Heaven dots a bronze mirror worth a thousand gold; a hand holds a blue lamp to light the eyes

“What? Do you also think the environment in this Secret Realm is better than outside, Fellow Daoist Wu, and have no wish to break the shackles of these restrictive wards and return to your sect or lineage to cultivate?”

Mo Chen asked with feigned nonchalance, though he was actually sounding out the woman surnamed Wu once more.

"Not at all. I would like nothing better than to destroy these restrictive wards and the person who placed them. Why would I cradle them like some treasure? It is just that their strength fluctuates. Their defenses are astonishing during the day, but they become easier to deal with after nightfall. If you do not believe me, you can go upstairs and see for yourself."

With that, the woman surnamed Wu picked up a spirit fruit and began chewing it in small bites.

Mo Chen stood on no ceremony after hearing this. He left the hall and headed upstairs.

Seeing this, the woman surnamed Wu also set down her spirit fruit. Her expression shifted, and she followed him.

The stairs felt no different underfoot from an ordinary wooden staircase, creaking with every step as though they might snap at any moment.

Yet in the cultivation world, even a wooden staircase could be forcibly shaped with wood-element spells. It should not have made such noises at all.

Could this wooden staircase... also be part of the restrictive wards?

Mo Chen kept an extra measure of caution in mind, but his steps did not stop as he slowly ascended to the second floor of the Spirit Ascension Tower.

The first floor of the Spirit Ascension Tower had been brightly lit, yet the second was pitch-black.

Something was strange!

Mo Chen's expression shifted. Without another word, he drew his Divine Sense from his mind and swept