CHAPTER 397: RUNNING AWAY

His aura flared as he saw what Apollo’s intentions were and attacked.

BOOM—!!

The sky split open.

The clouds above the ancestral land were blown apart, and the entire Titanbone basin trembled violently as the sheer pressure of the being’s divine fury came crashing down like a collapsing world.

His voice, like thunder wrapped in law, echoed through space:

"You will not take them!"

In that moment, he moved.

A colossal hand, born of power surpassing divine essence and layered in rule of power, materialised above Apollo. Each of its fingers radiated with raw force—each one heavy enough to crush cities, and together, they descended to erase Apollo from existence.

Apollo looked up, eyes narrowing.

He didn’t try to block it. Even if he could, he would still be injured, and it didn’t make sense to battle such a powerful entity. His main focus was to run.

But Apollo had already prepared for this.

He clenched his fist, and in that instant, his divine energy surged along with his boiling blood. "I’m not fighting you... old thing."

Then—

He moved.

TSSSSHHHH—!!

And seemed to tear the layer of space like a sheet, creating a space storm that seemed to envelop the ancestral land.

It wasn’t teleportation. It wasn’t divine space manipulation.

It was a forced rupture—tearing a hole into unstable spatial layers, creating a violent, unpredictable space storm that exploded outward.

The colossal hand slammed down—

But Apollo was already gone.

Just before the hand struck, Apollo’s body vanished into the storm, along with half-unconscious geniuses, wrapped in divine light and spatial rules.

The impact came a breath too late.

BOOOOOOOOM—!!!

The entire basin exploded, collapsing into itself as divine shockwaves swallowed the land. Runes shattered. Statues cracked. Even the thirty-six Titan statues flickered and dimmed.

The Titan Creator stood silent above the ruin, eyes closed.

He hadn’t failed.

But neither had he won.

He slowly opened his eyes, looking toward the swirling void where Apollo had vanished.

"Such talent appeared outside... Looks like this is finally all going to end."

Then his gaze drifted upward, beyond the clouds, beyond the continent, toward the heavens themselves. And then the statue closed his eyes and stopped moving, and the worshipping ceremony continued with the remaining geniuses.

Outside, the crowd from all over the northern continent also felt a terrifying power that leaked from the ancestral land where Apollo and the ancient being collided.

For one blinding moment, a pressure had descended upon their souls. Not their bodies—their will. A divine, ancient presence so overwhelming that many among them fell to their knees, trembling uncontrollably.

Some warriors vomited blood. Others passed out. A few cultivators with fragile spirits went into deep comas.

It wasn’t an attack.

It was just a leak—a ripple from the collision between Apollo and the ancient being.

One that had pierced the veil of mortality and immortality.

Thomas and the guardian also silently left the place, as when Apollo ran, he had already sent a sound transmission to two to leave the Titanbone clan territory. And which they obeyed.

And now after some time, both of them appeared some distance away from the Titanbone clan’s territory. It was a secluded location veiled by natural formation, a place even most cultivators wouldn’t stumble upon unless they had keen senses.

"What happened? Why did Master ask us to leave?" Thomas couldn’t help but ask the guardian, but the guardian remained silent, like he didn’t hear his words.

Thomas frowned. He could feel it—something had gone terribly wrong.

And then—

FSSHHH—!!!

The air above them ripped open with a thunderous hiss, and a jagged space-tear split the sky like a bleeding wound.

From it descended a storm of chaotic spatial energy—followed by a blinding beam of divine light.

BOOM—!!

Apollo appeared, dropping from the rift in mid-air, his coat flaring around him, his body surrounded by crackling divine energy and blood-stained sword threads. In his arms and floating behind him were twenty unconscious geniuses, each encased in a soft cocoon of energy.

The moment they landed, Apollo snapped his fingers and closed the spatial tear behind him, sealing off the distortion as if it had never existed.

Thomas stared, eyes wide. "Master!"

Apollo didn’t answer immediately.

He landed, steady but weary, his body radiating heat and lingering sword energy. His gaze swept the surroundings once, ensuring they weren’t followed. Only after a few breaths did he finally speak.

His voice was hoarse but composed. "We’re safe. For now."

Thomas looked at the unconscious group behind him, his face pale. "What... happened inside?"

Apollo let out a slow breath and closed his eyes.

"Something that shouldn’t exist," he said quietly. After saying that he didn’t say anything much, "Just know there are some terrifying creatures within the ancestral land of the Titanbone clan."

He still couldn’t believe there was such a terrifying entity present there, and although it wasn’t a real body, it was still terrifying. But it was apparently clear that there are too many monsters and mysteries hidden on Rion.

It seems he cannot be satisfied; he needed to improve his strength, he needed to improve his understanding of his rules of sword and even improve his realm to quickly reach eternal God level; maybe only then can he truly face the transcendent beings.

Just behind him, Thomas glanced at the unconscious bodies of the twenty rescued geniuses, still surrounded by Apollo’s protective divine energy. Some of them were twitching faintly, beginning to recover. Others were still deathly pale, as if trapped in dreams they couldn’t escape.

He broke the silence.

"Master... why would you bring them here?"

He paused, scratched his head, then added with half-joking disbelief:

"Don’t tell me... You’re planning to kidnap them and ask for ransom from the major forces of the northern continent?"

Apollo blinked once.

Then turned his gaze toward Thomas with a flat expression.

"...Do I look like I need some ransom money?"

Thomas coughed. "Uh, no."

Apollo sighed, walking toward one of the unconscious figures, inspecting the condition of the energy within them.

"They were being used as fuel or something similar. Their bloodlines were being forcefully awakened and devoured by that ancient thing. If I hadn’t stepped in, they would’ve either become mindless vessels... or worse."