Black bears are generally more timid and act with far more caution than wild boars and tigers.
Despite having locked onto Qin Niu, it didn't immediately launch an attack.
Instead, it advanced step by step, mainly testing.
As it kept closing in, Qin Niu's soul trembled, his scalp numbed, and his heart fluttered. Fear was spreading rapidly deep in his heart.
Only when facing it could one truly sense its terrifying ferocity.
Considering the situation, it was very likely it wouldn't test an attack but rather strike Qin Niu with a deadly blow directly.
Qin Niu had already quietly gripped the firewood knife.
If he could avoid injury, even if he slashed the bear's skin until it was worthless, he would still be happy to do so.
With every step it took, the fur on its body and the thick layer of fat beneath it trembled.
Looking at its thick skin and flesh, it was genuinely hard to know where to make a cut.
The main issue was that the firewood knife wasn't designed for combat; it had no tip. Other than hacking, it was impossible to use for stabbing.
To deal with such a tough beast, the easiest lethal attack would be a stab, not a slash.
"Roar!"
It rose on its hind legs, landing firmly on the ground, and instantly reached a height of around two meters and sixty centimeters. This was far above Qin Niu's height.
That kind of overwhelming terrifying presence could easily frighten someone out of their wits.
A large white triangular patch appeared between its front paws.
Whew!
Without any fancy moves, it directly raked its right forepaw, which had five evenly spaced claws as sharp as steel knives, towards Qin Niu's head.
When strength is powerful enough to crush an opponent, no tricks are needed.
Its body seemed bulky, but its attack was surprisingly fast.
Fortunately, Qin Niu's cultivation had improved quite a bit recently, and daily farm work and chopping firewood had conditioned his body well.
He ducked down and dodged to the side.
Shhh!
Bark was torn off in large pieces and fell to the ground. Even the hard trunk of the tree revealed five deep gouges, two to three centimeters deep.
If it had been a scrape on his body, it would have easily torn the ribs apart.
Just one strike could leave Qin Niu severely injured or dead.
This was the real strength of a black bear.
All wild beasts are fierce, nimble and agile, and possess a wealth of combat experience.
The more formidable ones even have some killing moves.
For example, a tiger whipping its tail at its prey can easily break bones with one hit. A tiger's paw strike is even more fearsome, casually delivering close to a ton of force.
Imagine that a ton of attack power focused on such a small area; if it hit a person, even the hardest skull would be shattered on impact.
This is also one of the tigers' great killing moves that allow them to dominate the forest.
After dodging, Qin Niu decided to outwit rather than confront head-on.
Because the black bear's strength far surpassed his expectations.
As he retreated, he pressed several reasonably strong bushes down. The black bear, having missed its first attack, naturally followed closely behind.
Whew!
This time, it chose to pounce and bite, instead of standing on its hind legs and using its front paws to attack.
"Good opportunity!"
This was the moment Qin Niu was waiting for; he released the bushes he had deliberately bent down. Due to inertia, they snapped back, viciously striking the black bear's face.
This kind of attack couldn't harm the black bear in the slightest, but it could disrupt its vision.
Indeed, faced with the sudden rebounding strike from the bushes, it chose to close its eyes to protect its vulnerable eyes from harm. Its figure, however, continued to charge forward.
Slash!
Qin Niu had been ready, dodging to the side, he advanced fiercely and swung his knife in a slashing attack.
At this moment, life and death hung by a thread.
He naturally exerted all his strength, striking as fast as the wind, fierce as a tiger.
Decade of practice beneath the stage, a minute of performance upon it.
The Slash Martial Skill he had painstakingly practiced while chopping wood didn't fail him at this critical juncture of life and death combat.
Bang!
He viciously slashed at the Black Bear's right foreleg.
He didn't aim for the Black Bear's neck for two reasons, the first being that the chance of success was not high. This beast had extremely rich combat experience, and it protected its vital neck with its two front legs, even when running and lunging to bite.
It was difficult to strike at its neck.
The second reason was that aiming for its neck was extremely risky.
Even if he managed to land a successful chop, its front paws would likely rake across Qin Niu's head or chest.
By that time, the bear might be severely injured, but Qin Niu would likely be dead.
The risk was too great, so he naturally chose a more secure way of fighting.
Disabling one of its front legs would significantly reduce its mobility and fighting capability.
Its most formidable weapons were its teeth and front legs.
"Roar~!"
It let out a piercing and low roar of fury.
The previous blow hadn't produced the effect of a Critical Chop, but it was still successful in severing its right front leg. It now hung by a layer of skin at its chest, like a gourd dangling.
The stark white bone from the severance was visible, and so was the bloody flesh.
Blood was continuously gushing out.
Qin Niu thought if it didn't flee, maybe he could use this wound to directly wear it down to death.
Having lost an important front leg was akin to losing an arm.
Its vital neck area was now exposed.
However, it surprisingly wasn't much affected by using three legs for movement; it was still agile and swift, which caught Qin Niu off guard.
Wild beasts, grown in the harsh wilderness, possessed a surprisingly strong will to survive.
"Woo~!"
The Black Bear had suffered a major loss and didn't flee, but the green light in its small eyes became even colder.
One could feel its hatred and anger, as well as its frenzied intent to kill.
"Come on!"
Qin Niu was extremely calm; having struck a successful blow, the Black Bear's combat strength was greatly damaged, and he hadn't been injured. The tide had turned, and their strength was now roughly equal.
He was now considering whether to attack its exposed weak spot, going straight for the critical point, or to disable its other front leg?
In the end, Qin Niu decided to go for the latter.
Having some experience severing its front leg already, the success rate was higher.
After both of its front legs were disabled, its capability to escape, move, and attack would further substantially decrease.
Then, delivering a fatal strike would increase his odds of victory.
His eyes were fixed on the Black Bear, determined to fight to the death, yet his right leg was scraping at the ground, brushing away the top layer of decayed leaves and small twigs.
Then he crouched and quickly grabbed a handful of mountain mud, mixed with some pebbles.
Trying to use rebounding bushes to attack its eyes again was unlikely to work; the intelligence of a wild beast was not to be underestimated. Having been fooled once, it certainly wouldn't fall for the same trick a second time.
This time, Qin Niu had a new trick up his sleeve—he would greet the beast's eyes with mountain mud and pebbles.
He wanted this creature to know that humans weren't to be trifled with before its death.
It roared and charged once more, its gaping maw wide open, intent on tearing the human who dared to injure it into pieces.
"Heh heh, you think you can play for keeps with that little frame?"
Seeing the bear blinded by hatred and desperation, Qin Niu couldn't help but laugh.
When it closed the distance to within two meters, he flung the handful of dirt he held in his hand 'over there'.
"Roar!"
Little did the Black Bear know that this human, Old Six, was so cunning!
It was bad enough to be ambushed with the recoil of branches, but now even worse to have a fistful of hidden weapons thrown at it. Instinctively, it closed its eyes to protect them from being injured.
Bang!
Another chop.
The only remaining left front leg throbbed with piercing agony, and the Black Bear even felt like it wanted to die.
This despicable human had ambushed it again.
Both its front legs were now rendered useless by this human.
If anyone later says that Black Bears are crafty, it would be at odds with them.
Without its front legs, survival in the jungle had become very difficult. It would be unable to hunt for prey.
In fact, Qin Niu wouldn't have let it live on anyway.
"Wuu wuu~!"
With a deep and mournful roar, it stood on its hind legs and charged at Qin Niu in a last-ditch effort.
Its chest hung two severed front legs, only connected by a bit of skin and flesh.
As it advanced, the two front legs swung like two soy sauce bottles hanging from its chest.
The searing pain drove it, with the single thought of tearing apart the human to relieve its hatred.
Qin Niu licked his lips; the fight with the Black Bear made him feel a significant enhancement in his strength.
He used to struggle to kill an old wolf, but now, taking down a Black Bear that was much stronger than a wolf was... surprisingly easy.
The Black Bear, having stood on its hind legs, had no other way to attack except with its gaping mouth after losing its front legs.
"Little guy!"
Qin Niu crouched and grabbed another handful of dirt.
The Black Bear, seeing this, felt both hate and fear.
This despicable human's trick of using dirt as a hidden weapon was just too dirty.
It had no choice but to twist its head and close its eyes, unable to defend itself in any other way.
The Black Bear was truly frightened of the human's cunning, to the point it turned and ran.
If it couldn't win, fleeing was the best option.
It crashed through the underbrush, breaking even trees as thick as a forearm, leaving them to fall to the sides.
Like a bulldozer, it forced its way through and carved a path.
Not seeking revenge anymore?
Qin Niu was somewhat taken aback.
Just when he was about to win decisively, how could he let it escape?
Without any hesitation, he immediately gave chase.
Although it was down to two legs, its fleeing speed was still astonishingly fast.
Seeing which direction the beast was headed, it was clear it wanted to flee back to the deep mountains.
He couldn't let it have its way.
The deep mountains were extremely dangerous; Qin Niu would have to give up pursuit when the time came. Moreover, with the bear now wounded, the smell of blood could attract other ferocious beasts.
He had to make a decision right away.
He accelerated, catching up to the Black Bear from behind, and aimed a chop at its hind leg.
The Black Bear, sensing danger, immediately turned to defend and counterattack.
Qin Niu noticed its two front legs still gushing fresh blood.
What a pity, it was a top-tier tonic.
The strength of a bear was especially great.
Its blood should far surpass Wolf Blood in enhancing someone at the Mortal Realm.
"Roar!"
It lunged at Qin Niu with a fierce bite.
A cornered rabbit will even bite; not to mention a blinded bear, that in its desperation, even a tiger would choose to steer clear.
Bang!
The Black Bear's massive body, lacking the support of its front legs, collapsed to the ground after its lunge at Qin Niu fell short.
Scrambling with its sharp bear snout to prop up its body,
Qin Niu didn't wait for it to get up; he moved to its side and aimed another chop at one of its hind legs.
Its reaction was lightning-fast.
It immediately turned to bite at him, but Qin Niu dodged.
Still grasping a handful of dirt, he threw it once again at the bear's eyes.
"Wuu~!"
The bear's mournful and rage-filled low growl echoed through the mountains.
What met it was a merciless chop from the human Old Six.
Bang!
One of its powerful hind legs was severed.
With only one leg left, it had completely lost its ability to run away, let alone stand upright.
Qin Niu was in no hurry to end its life.
Now that the bear was like meat on a chopping board, he could cut it as he pleased; there was no need to be overly eager. He had to prevent any last desperate strike from it.
After toying with it like a cat with a mouse for a while and feeling that the time was ripe, he found the right moment to swing his blade fiercely towards its neck.
He aimed for a killing blow.
Phew!
This chop surprisingly produced the effect of a Critical Chop.
It couldn't even let out a cry of agony before its enormous bear head was completely severed.
This was the power of a Slash Martial Skill when it produced a Critical Chop.
It was truly terrifying.
With just one chop, he killed a Black Bear so immense that killing an enemy must be as simple as chopping a turnip.
Qin Niu, seeing a large flow of Bear Blood, did not stand on ceremony; he crouched down quickly, greedily gulping down the spouting blood.
His belly quickly swelled with fullness.
There was simply too much Bear Blood.
Unable to drink any more, he could only watch as it spilled onto the ground, a regretful waste.
Seeing all that blood go to waste made Qin Niu feel heartache; it was such a shame.
As the Bear Blood flowed down his throat, he felt as if there were a ball of Rupture flame burning vigorously within his upper abdomen.
The effect of Bear Blood was far stronger than that of Wolf Blood.