After some time had passed.

A middle-aged man with a white beard, dressed in a long robe adorned with numerous star patterns, stood outside the secret realm, overlooking the scene below.

Below him lay four cultivators with tear-streaked faces: Sun Swallowing Immortal Lord, Qinghe Immortal Lord, Feiliu Immortal Lord, and Zhang Wei.

They cried incessantly, tears flowing like a breached dam. As their cries grew louder, the many trees within the secret realm began to show cold, indifferent faces on their trunks.