The Opening

The celestial beings roared in fury.

Yet Shen Yi and the others had also pieced together the whole story.

It turned out the Devil Master had used his aura to draw out every celestial being hidden among the crowd.

Shen Yi counted them over and over.

There were roughly twenty or thirty whose true qi had erupted into raging tides, and among them was even Sword Qi piercing the heavens, wicked as a demon—the Sword Demon who had once appeared before.

Counting those who had previously died at Shen Yi's hands, those who had perished killing one another, and those lurking in the shadows who had never shown themselves, there were likely close to a hundred celestial beings across the Nine Provinces.

It was not as many as imagined, but certainly not few either. At the very least, if these twenty or thirty Grotto-Heaven celestial beings joined forces, even Shen Yi and his side would find it exceedingly difficult.

And that was without counting Li Zhentian and Devil Master Xi Tianyang, whose strength far surpassed ordinary men. The situation was truly far from optimistic.

At once, someone shouted in rebuke.

"Xi Tianyang, you stand as the exalted Devil Master, yet you still resorted to such underhanded tricks. Just what have you done to us?"

Xi Tianyang remained utterly composed, his expression unchanged despite the curses hurled at him. He said coolly,

"Everyone, I have always dared to act and dared to own my actions. You emerged from your Grotto-Heavens at different places and different times, while I have only just arrived. Tell me, how could I possibly have tampered with you?"

"You..."

Yet Xi Tianyang's words were not without reason. While everyone pondered them, he changed his tone and continued,

"As for tampering..."

"It was done back when the Essence