The once lively, anticipatory atmosphere had turned into a dense, almost suffocating silence as **the old foggies and ancestral figures** hovered around the monolith, their faces shadowed with frustration. For hours, they had attempted various methods to enter the secret realm—infusing their auras, summoning ancient techniques, even attacking the portal with sheer force. Nothing worked. The portal remained closed to them, the energy shimmering as if mocking their efforts.
**The Crimson Emperor paced furiously,** his blood-red armor clinking with each step, eyes blazing with frustration. "Damn this cursed thing!" he snarled, slamming his fist into the air, the impact causing a tremor to ripple through the ground. "What kind of test is this, that even emperors and immortals are barred from entry?"