Though they had already discussed a way to deal with the situation, Shi Li and the others were still worried that Ling Tian might not team up with them to trigger the final tribulation later on. So they urged Chi Xue to find Ling Tian as soon as possible and discuss an alliance with him. After all, once the matter was settled, they wouldn't have to worry about Ling Tian going back on his word.
They had thought Chi Xue would agree, but instead he shook his head. "It's not the right time yet. The Lord of the Universe just imposed a restriction on us, forbidding us from hiding inside the Outer Realm Stones. If we approach Ling Tian now, he might gain even more control over the situation. He might even refuse to team up with us outright, especially since he doesn't know we can use self-sealing to buy time. That could end up backfiring on us."
Before anyone could speak, he continued, "More importantly, our strength is far inferior to Ling Tian and the others' right now. Not one of us has even reached the Near-Saint Eighteenth Heaven. What trump card could we possibly bring to the table when negotiating with them?"
At that, everyone fell silent, their expressions turning grave.
He was right. Even after all this time, not one of Chi Xue's group had reached the Near-Saint Eighteenth Heaven. Compared to Ling Tian and the many others who had already broken through, they were far behind. As Chi Xue had said, they didn't even have the confidence to speak up.
"Exactly. Fellow Daoist Chi Xue is right," Po Tian said gravely. As he spoke, he looked around at the others. "At the very least, we need to reach the Near-Saint Eighteenth Heaven first. Fortunately, we're all