The ripples on the lake surface gradually smoothed out. The surrounding chill seemed to intensify in that very moment. On the lakeshore, some of the cultivators were already harboring thoughts of retreat. They had lost the desire to clash with the Frost Python any further. It was simply too cunning and too terrifying. Even a cultivator at the 12th Layer of Qi Condensation had perished instantly in its maw; how could they, who were at lower stages of Qi Condensation, ever hope to contend with it? They would be nothing more than a snack to fill the Frost Python's belly.
Yes, just to fill its belly! One person surely wouldn't be enough to satisfy it. With this thought, those who wished to retreat began to edge slowly backward. The burly man noticed their movements and narrowed his eyes, glaring at them. "What are you trying to do? Deserting in the face of battle?"
"What do you mean, deserting? We only formed a temporary alliance. We don't want to participate anymore; what's wrong with leaving?" The burly man's gaze was oppressive, but someone still had the audacity to meet his stare and shout back. It was true, as the man said: they were only loosely affiliated, with no real binding constraints. Whether they stayed or left was entirely a matter of personal choice.
Chapter 186