"Ning frost!"
Shen Tianzheng was terrified by the sudden turn of events!
He lunged towards his daughter's bed, his voice trembling violently from extreme fear!
Shen Ning霜's pretty face, which had just regained a hint of color, was now rapidly turning pale, even… purplish, at a speed visible to the naked eye!
A thin, crystalline layer of frost began to rapidly condense on her delicate skin!
Meanwhile, the life-sign monitor, which had been continuously connected, let out an ear-piercing "beep, beep, beep" alarm!
On the screen, the curves representing heart rate and blood pressure plummeted wildly, like a cliff!
How was this an improvement?
This was clearly a sign of her condition rapidly worsening, on the verge of perishing!
Shen Tianzheng's heart, which had just been pounding with hope, plunged into an abyss at that moment!
He abruptly turned his head and stared intently at Ling Tian, who also had a drastically changed expression and a look of bewilderment, with eyes full of despair and a final sliver of hope!
His voice was thick with a crying plea!
"Immortal! Please look! What… what exactly is going on?!"
At this moment, a colossal wave also surged in Ling Tian's heart!
"How could this be?!"
"How could the cold energy within this Mystic Yin Body suddenly become so overbearing? Even this Emperor's True Qi can't suppress it anymore?"
He tried again to transfer True Qi into Shen Ning霜's body.
As a result, that wisp of True Qi not only failed to successfully guide and suppress the rampaging cold energy…
Instead, like a clay ox entering the sea, it was instantly completely devoured and assimilated by that even more terrifying cold current!
That cold energy even showed faint signs of backlashing against his remnant soul!
He could clearly feel that the vitality within Shen Ning霜's body was rapidly draining away at an extremely terrifying speed!
If this continued, in less than half an incense stick's time, her body, a rare supreme cauldron found once in ten thousand years, would likely be completely cold!
"No! Absolutely not!"
"This Emperor's cauldron! This Emperor's hope for a comeback! It must not be destroyed like this!"
"And by my own hands?"
But the current situation was completely beyond his control!
With his current meager cultivation, trying to forcibly suppress this rampaging cold energy was simply a fool's dream!
As things stood, there was only… a flicker of cunning and ruthlessness in Ling Tian's eyes!
To conceal his incompetence and to perfectly shift this blame!
He forcibly suppressed the shock and panic in his heart.
On his face, he once again put on a profound and indifferent expression, even stroking his non-existent beard in a pretentious manner.
Afterward, he slowly spoke to Shen Tianzheng, who was already at a loss, in a tone of "everything is under control," beginning his blame-shifting performance!
"Master Shen, please don't be anxious."
"Your esteemed daughter's current condition, though seemingly perilous, is actually a normal phenomenon that will inevitably occur during the treatment process."
"This is a detoxification reaction after fighting poison with poison, and the clash between good and evil!"
"It's just that…"
He changed the subject, and a hint of solemnity and difficulty appeared on his face at just the right moment.
"The profound yin cold jade within your esteemed daughter's body is even more overbearing and stubborn than this Venerable One imagined."
"To completely eradicate it, relying solely on this Venerable One's power might still be slightly insufficient."
"Unless…"
He paused, then continued in an arcane tone that only an "extraordinary master" could utter:
"Unless, we can immediately find a supreme treasure of heaven and earth that contains the power of ultimate yang and ultimate rigidity!"
"Using the power it generates to neutralize and dissolve the terrifying cold energy of ultimate yin and ultimate cold within your esteemed daughter's body!"
"Otherwise, even if this Venerable One sacrifices a thousand years of cultivation, I fear I can only resign myself to fate."
His words were a mix of truth and falsehood, both real and illusory!
He perfectly shifted his powerlessness to "insufficient external force."
But he didn't completely fabricate it either.
If there was a treasure containing ultimate yang power now, he could indeed try to guide and neutralize these two energies, thereby alleviating Shen Ning霜's symptoms.
These words were utterly watertight, leaving no room for fault-finding!
After hearing him, how could Shen Tianzheng have any doubts?
He immediately asked with an urgent voice, like a drowning person grasping at the last straw:
"Then… where can I find this supreme treasure of ultimate yang and ultimate rigidity?"
He had already made up his mind that as long as Ling Tian could name it!
He would spare no expense, mobilize all the power of the entire Shen Family, and find that treasure in the shortest possible time!
However!
Facing Shen Tianzheng's hopeful gaze, Ling Tian slowly shook his head.
If he could find it, he would have gone himself long ago, why would he be here?
"Alas…"
"Such spiritual objects of heaven and earth are inherently things that can be encountered but not sought, so how could they be easily found in the mortal world?"
"What's more…"
He glanced at Shen Ning霜 on the bed, whose breath was weak and whose body surface was covered with more and more frost, and said in a deep voice:
"Your esteemed daughter's current state is already at its last gasp, on the verge of death."
"Even if that supreme treasure could truly be found now, I fear it would be like distant water unable to quench a near thirst, too late."
"Unless…"
"Unless a god descends from heaven, otherwise, it's beyond saving."
Ling Tian's words, like the most merciless heavy hammer, struck Shen Tianzheng's heart!
They completely and cruelly extinguished the last flicker of hope that had just ignited in his heart!
"Oh, heavens! Do you… do you really want to destroy my Shen Family?!"
Despair instantly covered Shen Tianzheng's aged face!
He collapsed to the ground with a "thud," tears streaming down his face, letting out uncontrollable wails of sorrow!
And Ling Tian?
Looking at Shen Tianzheng's distraught appearance, although he also felt immense regret and unwillingness at the impending loss of a supreme cauldron.
But more than that, he was… preparing to slip away and make a quick exit!
This was not a place to stay long!
If he stayed any longer, and if the girl really died in front of him, he would truly be stuck with the blame!
"So be it! It seems this opportunity with the Shen Family is not meant for this Emperor."
"As for that profound yin cold jade? I'll steal it another day!"
"The main priority is to first find a way to get those two female university students!"
He secretly calculated in his heart, preparing to find an excuse like "this humble Daoist has done his best, please accept your sorrow," and then make a run for it.
Just in this oppressive atmosphere filled with despair and sadness.
A lazy voice, with a hint of playfulness, suddenly drifted in from the doorway.
"Ultimate yang and ultimate rigidity?"
"Master Shen, why bother searching far and wide?"
"Perhaps, the treasure you are looking for…"
"Is far away in the sky, yet close at hand?"