"I need to know where you obtained the contents inside this jade box."
Seeing that the bartender was willing to cooperate, Water Wuhen no longer pressed him and instead began to ask.
According to the notes left by the Fallen Soul Master he had killed, the fragment of Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow had been obtained from this person. So the man in front of him was highly likely to know something about it—or even be its original owner.
"The thing inside?"
Hearing this, the bartender was slightly stunned, then smiled and said, "So you want to know about that. I picked it up somewhere nearby. It looked a bit unusual, so I put it in a box, thinking it might be some kind of treasure."
Although Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow was a top-tier ice-attribute natural treasure, very few people knew of it. Even Water Wuhen had only learned about it from an ancient book.
Both the bartender and the Fallen Soul Master named Saien only knew that the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow was likely a treasure, but they had no idea what it was truly used for.
Moreover, the conditions for the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow were extremely harsh—it required an ice-attribute Soul Master. However, neither of them were ice-attribute Soul Masters, so to them, its significance was actually limited.
Hearing this, Water Wuhen felt a surge of excitement inside. It really was near Dragon City.
But no matter what he felt inside, his expression remained calm. He said indifferently, "Take me there!"
"This…"
Hearing this, the bartender hesitated. He was afraid that after taking Water Wuhen there, he would be killed to silence him.
After all, he himself was not exactly a good person. Although he had hidden his identity for many years, before that he had been quite famous among the Fallen Soul Masters. Otherwise, how could he have been associated with Saien?
Of course, Water Wuhen could see his concerns. Seeing his hesitation, he immediately let out a cold snort. "If you don't go, I'll kill you right now. If you go, at least you can still live for now."
"Hey, friend, don't you think that's going too far?"
At that moment, a customer suddenly slammed the table and stood up, pointing at Water Wuhen and shouting angrily, "He already said he doesn't want to go. Why are you forcing him? Bartender, don't be afraid, I'll stand up for you—"
However, before he could even finish the word "you," a blade of icy blue light was already pressed against his throat.
This made him swallow nervously, along with the rest of his words.
"People who don't know how to speak should just shut up. Do you think you're qualified to defend a Fallen Soul Master?"
Water Wuhen said coldly, his eyes ice-cold.
"Fallen Soul Master?"
At these words, the entire room erupted in shock. Even the customer who had tried to step forward turned pale, his expression alternating between green and white.
None of them had expected that the bartender they had known for years—who always appeared gentle and courteous—would actually be a Fallen Soul Master hunted across the continent.
One had to know, the criteria for being labeled a Fallen Soul Master were extremely strict. Ordinary wrongdoing or eccentric behavior would not qualify.
Only those who had committed atrocities that enraged both gods and men would be labeled as Fallen Soul Masters by the Spirit Hall and placed under pursuit.
In an instant, everyone's gaze toward the tavern changed. Some of the quicker-reacting people had already started running.
Seeing this scene, the bartender's expression changed repeatedly. His identity had been exposed, which meant he could no longer stay in this city. Years of hiding had also been completely ruined.
Without any hesitation, the bartender's body turned into a black streak as he fled out of the tavern.
During this process, he released his spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, and two black. He was actually a Soul Emperor.
"Damn it, how did this happen?"
The bartender was extremely furious. Originally, he had planned to lure Water Wuhen and Water Bing'er to a remote location controlled by their Fallen Soul Masters, where the situation would no longer be under Water Wuhen's control.
But now everything had changed. His identity being exposed meant that the entire city would become his enemy, and even the Spirit Hall might carry out a purge.
So now, he had only one choice left—escape.
At the same time, he began to resent Saien. If Saien hadn't acted rashly and exposed himself, there was no way his carefully hidden identity would have been discovered.
"Don't even think about it! First soul skill—Ice Seal!"
Seeing the bartender attempting to escape, Water Bing'er immediately activated her first soul skill.
In an instant, a chilling aura surged toward the bartender, while his instincts began to sound alarm bells like crazy.
The bartender quickly changed direction, trying to dodge Water Bing'er's Ice Seal.
But Water Bing'er's Ice Seal was not so easy to avoid. Even though he reacted extremely quickly and changed direction immediately, he was still frozen into an ice block in the end.
The reason was simple—Water Bing'er had simultaneously released multiple Ice Seal attacks, sealing off almost all of his escape routes. Unless he could fly, there was no direction he could take to avoid being frozen.
Seeing this, Water Wuhen gave Water Bing'er a thumbs up. "Bing'er, well done."
Although with his speed the bartender had virtually no chance of escaping, Water Bing'er's reaction was indeed commendable. It seemed her increased spiritual power had also enhanced her reflexes.
Hearing the praise, Water Bing'er smiled slightly. She had finally been able to help her brother.
Thud—
At this moment, the customer finally collapsed to the ground, then fled the scene like a madman.
Next, Water Wuhen walked up to the ice block sealing the bartender.
At this moment, the ice block was showing signs of cracking due to the bartender's continuous struggles. But when he saw Water Wuhen approaching, despair flashed in his eyes.
With Water Wuhen here, escape was impossible. And now that his identity as a Fallen Soul Master had been exposed, high-level Soul Masters would soon gather here.
"Since that's the case… none of you are leaving!"
The bartender gritted his teeth, his expression turning ferocious as the energy inside his body became increasingly violent.
"You're trying to self-destruct?"
Seeing this, Water Wuhen raised an eyebrow and placed his hand beneath the ice block.
In the next moment, an even colder energy surged into the bartender's body, instantly calming the violent energy within him—and even slowing it down further than before.
Extreme cold could slow molecular motion, even bring it to a halt. Although this world was composed of elemental forces, the effect was similar.
Ordinary ice-attribute Soul Masters would not be able to stop a self-destruction. But Water Wuhen's ice came from Articuno—it could be said to be the highest-level ice attribute in this world, naturally capable of achieving such a feat.
However, at this moment, Water Wuhen frowned while looking at the bartender.
Although he could suppress the self-destruction, he could not make a person who had already decided to self-destruct speak. Was he really going to search the entire Dragon City bit by bit?
"Brother, maybe I can make him talk!"