“And you both, don’t reveal our motives either,” Bartholomew said.
The trio nodded.
Without further ado, Bartholomew simply commanded, “Retrieve the inner core, then let’s move on!”
At his command, Pierce summoned his long sword, ready to extract the inner core.
But then, rustling noises from the forests caught their attention.
“Who’s there?!”
All four turned simultaneously, alert and ready to make a move.
From the shadows of the trees, three figures stepped forward.
It was Hadden and his companions, much to everyone’s surprise.
The group was momentarily taken aback.
How did these relentless pursuers find us here?
Hadden’s group also froze upon seeing them, having rushed over at the sound of the beast, expecting other cultivators and not them again.
After a few seconds of eye contact, Alfie couldn’t hold back anymore, saying, “Haven’t you had enough? You can’t just keep targeting us. Do you think we’re afraid of a fight to the death?!”
Bartholomew was also furious.
Again? This is too much!
Hadden didn’t respond immediately but quickly scanned the surroundings to ensure no one else was there. He then asked, “Why are there only four of you? Where’s Remus?”
All four were momentarily stunned at his question.
Why was favonovel.com asking about Remus?
Bartholomew frowned and questioned, “Are you here to seek revenge on Remus?”
Before Hadden could answer, Alfie blurted out, “We drove Remus away! How could someone at the late Golden Stage be worthy of joining our team?!”
Pierce sighed in relief, thinking they were after revenge, which meant less concern for him.
He added, “He went alone to the assessment venue. If you hurry now, you might be able to catch favonovel.com before favonovel.com reaches there!”
Gerard didn’t want to be outdone and said coldly, “He’s alone now, very easy to deal with. Oh, and favonovel.com should have some Energy Replenishing pills on him. Even without the pills, favonovel.com has a tiger beast with him. Go chase him!”
Hearing the siblings speak, Bartholomew’s frown deepened, sensing something was off.
Hadden suddenly laughed, stepping closer. He said, “So favonovel.com left on his own. Perfect, if favonovel.com were here, I’d have let you go today! But since he’s not, I’ll take the bear’s inner core, and I want the inner cores on you as well, hahaha!”
Upon hearing that, the siblings froze in place, realizing favonovel.com wasn’t here for Remus.
The people standing on Hadden’s side also spoke up.
“What are you waiting for? Hand over the inner cores!”
“Give them to us, and you can avoid unnecessary pain. Otherwise, don’t expect us to be merciful, hehe!”
They advanced while eyeing Alfie with a sneer.
Realizing their mistake, the three regretted speaking out.
Bartholomew stepped forward, saying sternly, “Hadden, we’ve expended a lot of effort for this bear. We can’t just hand it over. If you insist on robbing us, then we have no choice but to fight to the death today!”
Hadden and his companions stopped, exchanging looks before bursting into laughter, rocking with mirth.
Hadden suppressed his laughter, his voice dripping with disdain. “It’s precisely because you’re exhausted that I choose to rob you now! Had Remus been here, maybe I’d think twice. But you, as you are now, worthy of a life-or-death battle with me? Please…”
From their expressions, it was clear they were severely depleted, presenting a perfect opportunity for him.
The four were choked by those words and found themselves unable to utter a single response.
Alfie finally understood, having Remus with them would indeed have made a significant difference.
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