Tens of millions of years passed. Although there was still no sign of Ling Tian's cultivation breaking through, his strength had improved considerably. In particular, compressing his Small World to the utmost had greatly enhanced his control over his mind. As a result, the power of the various secret arts he used—and the degree to which his Small World had become a universe—had both improved significantly. This also gave him greater confidence in defeating the Lord of the Universe and rescuing his friends and family.
What delighted Ling Tian even more was that more than a hundred experts around him had reached the point of being infinitely close to sainthood. Many other cultivators were also showing unmistakable signs of a breakthrough. Unless something unexpected happened, quite a few of them would break through and stabilize their cultivation before Ling Tian fought the Lord of the Universe. In other words, they too would reach a level infinitely close to sainthood.
More than a hundred cultivators nearing sainthood far exceeded Ling Tian and the others' original expectations. None of them had become Saints, but according to the Eastern Emperor Bell, their strength was no weaker than that of ordinary Saints. With their help, they would naturally have a good chance of defeating the Lord of the Universe when the time came. This was especially true now that Ling Tian had a means of threatening the Lord of the Universe, allowing him to negotiate and see his friends and family, then protect them inside his Small World. Perhaps Ling Tian still lacked the confidence to defeat the Lord of the Universe outright, but he was confident he could withstand the Lord of the Universe's universal suppression for a time. That meant his friends and family would be perfectly safe hiding in his Small