Although the Lord of the Universe had given them a million years when Ling Tian and the others had just broken free of his restraints, they all knew that the deadline applied to Shi Lin and the others. At the very least, Chi Xue, Ling Tian, and the rest weren't under the same restriction. In other words, their friends and family wouldn't be in danger when the million years were up. So they could afford to delay a little without it affecting their state of mind.
This time, however, things were different. The Lord of the Universe had made the final deadline clear, and once it passed, he would kill their friends and family. That left Ling Tian and the others with no way out. If they chose to abandon some of their loved ones, their state of mind would inevitably suffer. At best, their cultivation would stop progressing; at worst, they could suffer cultivation deviation or even explode and die. Either outcome would leave them little chance of rescuing their loved ones—or at least wouldn't improve their odds. That left them with only one choice: return to the Demon God Forbidden Ground and report to the Lord of the Universe before the million-year deadline.
Since they had only one choice, it was naturally the best one. Ling Tian and the others no longer needed to agonize over it, and could focus on cultivating. At least they didn't have to worry about their friends and family coming to harm before the deadline. Ling Tian still trusted the Lord of the Universe on that point, since, as far as he could tell, the man had never lied to them.
"That's right. We have only one choice: return and report before the million years are up," Ling Tian said, his smile growing