Investment Return System, Start by taking Demon Empress as a Disciple

Chapter 66: The Appearance of the Scarlet Cloud Immortal

Hearing Li Shenruo's words, the figure in the coffin was taken aback and coughed lightly to ease the awkwardness.

While he might ignore others addressing him, Li Shenruo was different. She was affiliated with that young lady, and the relationship between the two was unclear to the figure. However, anyone associated with Leng Yanran was not to be trifled with.

As a result, the figure released Wang Yan, who was struggling for breath.

"Cough, cough! I'm almost dead…"

Wang Yan crouched on the ground, clutching his throat as a fit of violent coughing overtook him. After enduring the figure's suspension and violent strikes, his head was swollen like a pig's, and his previously elegant and refined appearance had vanished completely.

After a series of coughs, Wang Yan couldn't help but cast a grateful glance at Li Shenruo. He had no doubt that if Li Shenruo hadn't pleaded on his behalf earlier, the mysterious individual wouldn't have hesitated to end his life.

"Young man, have you made up your mind? Do you want to hand over my lady's treasure, or shall I end your life and take the treasure back myself? In fact, I would prefer the latter… compared to you handing it over."

With a sinister grin, the figure's expression twisted unnaturally, making him appear even more fearsome.

In the past, whenever the secret realm opened, he would indulge in a spree of slaughter, almost treating it as a routine. However, this time, he had to stand by helplessly as thousands of exceptional individuals were before him, unable to lay a finger on them or absorb their blood and flesh. This situation left the figure feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"I'll handover, I'll handover!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yan had no time to consider anything else. Stumbling to his feet, he approached the figure and placed the Lower-Grade Earth-tier artifact he had acquired earlier on the ground. He then retreated to the side, trying his best to avoid drawing attention to himself. After all, he was currently sporting a massive pig's head, and he felt utterly embarrassed!

"I'll thank you in advance for the inconvenience, everyone!"

Seeing this, the figure sighed regretfully, feeling disappointed that he missed the opportunity to kill. He then turned his gaze to the many prodigies present.

Thousands of prodigies shivered upon hearing his words, understanding his intention. They promptly formed a line in front of the testing formation platform, placing their hands on the platform to be tested. Once they received their rewards, they respectfully presented them at the figure's feet.

The rewards for this second round were significantly more generous than the first. However, except for Wang Yan with his Heaven-tier talent, there were only a few individuals in the Northern Domain with Earth-tier potential. Most of them received rewards of Yellow-Grade treasures, and only the exceptional geniuses with Earth-tier potential were entitled to receive artifacts of Profound-Grade.

Time passed slowly, and in the blink of an eye, a small mountain of treasures had piled up before the figure once again.

"All rewards have been collected for you, Miss!"

The figure's tone was deeply respectful, as he observed the substantial rewards amassed before him. The figure in the coffin carefully stored everything in his storage pouch and respectfully approached Leng Yanran.

"Mhm."

Leng Yanran casually accepted two storage pouches, feeling quite satisfied. Ever since entering the secret realm, her gains had already filled four storage pouches. In terms of value, it was likely that even the treasuries of the four major sects in the Northern Domain couldn't match her current harvest.

Furthermore, there were still numerous demon beast corpses and puppets collecting treasures for her within the secret realm.

"Why don't you give it a try as well? As for the rewards, they belong to you."

Only then did Leng Yanran remember that apart from her, Li Shenruo hadn't tested her aptitude on the square earlier. She turned her head to Li Shenruo.

Upon hearing this, Li Shenruo expressed her gratitude with a slight nod, then walked up to the talent-testing formation platform. All eyes were on her, causing her to feel a little nervous.

She placed her hand on the formation platform, and the characters below it began to light up successively. Yellow, Profound, Earth, Heaven... Amid the astonished gazes of everyone except Wang Yan, the radiance didn't stop at Heaven-tier but continued to ascend to the Saint-tier!

"Hiss... A Saint-tier genius! I wonder if she's going to pass the assessment directly and obtain the immortal's legacy!?"

As the Saint-tier characters lit up, the entire formation platform shimmered with a golden light.

Witnessing this, Li Shenruo grew tense. However, what puzzled everyone was that the expected rewards from the formation platform hadn't descended. After everyone had their aptitude tested, the rewards should have immediately dropped from the platform. But now, Li Shenruo had achieved Saint-tier aptitude, and the rewards had yet to appear. It was indeed perplexing.

Hum— Amid the perplexed gazes of the crowd, the formation platform began to ripple. The emitted golden light suddenly condensed, and with a crack, the formation platform slowly started to rotate.

Eventually, the formation platform cracked open, revealing a treasure in the shape of a scripture book!

"Good heavens! Heaven-tier treasure! The reward for Saint-tier aptitude is actually a Heaven-tier treasure! Even in the Northern Domain, we've never seen a Heaven-tier treasure!"

For a moment, everyone's eyes widened, and their mouths hung agape.

"Heaven-tier treasures are even rare among the major forces in the Eastern Domain! I never expected Li Shenruo to obtain a Heaven-tier treasure!"

Even Wang Yan couldn't help but feel envious at the sight of the Heaven-tier treasure.

Surprisingly, Li Shenruo herself was taken aback as well. As a descendant of the Holy Mountain, she normally didn't need a Heaven-tier treasure for protection and would use, at most, an Earth-tier artifact. She never anticipated receiving a Heaven-tier treasure in this secret realm!

"Is this the aura of a Heaven-tier treasure? It seems rather weak…"

Suddenly, a voice sounded by Li Shenruo's ear. Turning around, she noticed that Leng Yanran had appeared behind her at some point, observing the revealed Heaven-tier treasure and muttering to herself.

Upon hearing this, Li Shenruo twitched her lips, finding it amusing that a Heaven-tier treasure could be considered weak. It was the first time she had heard such a remark. However, in her heart, Leng Yanran compared the Heaven-tier treasure she held to the profound yellow ruler her master had produced that day. The two were worlds apart!

This comparison confirmed one thing for Leng Yanran: her master's profound yellow ruler was undoubtedly of transcendent-grade, exceeding Heaven-tier.

As everyone marveled at the Heaven-tier treasure, an ethereal figure emerged from within the Scarlet Cloud Immortal Palace.

"After more than five thousand years, has someone finally accepted my legacy? Hm? There are actually two geniuses with Saint-tier aptitude!"

The remnant soul of the Scarlet Cloud Immortal drifted out of the Scarlet Cloud Immortal Palace and towards the square, immediately capturing everyone's attention.

"Is this the Scarlet Cloud Immortal?"

"You know, do you guys think this Scarlet Cloud Immortal looks familiar?"

"You know, I think I've seen this Scarlet Cloud Immortal somewhere before. Could it be that I have a connection with this Scarlet Cloud Immortal as well?"

"Hiss... Wait a minute!"