Extra's Strategy: Cultivate Protagonists, Become Invincible-Chapter 229: Like A Force Of Nature

Yang Kai's first thought was that he had been knocked unconscious somehow. But recalling what he knew about Han Xuhan's Mystic Arts, that conclusion didn't quite make sense.

Squinting in the darkness, Yang Kai realized that he could clearly feel his own body, limbs, and stance. He was standing still within a dark mass, eyes open, breathing in and out normally.

This meant that he was definitely not unconscious. So where did this darkness around him come from? Was it another of Han Xuhan's numerous tricks? Was this how Jiang Chen and Sister Mei had been defeated?

Growing wary, he quickly backpedalled and found the darkness around him fading away. To his delight, he managed to fully extricate himself from it with a mere dozen steps.

From outside, he discovered that the darkness he had been submerged in was just a mass of fog, similar to the tides that swarmed the sect's territories ever since their arrival. The source of this mass of fog, however, wasn't visible.

Han Xuhan himself was fully hidden inside it. Yang Kai hesitated to return there to continue his assault, lest the fog should contain something harmful.

Straining his ears, he caught some whispers from the crowd encircling their dueling area.

"Are you sure you saw that right? It was a skeletal bird inside that flying shroud?"

"Of course! In fact, I'm sure that it's one of the pets kept by Brother Han Xuhan. I've seen a skeletal bird flying around his house several times."

"Did Han Xuhan teach that bird to attack Yang Kai during their duel?"

"Maybe... But what kind of weapon did the bird use? How did it summon so much fog? Could it be poisonous?"

Yang Kai's pupils shrank as he understood exactly what was going on. Han Xuhan had baited him into attacking him mindlessly while preparing an ambush from behind!

Was he planning to use this poisonous fog to win the duel?

Face turning pale, Yang Kai roared at his hiding opponent, "Han Xuhan, what the hell do you think you're doing? We agreed not to use any kind of weapons. Doesn't poison count as one? Have some shame!"

From within the fog, Han Xuhan responded, "Don't be ridiculous, brother Kai. Did you see me use any weapons? Did I summon this fog? How can you blame me for this?"

Yang Kai's face turned red from fury.

"Do you take me for a fool? Everyone saw your skeleton soldier doing it!"

"First of all, how could my skeleton soldier summon the fog that our sect's most powerful cultivators haven't managed to control for such a long time? My minion has no such capability. I can swear that by a heavenly oath!"

Han Xuhan's claim, as logical as it sounded, convinced few people. Yang Kai wasn't one of them. But he didn't get the chance to rebut him.

"And secondly, even if my minion was capable of doing such a thing, how does that incriminate me? I promised not to use any weapons myself.

But my minion is an entity with its independent will and ideas. How am I supposed to control what it does in the heat of the moment?"

"Bullshit! A master must be held accountable for his servant's actions," Yang Kai shouted indignantly.

"Well, if you're going to insist on the technicalities of the law, two can play that game. Let me reiterate then.

Before this duel began, I said that I wouldn't use a weapon. I never explicitly promised the same condition to be applicable on my minions."

Han Xuhan sounded so gleeful in spouting that load of legally inaccurate nonsense that Yang Kai became certain of one thing.

He wouldn't win this verbally. He had to seal his victory in a proper manner.

His thoughts raced as he analyzed the situation. Han Xuhan was using the poisonous fog as a shield, perhaps to buy time, or perhaps to set up a different method of ambush.

But for how long could he truly hide in there?

A sudden idea occurred to him with that thought. Was the fog actually even poisonous? If it was, how could Han Xuhan stay unharmed in it for so long?

...Did I get scammed again? Is the fog actually a harmless diversion? Damn it!

Immediately upon that realization, Yang Kai dove into the mass of darkness head-first, punching and kicking at every smokey silhouette.

Sure enough, Han Xuhan took a couple of hits and had to crawl out of the fog in desperation.

When Yang Kai followed him out, he noticed that Han Xuhan was trying to hide something inside his robe. While he was distracted, Yang Kai took the opportunity to strike once more, kicking the back of his head with the maximum strength his legs could muster.

Unfortunately, Han Xuhan managed to dodge it, as if his reflexes had suddenly gotten an upgrade. Undeterred, Yang Kai executed a follow-up kick targeting the back of his head again, but this time resorting to an illusion of striking his lower back.

The illusion fooled him and the real kick made contact, much to his delight. But that delight turned into confusion when Han Xuhan shrugged it off and swung back a punch aimed at his stomach.

How the hell did he suddenly grow so much stronger and faster? Was it because of the fog?

Yang Kai didn't have the time to dwell on that thought. The momentum of the combat was shifting.

Han Xuhan was no longer passively taking a beating. And his own strikes were no longer as effective as before.

Attack, defend, attack, evade, attack, defend, evade, evade, defend, att-

Bang!

A blindingly fast kick struck him before he could take countermeasures, sending a wave of incredible pain across his left thigh. Clutching that leg and gasping for breath, Yang Kai felt a horrifying realization sink in.

This battle was following the same pattern and heading in the same direction Jiang Chen had recounted to them, like a force of untameable nature, despite his best efforts to make the duel different.