Chapter 160 - Old Man Huli

I noticed many of the guys present wearing rings, necklaces, or even beast cores on a chain or string around their necks. It wasn't unusual for a Cultivator to be wearing countless pieces of jewelry, they were just mostly hidden underneath their clothes. It wasn't a smart idea to display all your relics and treasures to the enemy. Some, if not all, had to remain hidden.Then again, for a Rogue Cultivator, a display of wealth and combat relics might also deter some would-be robbers. It often worked like that. As long as you were confident or looked like trouble, you would be left alone.Anyway, I decided to be in the middle. No visible magical treasures, but I had a strong body and carried myself with confidence. That was more than could be said about some other people. Even with all those sparkling jewels, a skinny guy was still instinctively seen as weak.Oh, yeah… Most Rogue Cultivators also appeared smaller than those from a Sect. They focused on defense and keeping their body tight and efficient. They couldn't afford to be wasteful with their energy and resources like some large guys I knew.Ren Kong, for example, was way bigger than most of the guys gathered, and he was still in the Nascent Soul Realm. Sure, he was weaker, but his figure was much more imposing. If picking purely by physical prowess, I would want to fight him the least.Daylight gradually dimmed as the sun went behind the horizon, and the sky was painted orange by the time I opened my eyes again. The meditation session was over.I also noticed others opened their eyes at the same time as well and all turned in the same direction. Someone was coming.Out of the thicket came an old man with gray hair, dressed in dark brown and purple robes, and wore more crystals than I could count. His every step released a gentle jingle as the gems adorning his clothes collided.He carried with him a long staff with a large egg-shaped green gem on top and used it as a walking stick. He came into the clearing and looked around before quietly speaking with one of the Cultivators nearby. The guy nodded and the old man answered with a nod as well and then made his way to the middle of our temporary camp.He stuck the staff into the ground beside him and then clapped, gaining even more attention than he already had."Greetings, fellow Cultivators. My name is Lao Huli, and I am honored so many of you have decided to heed my summons and help this old man in his time of need."The old man named Lao Huli then took a fistful of Spirit Stones and sent one to each of the men gathered. I also received one just like everyone else."Consider this as thanks for coming. Now, before we begin, let me explain what we will be doing. If anyone wishes to abandon us, please do it now, and there will be no bad blood between us, and you can keep the gift as well."Lao Hui waited for a moment, and when nobody moved, he continued. "Our task is to kill a Drake. I have scouted its nest and confirmed it's at the peak of Golden Core Realm. Which is also why I can't do it alone, and need your help."He turned to look at the three that were at the peak of Golden Core as well and they exchanged knowing glances. The rest of the Cultivators began murmuring between them."Excuse me!" One of the younger men suddenly lifted his voice. "Is it just that one Drake or are there more?"Lao Huli pressed his lips into a thin smile and turned to answer. "There are about another dozen or so younger Drakes, but none of them are above the Seventh Layer."More loud murmurs came since that was quite a force. Beasts were stronger than men, extremely so, and these Cultivators weren't exactly the crème of the crop either. They were the bottom of the barrel, Rogue Cultivators. Such a hunt was quite dangerous for them."I'm sorry fellow Cultivators. In that case, I'll have to ask you to forgive me. My Cultivation is not suited for going against such forces of extreme Yang."The young man stood up and bowed, and then turned to leave."It's understandable." Lao Huli nodded and watched him leave for a few seconds before turning back. "Anyone else got a problem going against beasts of extreme Yang?"People either kept quiet or shook their heads.[Psst. Why is extreme Yang so controversial?] I nudged Yaji who sat beside me."It's not. It's just a bad matchup for that guy. I believe his Cultivation is based on Water, so going against Fire diminishes his combat ability. It's a good choice he decided to leave, he would most likely struggle."[And you won't?]Yaji shook his head. "I definitely will. But my Cultivation is based on Earth and my defenses are pretty good. I'm confident I'll be able to help. What about you? You are the lowest among us here. Think you can do it?"I grinned. [Oh, don't you worry about me. A little bit of fire can't hurt me.]"Confident, I like it!""Ahem!" Lao Huli loudly cleared his throat. "As I was saying, taking out the nest of Drakes will not be child's play. We'll have to work together.""What about pay? And how are we going to share the loot?" Another Cultivator interrupted."You will get paid according to your contribution, don't you worry. As for the beasts, the strongest Drake is mine, as for the rest, they can be shared." Lao Huli said and there were some unsatisfied murmurs. "There are one or two Drakes in the Eighth Layer, so the fighting will be hard, but the rewards will be great as well.""What about other things?""Any extra loot you find you can keep, obviously. Any treasures and rare resources can go by the common rule: Finders keepers. I'm sure there will be more than enough for everyone. Nobody will leave empty-handed. That's a promise."That seemed to do the trick as people quieted down and nodded, agreeing with the proposition."Now, I have already scouted the canyon and also came up with some plans, so please pay attention."Lao Huli summoned a 3D illusion of the canyon."They made themselves at home in this valley and are well protected from most sides. There are caves that serve as their home, so attacking from up high will be difficult. Our best chance is to split up into two teams and attack from the front and top at once. When they take shelter beneath the ground, the team on top will descend and join with the rest in a pincer attack."He looked around the gathered Cultivators and then continued."Of course, if there is anyone that knows Formations…""Here." One person responded."I dabbled in Formations as well." Another said.Lao Huli clapped his hands. "Excellent. Then we can set up traps and retreat after the first attack and make our job easier. The five of us strongest will keep the big boss busy while you take out the rest of the beasts. As long as we work together it should be simple enough.""Hmm… I don't know, Drakes are really tough. Those Formations will have to be of high quality…""I will provide the materials, of course." Lao Huli said, realizing what the man was implying.The man smiled at that and then nodded. "Shouldn't be a problem then." He then took out a small notebook and handed it over. "That's what I can make. Just tell me what you need and it will be done."Lao Huli took the booklet and looked through it, settling on a few Formations. "This one and this one. I don't have enough for the rest. If we push it to the limit, it should be good enough. As for taking down the Peak Golden Core Drake…"The discussions continued through the night, Cultivators debating strategy, making plans for how they would fight, the positions different people would take, and getting familiar with each other's skills so they could work together as a team as best as possible.I noticed nobody bothered to ask us the weaker guys about our opinions or our skills. They probably considered us as supporting characters and not important to the entire mission. I felt a bit bummed to be left out, but from their point of view, a First, Second, and Third Layer weren't comparable with the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Layer. We were so far apart, we might as well be Mortals in their eyes.Still, every person counted, even if just to hold the beasts back as a meat shield. I also noticed none of the men present revealed any deeper secrets. The entire discussion was about the skills they often used and weren't their trump cards. I was sure they would use them in case of mortal danger, but they were reluctant to reveal it to total strangers. Well, a few people clearly knew each other, but that was beside the point.Everyone settled into a role, and after hours of discussions and debates, we finally decided on a plan.And as the sun came up the next day, we were already on our way, deeper into the desert, running toward a lonely canyon.