As the ten-thousand-year deadline agreed upon by the Lord of the Universe and Ling Tian drew to within a century, Ling Tian and the others had grown far stronger than before. What excited Ling Tian most was that Ling Chou and the others had reached the peak of the Thirty-fifth Heaven of Near-Saint. This would undoubtedly give them much greater ability to protect themselves and, of course, a better chance of safeguarding their friends and family. They would also pose a greater threat to the Lord of the Universe.
It made sense. The stronger Ling Chou and the others became, the better they could protect Ling Tian and those around him. That meant Ling Tian would no longer need to spare so much attention to look after everyone, and could focus more of it on dealing with the Lord of the Universe. Besides, Ling Chou and the others were powerful enough to pose a substantial threat to him. All of this would give Ling Tian a better chance of withstanding the Lord of the Universe's universal suppression and defeating him.
"It's a pity that less than a century remains of the ten-thousand-year extension the Lord of the Universe announced last time. Chou'er and the others probably won't have a chance to get infinitely close to the Saint level. There's still a considerable gap between that realm and the Thirty-fifth Heaven of Near-Saint. If they could get infinitely close to the Saint level, they'd be much better able to protect themselves, and it would be easier for them to safeguard our friends and family later." Ling Tian sighed and lifted his gaze to the sky. "I just don't know whether the Lord of the Universe will keep delaying things. If he does, then none of these problems will be problems anymore."