C35 Blood War Buffalo

"Hey, Treading on Snow, that guy's right over there. Get ready to draw him out!"

A short walk later, Aotian reached the spot where he had encountered the wild buffalo. After a brief search, he spotted the massive bull nearby!

"Aooo!"

At Aotian's signal, Treading on Snow dashed out, calling out to the bull!

The bison, noticing Treading on Snow, bellowed loudly, its hind hooves pounding the ground as it charged!

Treading on Snow cleverly led the charging bull away, presenting its rear to Aotian!

Seizing the moment, Aotian leapt into action with Lei Ming, launching an attack at the beast!

"Eighteen Tornado Strikes!" His spear whirled, creating a dense flurry of shadows aimed at the bull's back!

Sensing danger from behind, the bull abandoned its pursuit of Treading on Snow, turned, and faced Aotian's onslaught, its massive horns deflecting the blow!

"Splitting Earth Spear! Gale Spear!"

Thwarted, Aotian swiftly followed up with two more powerful strikes, their force resonating through the air with a howling sound!

Regrettably, the bull deflected both of Aotian's formidable moves!

"Treading on Snow, hit its back!"

After his attack was blocked again, Aotian shouted, leaping aside to avoid the charging bull!

He spun around and delivered a fierce lateral sweep with his spear, the rotational force sending the bull reeling ten feet away!

The bull, rising, was shocked that the seemingly slight man could send it flying. Wracked with pain, it bellowed in fury and charged at Aotian once more!

"You beast! Take this!"

Wielding his spear with a powerful, grounded stance, Aotian met the bull's charge head-on! Meanwhile, Treading on Snow darted in from the side!

Aotian faced the buffalo, jabbing and thrusting with his spear, using leverage to dance around the beast, targeting its vulnerabilities. Treading on Snow, with agile speed, darted and snapped, and in no time, their combined assault left the buffalo riddled with wounds, blood pouring forth!

With a swift jab, Aotian moved like a stone rolling down an endless mountain, relentless in his assault. His eyes and hands worked in unison, showing no mercy as he launched a fierce onslaught! He thrust his spear thrice in rapid succession, each aimed directly at the bull's eye.

A gut-wrenching bellow echoed as Aotian's spear plunged into the bull's eye, blood spraying wildly, splattering his clothes with fresh crimson. The buffalo, in agonizing pain, wildly ignored the torment in its eyes. With a powerful twist of its head, it flung Aotian's spear away, its eyeball ejected in the process! Then, with a swift turn, it viciously struck at Aotian with its head.

Witnessing this gruesome spectacle, Aotian was caught off guard by the bull's ferocity. He narrowly avoided a lethal blow, sustaining a deep gash on his side. The buffalo, seemingly invigorated by its success, became even more enraged. It kicked back with its hind legs, launching the snow that clung to its tail a full ten meters away, then charged at Aotian once more!

Aotian, seeing the impending danger, rolled away, hoping to evade the charge. To his surprise, the buffalo halted its advance upon seeing Aotian's evasive maneuver, then pivoted to stomp down on him.

Caught off-guard, Aotian managed to raise his hand just in time to brace against the bull's powerful stomp. A faint snap was followed by a surge of excruciating pain throughout his body. "Damn, my bones must be broken!"

As the bull prepared to stomp again, Aotian, facing the descending hoof, shut his eyes in despair, wondering, "Is this where I meet my end?"

"No, I refuse to die! There's still so much I have to do!"

With thoughts of an untimely death haunting him, Aotian let out a defiant cry, leaped to his feet, and, like a swift swallow, darted forward, narrowly escaping the bull's hoof by the slimmest margin.

In that critical moment, as Treading on Snow was hurled away by a powerful blow, he noticed Aotian's perilous state and quickly dashed to engage the buffalo, aiming to buy Aotian a precious moment to breathe.

"Kid, get up now! Your hand isn't broken, I've checked it myself! It's just a minor fracture! Go help Treading on Snow, he's in real danger. Remember, even without a weapon, you can still fight with your body and fists!" Dark Night Zhan called out urgently, seeing the dire straits Aotian and Treading on Snow were in.

Aotian heeded his master's voice, tested his arm, and found it still functional. The crack he had heard was indeed his bone fracturing. Surveying the scene, he saw Treading on Snow drenched in blood, its once pristine white fur now a vivid crimson, matted with both its own and the buffalo's blood.

With a determined leap, Aotian braved the searing pain and gasped for air, disregarding the wounds on his flank and the blood that followed. He clenched his fist and launched another assault on the buffalo, delivering a heavy punch and then a sweeping kick, channeling his entire strength into each blow, striking the buffalo with ferocity.

"Bang! Bang!" The massive shockwaves reverberated through him, but Aotian kept up his relentless barrage of punches and kicks against the buffalo.

Aotian's intervention gradually eased the burden on Treading on Snow. As the buffalo's strength waned from excessive blood loss, Aotian slowly but surely began to turn the tide.

Yet, the buffalo was determined to battle Aotian to the bitter end, charging at him time and again with relentless force.

Without a weapon, Aotian was left to endure the repeated collisions, the sounds of "boom, boom, boom!" echoing incessantly.

"Gale Storm Spear!"

Seizing the moment Treading on Snow clamped onto the buffalo's hind leg, Aotian rolled aside, grabbed Lei Ming, and swiftly unleashed a spear thrust. Perhaps weakened by too much blood loss, the buffalo couldn't react in time, and Aotian's spear smoothly pierced through its back, straight into the heart.

With a thunderous crash, the bison finally struggled one last time before collapsing into a pool of blood.

Panting heavily, Aotian lay on the ground, catching his breath as he gazed at the fallen bison. Beside him, Treading on Snow also sprawled out, gasping for air.

"Whew, it's over at last. That was too close for comfort—I nearly bit the dust!"

Aotian glanced at the lifeless body next to him and licked his lips, now pale from the loss of blood, and let out a weary sigh.

He examined his own battered body, noting the wounds that were far from superficial. His fists, too, had split open from the earlier clash with the bison, the flesh inside gruesomely exposed. And there was Treading on Snow, now a crimson-soaked figure.

"Little guy, you okay? Get up; we need to move. If we wait around for other beasts to show up, we might not make it out alive."

With the scent of blood in the air, Aotian swiftly got to his feet, gave Treading on Snow a reassuring pat on the head, and made his way back to his dwelling.

Once home, Aotian promptly cleaned his wounds and washed off the blood. Treading on Snow did the same, and after tending to their injuries, they both settled down to rest.

"Kid, do you realize where you went wrong today?" Matt inquired, looking at the exhausted Aotian.

"Yeah, it was a dangerous day. Without my weapon, I was totally outmatched."

Reflecting on the recent encounter, Aotian felt a surge of emotion.

"Indeed, your combat skills need work."

"So, what should I do? You've never taught me any fighting techniques!" Aotian responded.

Matt smiled sheepishly, "I was waiting for you to make a breakthrough before I taught you. But it seems I need to teach you now—I can't bear to see you in that state again!"

"What will you teach me?"

Aotian asked eagerly, intrigued by his master's words.

"Nothing too special. I'll simply show you how to use your body to strike your opponents and teach you some fundamental moves."

"Oh, I see. Alright then, let's start tomorrow!" Aotian said with urgency in his voice.

"Yeah, you've taken quite a beating today. Make sure to treat those wounds tonight. Soak in a bath with those medicinal herbs we gathered before—that should do the trick. Oh, and don't forget about your arm; the bone took a nasty hit. Be sure to give it the proper care and attention it needs!"