Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!

The heavens and earth shook violently, the ground buckling beneath their feet as cracks spiderwebbed across the ice. The air itself quivered, the barrier around them rippling like disturbed water. Even the most battle-hardened among them faltered, shaken to their core by the sheer magnitude of the upheaval. No one knew what was happening, only that it was growing worse by the second.

Ethan fixed his gaze on the pillar of crimson light at the heart of the Blood Clan's formation.

Ohm…

The pillar throbbed, vibrating with a violence that matched the trembling of the world itself. A new anomaly revealed itself: blood energy was spilling outward in waves. Until now, it had been fully contained within the column, tightly compressed, restrained. But its eruption could only mean one thing—the pillar had reached its limit.

"This is bad," Ethan muttered under his breath, his heart pounding. Micah's earlier warning echoed in his mind. The creature slumbering beneath the ice—the Serpent-Turtle of legend—might not be able to endure this strain much longer. If it failed, they were all doomed.

"Little girl!" Dragon Child suddenly reached out and yanked Dana closer.

"Huh? Me?" Dana blinked, startled at being called "little girl" by someone who looked much younger than herself.

"I heard you can open portals to other realms. You can summon creatures, can't you?" Dragon Child asked, lips curved in a small, calm smile.

"Mhm," Dana nodded quickly. "But the creatures I summon are weak—low-tier beasts, not worth much."

"That's fine," Dragon Child said, still smiling, though her eyes carried an edge. "Just open a portal. Let me see."

"Oh… alright!" Dana raised her hands. After a tense moment, a purplish-black rift tore open above them, its jagged edges glowing faintly. From within, waves of lesser magical beasts spilled out—Tier One and Tier Two monsters, clawing and shrieking as they tumbled into this world.

Dragon Child lifted her hand, a flicker of blue light sparking in her palm before she cast it into the rift. Her brow furrowed, then slowly eased as though she had found what she was searching for. She turned back to Dana

"I'm going in. Keep this rift stable—don't let it close on me." Her words were firm, leaving no room for argument. Then, without waiting for a reply, her body flickered and vanished.

Dana gasped, craning her neck to the sky as Dragon Child's figure appeared for a heartbeat beneath the rift before vanishing again, swallowed whole. She had crossed into the other side. Dana bit her lip, her hands trembling slightly as she held the portal open. Whatever Dragon Child was after, it had to be vital.

Minutes dragged by. The battlefield grew bloodier. Mutated Blood Clan swarmed in greater numbers, and the defenders of the Forgotten City were crumbling under the weight of their assault. The retreat was already being prepared—no one could hold out much longer.

"Kid, we can't keep this up!" Shaw Zilo roared, skewering a Blood Clan warrior on his spear before bursting through the ranks to reach Ethan. He was drenched in gore, his massive frame steaming in the frigid air. The stench of blood clung to him like a cloak, making Ethan's stomach tighten. "Let's retreat together! If we stay, none of us will make it out alive!"

Ethan's eyes narrowed. He knew Shaw was right. Dragon Child had plunged into the rift, leaving him with the impossible task of holding the line until she returned. She had promised reinforcements, but how long would that take? If they didn't retreat now, they might not get another chance.

"Brother, let me fight." Yaya's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

Ethan froze, his pulse leaping. This was the first time she had ever volunteered. She wouldn't speak unless she was certain. "How?" he asked.

"Brother just needs to hand me control of his body."

Ethan didn't hesitate. "Alright." He turned his head and bellowed, "Julian! Cover the retreat! Get the Forgotten City's people out of here!"

Then he withdrew his consciousness into his Mindscape. His body went slack, floating mid-air for a moment before beginning to fall.

Shaw Zilo, right beside him, saw it happen. He caught Ethan by the arm, startled. "Thank you!" he said gruffly, hearing Ethan's retreat order. But in the next instant, Ethan's arm slipped from his grasp like a vine sliding through his fingers. Shaw shivered. Something about the look in Ethan's eyes had changed—they were childlike, almost innocent, yet carried a deep, ancient weariness that unsettled him.

"No… it's nothing," Shaw muttered, landing heavily on the ground.

Boom.

The crash made his head snap up. Behind Ethan, a colossal willow tree erupted into being, its roots tearing through the void. It towered over the battlefield, its drooping branches stretching endlessly. This wasn't the phantom Tree Form Ethan usually concealed within himself. This was real, tangible, and terrifying.

Endless willow branches lashed outward, shooting through the air like spears. They impaled Blood Clan warriors in droves, ripping through their ranks in a relentless storm.

Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.

Even more horrifying, every enemy touched by the branches shriveled in an instant, their bodies collapsing into desiccated husks before crumbling into ash. The branches turned translucent as rivers of blood surged through them, flowing back into the great willow's trunk. The Tree of Life was drinking deeply.

Inside his Mindscape, Ethan watched in stunned silence. He hadn't known the tree could do this—drain enemies of their very life force. It wasn't just a weapon. It was a predator. And Yaya… she was reveling in it.

"Brother, can I keep this vital essence for myself?" her voice asked, light but eager.

"Yes—yes! Take it all! Kill as many as you can!" Ethan stammered.

She didn't answer. She didn't need to. The colossal willow surged, its canopy stretching until it shadowed nearly a third of the battlefield. Branches whipped across the field in waves, striking down the Blood Clan without pause. None escaped, not even those on the outskirts. Her branches moved like living tentacles, wrapping, skewering, draining, and discarding in the span of heartbeats.

The human defenders stood in stunned silence as their enemies turned to husks, then to ash. The air was thick with drifting black flakes. Ethan hovered before the great willow, his long black hair stirring though there was no wind, his gaze cold and inhuman. To the Blood Clan, he must have looked like a demon god descended, their terror incarnate.

"Did I see that right?" Julian muttered, leading his men in retreat, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

"I wish you hadn't," Shaw Zilo said, voice low and heavy, his gaze locked on Ethan's back. His heart sank with the weight of what he saw. Something monumental was changing in the Sea of Death, and the world might never be the same again.