At first, when they saw Ling Tian's attack finally pierce the energy barrier above the firmament, Po Qiong and the others were overjoyed. They felt that way even though the hole healed almost immediately, because they believed the barrier must have been greatly weakened. If Ling Tian unleashed his strongest attack again, surely he could make a larger hole—one big enough for cultivators to pass through. That would mean they could escape the Lord of the Universe's restraints.
Quick-witted Chi Xue, Po Di, and the others had come to the same conclusion, which also filled them with excitement. In particular, the Saint-grade Heavenly Treasures beside them had confirmed that the energy barrier had weakened after being pierced.
However, the Saint-grade Heavenly Treasures soon noticed a change: the barrier had returned to its former strength in an extremely short time. There wasn't enough time for Ling Tian to launch a second attack. That meant he had virtually no chance of piercing the barrier again and opening a path beyond the universe.
This change left You Ye, Po Qiong, Chi Xue, and the others utterly disappointed. They knew what it meant: aside from the few cultivators chosen by the Lord of the Universe—more precisely, those selected to survive this tribulation—no one else would have any chance of escaping his restraints. Countless cultivators were plunged into despair.
"How could this happen? The energy barrier was clearly pierced. Even if it recovered, it should have been weakened. How did it return to normal so quickly?" Ninth Brother of Po Family murmured, his voice thick with despair.
"It's simple. Only Ling Tian's strongest attack was able to exceed the speed at which the Lord of the Universe could mobilize energy," Chi Xue said gravely. After a brief pause, he continued, "But Ling Tian's attack still