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

High above, the rift in the sky tore wider. From it, the Infernal Hound forced its way through, one massive leg and a snarling head already jutting out. The beast grew agitated at the sound of Dragon Child's gleeful taunts.

"Roar! Roar!"

The earth trembled with its twin bellows. Yet the girl only stuck out her tongue at the terrifying hound before darting behind Ethan like a mischievous child hiding behind him, like he was her elder brother.

"Where in the world did you summon that thing?" Ethan asked, his gaze locked on the monstrosity in the sky. "It's not about to start chomping people, is it?"

Even to someone as battle-hardened as him, the creature's sheer size and raw force were suffocating. When its leg first thrust through the rift, it had crushed tens of thousands of Blood Clan soldiers beneath it in an instant, a slaughter greater than anything Yaya had managed through half a day of relentless fighting.

Dragon Child only giggled, her eyes sparkling. "That little girl's spirit summoning connects to a place most would never dare touch. I just gave it an opening. Don't worry, the Blood Clan reek more strongly of blood than we ever could."

A low hum rippled across the battlefield. Ethan turned sharply. Behind him, Micah let out a shrill cry, hands moving in a blur as his fingers wove arcane signs. Starlight shimmered into existence, threads of it spreading out until the entire ground was bathed in radiance. The glow intensified, turning blinding, obscuring all sight within.

"The formation is complete!" Micah shouted, his voice echoing over the chaos. "Now someone needs to feed it power. I've prepared a thousand energy nodes for you worthless souls of Clearspring City. Step up and make yourselves useful!"

The response was immediate and furious.

"What did you just say?"

"Who are you calling worthless?"

"Damn it, I'm not giving you my energy—"

Their protests cut short as one defiant man suddenly burst into flames. His screams ripped through the air as his body combusted before their eyes.

"Worthless things should remember their place," a cold voice whispered across the formation.

At once, the crowd fell silent. Everyone knew that voice belonged to Dragon-Phoenix, the Southern Beast Spirit. No one dared utter another word, not while one of their own writhed and burned alive.

A heartbeat later, the countless lights of Micah's array surged together, forming a glowing barrier that wrapped the battlefield in shimmering brilliance. A radiant gate appeared within, beckoning them forward.

"Enter," Micah commanded.

The gate yawned open. Yet while others rushed in, Yaya—still possessing Ethan's body—did not follow. Instead, willow branches stretched outward, dozens of them whipping through the air before plunging straight into Micah's grand formation.

"Boss…" Micah froze, alarm flashing across his face.

"Yaya, what are you doing?" Ethan asked, concern tightening his chest.

She gave no answer. Behind him, the colossal Tree of Life manifested, glowing with a verdant radiance. Within its crystal-like branches, essence flowed like liquid light. A surge of green mist poured forth, flooding Micah's formation. Those who stepped inside inhaled it, their eyes widening as vitality and clarity washed over them.

In mere moments, Energy wielders began dropping to the ground, sitting cross-legged, entering meditation.

"My bottleneck… it loosened!"

The shout came from Master Warg, a man long resigned to his stagnation. Now, after decades of futility, his path forward had cracked open. He was not alone; expressions of disbelief and wild joy spread through the gathered warriors. The younger ones, brimming with potential, felt the effect even more strongly.

Micah stared, dumbstruck. Then, without a word, he tossed out jade slips by the handful, each vanishing into the void. The formation trembled again, a vacuum pulling in streams of heaven-and-earth energy from every direction. He had reworked the array into a Spirit Gathering Array. Once finished, he simply found a spot, sat down, and began absorbing the energy with abandon.

The miracle did not last. Slowly, the giant tree behind Ethan faded. Within his inner world, Yaya reappeared on the lakeside island, her body limp as she collapsed to her knees. Ethan rushed to her side, catching her before she fell.

"Yaya, are you hurt?" He knew exactly what she had done. She had converted every ounce of the life force stolen from the Blood Clan into pure Source Energy and poured it all into the formation. As a Tree of Life, the energy she provided was unrivaled, opening the gates of advancement for countless people.

Even as the mist still hung thick, Ethan wondered just how far this army might now rise. For the first time, a spark of hope flickered within him. The Blood Clan consumed and destroyed, but Yaya could absorb and return. Two opposing forces set to clash.

"I'm alright, brother," Yaya whispered, smiling faintly as she pushed herself upright. "I only burned through more Source Energy than usual."

"You rest now—I'll step out for a bit." Ethan brushed his hand affectionately through wher hair.

Above, the Infernal Hound continued its brutal struggle. Half its body forced free of the rift, it was assailed by torrents of blood-red beams from the enemy formation. With a furious roar, it spewed molten lava across the Blood Clan's barrier. The searing liquid hissed as it splattered, releasing crimson steam. For a moment Ethan thought he saw the enemy's formation dim, but the effect was fleeting. The barrier still stood firm.

The beast dug its claws into the earth, tearing furrows as ice and stone melted beneath its heat. The Blood Clan soldiers caught in its thrashing were pulverized, their remains pooling into a lake of boiling blood. The sheer destructive power of the creature staggered Ethan. A twelfth-tier beast—he had never even heard of such a thing.

Dragon Child circled Bongo, her tone mocking. "So, when exactly are you going to be ready? It's been forever, and you haven't even loosened up that old fossil yet. Honestly, you're slower than Garm!"

Ethan frowned, studying Bongo. Now that Dragon Child mentioned it, the woman hadn't moved since arriving. He cast his Soul Sense downward and discovered the truth. Two narrow tunnels extended a thousand meters into the ground from beneath her feet. Scorching streams of fire ran through them, converging far below into a glowing membrane that spread across a vast area.

What is she doing down there? Ethan wondered.

Dragon Child clapped her hands together with a sly grin. "She's roasting that old turtle. Thing's been dormant for tens of thousands of years. Body's stiff, mind's lazy. Otherwise, no one could have carved a hole in him so easily. A Serpent-Turtle, blood as cold as his temperament. He froze himself down there, and now he's paying the price."

"Hmph," Bongo growled, glaring at her.

"Don't 'hmph' me," Dragon Child shot back. "With Garm stalling up top, you don't need to skulk about anymore. Use your full power and drag him out!"

For once, Bongo didn't argue. Her body ignited with heat, flames surging outward. In an instant, the temperature across the battlefield spiked, the air shimmering under her unleashed power.