Chapter 345: The Eight Desolates Gather

Chapter 345: Chapter 345: The Eight Desolates Gather

Yi Xiaoyao watched Ce Mu and the others, a cold glint in his eyes. He now understood why the Dragon King had been driven away from this place.

’Looks like there’s going to be a lot of trouble ahead.’

Hearing Yi Xiaoyao’s murmur, Yun Mengling gave an apologetic smile. "Xiaoyao, if I’d known, I wouldn’t have come."

Yi Xiaoyao was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly realized what she meant. She was worried she would hold him back, since she had only just broken through to the Nascent Soul Transformation realm.

"Silly Ling’Er, what’s all this nonsense you’re thinking?"

Yi Xiaoyao squeezed her hand and smiled. "Senior Chong Li said there’s a Soul Spirit Pool on this Sunken Spirit Island. Anyone at the Late Stage of the Nascent Soul Transformation realm who enters it can even break through directly to the Void-Entering realm. That’s why these people from Great Yu’s Eight Desolates are here. When the time comes, I’ll grab a spot for you, too."

At his words, Yun Mengling gave him a sweet smile, but a hint of worry remained hidden in her eyes.

As the two were speaking, the space around them began to ripple. A group of figures emerged from thin air, all clad in identical cyan robes.

"It’s the people from the Cyan Wilderness. Their leader is named Ji Hao."

Ce Mu from Xuanhuang explained to the people behind him, clearly reminding his group who to watch out for.

The moment Ji Hao of the Cyan Wilderness appeared, he scanned his surroundings. His gaze paused on Yi Xiaoyao for only an instant before moving on, eventually landing on Ce Mu with a cold stare.

Before Ji Hao could speak, another ripple in space came from a different direction. Two groups of people emerged simultaneously, their robes embroidered with lightning and wind patterns, respectively.

"The people from Minghuang and Yunhuang... they actually arrived together."

Ce Mu remarked with a hint of surprise, then continued explaining to his group, "Then again, it’s not that surprising. Li Zhan, the captain of Minghuang, and Qian Yun, the captain of Yunhuang... they’re a couple."

Just then, a soft chuckle came from behind Ce Mu.

"Brother Ce Mu, you’re so busy worrying about other people’s love lives you didn’t even see me arrive?"

Ten youths in ink-flower-patterned robes walked up from behind Ce Mu’s group. The leader, a young man with a perpetual smile, stepped forward and draped an arm over Ce Mu’s shoulder.

Ce Mu startled, then turned with a smile. "Ah, so it’s Brother Chi Xiao. Your Lihuang will have to cooperate closely with our Xuanhuang. Otherwise, we won’t be able to compete with that little couple."

"But of course. Our Lihuang and your Xuanhuang have always been allies. This time is no exception," Chi Xiao from Lihuang replied with a smiling nod.

Meanwhile, Yi Xiaoyao, who was watching them from a distance, raised an eyebrow.

’Lihuang?’

Yi Xiaoyao muttered in surprise, looking over at Chi Xiao and his group as they laughed with Ce Mu. Chong Li was also from Lihuang.

Chi Xiao seemed to sense someone watching him, and his gaze swept over to meet Yi Xiaoyao’s.

"Who are those two? Why have I never seen them before?" Chi Xiao asked Ce Mu.

Ce Mu smiled mysteriously. "Don’t worry about them for now. Just wait for the busybody to show up, then you’ll see."

Chi Xiao nodded thoughtfully. His gaze then shifted forward, where two more groups were emerging from the warped space.

"The people from Heihuang and the Red Wilderness... they’ve always been like fire and water. Now that they’ve appeared at the same time, it looks like we’re about to see a confrontation."

As soon as Chi Xiao finished speaking, the two groups—one in black robes, the other in red—appeared. Sure enough, they immediately locked gazes, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder.

Notably, both captains were exceptionally beautiful women, so the members of the other Desolates all looked on with great interest.

After hearing Chi Xiao’s words, Yi Xiaoyao also looked up, as he’d already had a rather unpleasant encounter with the people from Heihuang.

The next moment, Yi Xiaoyao saw a fiery young woman in a red cloak from the Red Wilderness glare at the female leader of the Heihuang group and snap at her.

"Mo Qiansu, as long as we from the Red Wilderness are here, we’ll make sure you and your Heihuang leave empty-handed!"

Mo Qiansu of Heihuang sneered. "Flame Sacrifice Fire Dance, no wonder no man dares to pursue you. With that temper of yours, you’ll never find a man in your entire life."

Then, Mo Qiansu added with a sinister smile, "Or maybe... I’ll help you find out what the men of Heihuang are really like."

Flame Sacrifice Fire Dance’s face flushed with rage at her words, but before she could retaliate, a commanding shout, like clashing steel, echoed through the space.

"Enough!"

At the sound, all eyes turned to see ten people in golden robes emerge. They looked with displeasure at the confrontational groups from Heihuang and the Red Wilderness.

"We have come to Sunken Spirit Island for the trial, to compete for the right to be cleansed by the Soul Spirit Pool!"

The speaker was the leader of the golden-robed group, a man with a severe face that looked as if it were chiseled from iron.

He continued to bark, "If you can’t stand the sight of each other, then save your fighting and cursing for the trial! Don’t ruin everyone’s mood here! A couple of squabbling women!"

At that, everyone except for the groups from Heihuang and the Red Wilderness burst out laughing. "Everyone says the people from the White Wilderness are born busybodies, and they certainly live up to their reputation!"

At the same time, Ce Mu grinned at Chi Xiao. "The busybody has arrived. Now there’ll be a good show to watch."

As they spoke, the two of them cast a meaningful glance in Yi Xiaoyao’s direction.

Yi Xiaoyao noticed their gazes and frowned. Just then, he saw the iron-faced, golden-robed man from the White Wilderness walking toward him.

"I am Xing Gang of the White Wilderness. And who might you two be?"

The iron-faced Xing Gang’s metallic voice reached Yi Xiaoyao and Yun Mengling’s ears.

Seeing this, the teams from the other Seven Desolates all turned to look.

Yi Xiaoyao’s eyes narrowed slightly. ’Well,’ he thought, ’I’ll have to clash with these people from the Eight Desolates sooner or later. Might as well see what these disciples are made of right now.’

"I am Yi Xiaoyao, and I am not from Great Yu’s Eight Desolates. If you’re going to claim that outsiders are forbidden on Sunken Spirit Island, then I’d like to see if you have the power to drive me away."

Yi Xiaoyao spoke with a nonchalant air, offering a faint smile to the Xing Gang before him.

At these words, the disciples from the other Seven Desolates laughed with amusement. "Oh? Looks like the busybody ran into a tough one."

Xing Gang’s iron-like face darkened, and he sneered. "A tough one? Him? At best, he’s just a stubborn brat who talks tough."

"That’s right! The kid only has a sixth-level Nascent Soul Transformation Cultivation. Among people like us, he’s not even worth a fart!" someone behind Xing Gang scoffed.

Then, Xing Gang gestured to two people behind him. "You two, drive them off Sunken Spirit Island. Killing them is fine, too."

Yi Xiaoyao watched the two men step forward, a faint smile on his lips as he slowly drew his sword.

Suddenly, a voice called out, "Kid, things have already come to this. There’s no need to pretend to be strong."

It was Ce Mu, calling out to Yi Xiaoyao. "Just back down, and I can let your girlfriend join our Xuanhuang team. You’ll also get to leave Sunken Spirit Island alive."

...

(There are a lot of characters and factions being introduced, so it’s fine if you can’t remember them all. No need to memorize everything; it will all be sorted out as the story progresses.)