The Almighty Martial Arts System - Chapter 291

The leader of this assassination squad might have been stronger, perhaps luckier, or maybe just better at running away…

Whatever the reason, he was now moving fast. After Jiang Fei and Simba had each taken down half of the assassins, all they could hear was his shocked and furious voice through the comms device, with no way to track where he had fled.

Still, even if Jiang Fei couldn’t see him in the woods, he had a way to find him.

A faint smile touched his lips. After killing the woman who had initially disguised herself as a guide, Jiang Fei leaped up lightly like a bird, stepping on branches and quickly reaching the top of a tall tree. Then, he blew his whistle.

Screeech!

The goshawk that had been circling overhead descended, gliding just over a meter above Jiang Fei. With a light step on the treetop, Jiang Fei jumped high, effortlessly grabbing one of the hawk’s claws as it soared into the sky, carrying him swiftly into the distance.

Dressed in camouflage gear, Jiang Fei looked impressive—but if he had been wearing white ancient-style robes, the scene would have been utterly poetic. No makeup or preparation needed; he could have stepped right into a adaptation of The Legend of the Condor Heroes or The Return of the Condor Heroes!

While Jiang Fei and Simba were hunting the wild boar king and the assassins on the ground, the goshawk hadn’t been able to help, stuck circling above. Now, it proved its worth—no fleeing prey could escape its sharp eyes.

Without needing any instruction, the goshawk charged in the direction the squad leader had fled.

It’s worth noting that goshawks are incredibly fast. Even on open, flat ground, Jiang Fei at full sprint couldn’t match half of the hawk’s flying speed—let alone on winding, complex mountain trails.

On the ground, navigating twists and turns takes time, but in the sky, the hawk faced no obstacles—like the difference between a train and a plane.

In just twenty or thirty seconds, carried by the hawk, Jiang Fei spotted a man also in camouflage, crawling quickly through the undergrowth. In his hands was a strange-looking weapon, similar to the bio-weapons the other assassins had used to launch powerful explosive rounds.

“Down!” Jiang Fei called to the hawk.

Screeech!

Understanding immediately, the hawk beat its wings and dove.

“Look! Up in the sky!”

“My god! What’s happening? Is someone flying? Or being carried by an eagle?”

“Whoa! Is that an eagle or a condor? Wait, even a condor couldn’t carry a person through the sky! This isn’t The Legend of the Condor Heroes!”

“That looks like Jiang Fei! Yeah, it’s definitely him! That big bird must be the eagle he brought!”

“Honey, come look—there’s a birdman!…”

The earlier ambush had been too loud to ignore—explosion after explosion, nearly leveling the whole mountain. Every hunter in the area who wasn’t deaf had heard it. They didn’t yet understand what was happening or suspect an assassination attempt, so feeling no sense of danger, they rushed toward the source.

But Jiang Fei and Simba had been too efficient. From being ambushed to counterattacking, it took less than three minutes. The hunting grounds were vast, and people were too spread out to arrive in time.

Now, with Jiang Fei flying overhead, everyone could see him clearly, no matter how far away.

People like Yang Zaixing, Han Xu, Wu Ke, and Ye Yuanyuan stared up in shock, jaws dropped.

Flying on a bird? It seemed almost mythical, like an immortal riding the wind—something that shouldn’t be possible in real life.

But while most were stunned by Jiang Fei’s aerial display, one person had moved faster than the rest, almost reaching the scene and perfectly blocking the squad leader’s escape route.

This was Pang Xiong, the so-called top expert of the Jinling Military District, nicknamed “Bear Blinder”—a lean, unassuming man.

From the sky, Jiang Fei had a clear view of the encounter below.

When Pang Xiong blocked the squad leader’s path, both paused for less than a second. Then the squad leader raised his weapon and fired an explosive round at Pang Xiong.

Boom!

Sparks flew, igniting the surrounding grass and trees, leaving a crater in the ground. But Pang Xiong reacted quickly—dropping his prey, he rolled aside with his compound bow, staying in constant motion yet never giving up the blocking position.

Whenever the squad leader tried to advance, Pang Xiong would fire an arrow mid-movement.

This “Bear Blinder” was far from blind—his archery was impeccable, worthy of being called master-level. Whether running, dodging, or lying prone, his aim remained true. Several arrows narrowly missed the squad leader, nearly hitting their mark.

Whoosh!

The goshawk finally descended, hovering about a meter above a treetop. Jiang Fei let go.

He drifted down like a leaf, his feet gently bending the branch before he leaped to the trunk, sliding down like an ape and landing about seven or eight meters from Pang Xiong. The two now had the squad leader cornered.

Perhaps out of ammo, the squad leader stayed hidden in a relatively safe spot, not firing for now.

Jiang Fei and Pang Xiong each took cover behind a tree. Pang Xiong joked, “Never thought a hunting trip would turn into a showdown with professional assassins. Who did you piss off?”

Jiang Fei looked calm, as if he hadn’t just survived a life-or-death battle. “Thanks for cutting him off.”

“Don’t mention it.” Pang Xiong tossed aside his compound bow and drew a hunting knife, licking his teeth. “Forget comparing prey today. Let’s see who takes down this killer—winner takes all. Deal?”

Jiang Fei shrugged casually. “Sure.”

Both smiled. Without counting down, the moment their smiles faded, they burst from behind their trees like arrows loosed from a bow, moving faster than the eye could follow, charging straight toward the squad leader’s hiding spot!

Whoosh!

The squad leader emerged, raising his strange silver weapon and firing at the two approaching figures.

Boom!

A silver bullet shot out, exploding ahead of them. But as if they’d anticipated it, both veered off in different directions, avoiding the blast radius by several meters.

Their speed barely slowed as they adjusted their angles and closed in. Whether out of ammo or realizing the weapon was useless now, the squad leader drew an ancient-looking serrated dagger from his waist and charged at Jiang Fei!

Even though Pang Xiong had cut him off, his primary target was Jiang Fei. Cornered and fighting for his life, he’d rather take Jiang Fei down with him than Pang Xiong.

A logical choice, one nobody would question.

Jiang Fei showed no unusual reaction—though a careful observer might have noticed a flicker of unusual emotion deep in Pang Xiong’s eyes at that moment.

A mix of anxiety, tension, unease, and a hint of excitement!

Seeing the squad leader charge Jiang Fei with a knife, Pang Xiong immediately gave chase, trying to intercept. After all, he wanted to win this bet—whoever landed the killing blow would be victorious…

Clang!

Jiang Fei reached the squad leader first. Their knives met with a sharp screech, their movements a blur of slashes, thrusts, and parries—each move faster than the last.

Clash, clang, ring, spark.

Jiang Fei kept smiling, his attacks growing quicker. The squad leader managed to block at first, but within moments, he was sweating, eyes wide, overwhelmed.

Despite his best efforts, wounds began to appear on his body and wrists, sliced open by Jiang Fei’s blade.

And things got worse when Pang Xiong joined the fray, hunting knife in hand, ready to make it two against one.

Even mid-fight, Jiang Fei found breath to taunt, “You’re not taking this kill from me.”

“We’ll see!” Pang Xiong snorted, his knife thrusting straight from behind.

Thump!

Jiang Fei’s blade moved like lightning. The squad leader, eyes wide, couldn’t even track the motion before the knife pierced his heart, a split second before Pang Xiong’s strike.

But instead of disappointment, Pang Xiong’s eyes turned bloodred, his face twisting with excitement. Because with Jiang Fey’s knife in the squad leader’s chest, his back was completely exposed to Pang Xiong.

Pang Xiong’s knife suddenly changed target…

No.

It had been aiming for Jiang Fei all along.