?"