At this point, Ling Tian was still nowhere near strong enough to face the final tribulation. So he had to keep improving his strength by any means he could. Fortunately, as time went by, he continued to grow stronger, even though there was still no sign of a breakthrough in his cultivation realm. Practicing various secret arts and archery techniques, as well as expanding his Small World, all helped increase his strength.
As the saying went, reaching the Near-Saint Seventeenth Heaven was an arduous process. Even Ling Tian and Xiao Shi would need a very long time to break through to that realm—perhaps no less time than Venerable Sword Saint had needed back then. The one thing that comforted them was that their bloodline conditions were still quite good, and they could also consume Phoenix Soul Fruits to undergo rebirth through nirvana.
As time passed, more and more cultivators around Ling Tian were running short on vitality. Ling sealed them away and placed them in the Outer Realm Stone. Though Ling Tian believed this method would delay their deaths as long as possible, he still felt a sense of urgency. If he couldn't reach his peak state, then even the cultivators sealed inside the Outer Realm Stone would eventually run out of vitality and die. That was the last thing they wanted.
Fortunately, for now, he didn't need to worry too much about that. All he had to do was keep growing stronger.
There was some good news for Ling Tian and the others, too. As time went by, more and more cultivators triggered the final tribulation and tried to break free of the Lord of the Universe's restraints. Though they all perished, they still managed to affect the Lord of the Universe to some extent, weakening him.
If nothing