There was no denying that Po Qiong's words touched on exactly what Ling Tian cared about, and they gave him pause. He was especially troubled by the thought that if he left Hua Min'er, Feng Lingzi, and the others behind, they would be in grave danger whether or not he managed to break free of the Lord of the Universe's restraints. Even if he succeeded, Ling Tian had no idea how long it would take to complete the Lord of the Universe's task. By then, Hua Min'er and the others might already have perished for lack of life force. After all, the Outer Realm Stone could not completely shield them from the erosion of the power of time.
If that was the case, then he might as well face the tribulation alongside Hua Min'er and the others. That would not only give them a better chance of breaking free of the Lord of the Universe's restraints—Hua Min'er, Feng Lingzi, and the others were powerful fighters in their own right, especially given their considerable mastery of the Myriad Sword Demon Extermination Grand Formation and the Buddha Kingdom World—but also let him bring as many of them out of the universe as possible. That way, he would not have to worry that he might be unable to save them later because he had not completed the Lord of the Universe's task in time. If everyone managed to break free of the Lord of the Universe's control, then Ling Tian would not need to return to the God Realm at all, and the problem would disappear.
Some people might be captured by the Lord of the Universe during the tribulation and used as hostages, but the number would likely be small—certainly far fewer than if Ling Tian left Hua Min'er and the others