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

Long Chapter

—-

Ethan’s mind raced as the situation spiraled further out of control.

"Luna, out!"

He had deliberately avoided using the Twilight War Spear during the fight with Harrison earlier. He had promised someone he would bring the old bastard back alive, and Luna tended to go a little overboard when unleashed. Now, though, he had no idea whether Harrison had even survived the aftermath. The odds were not good.

Which meant there was no longer any reason to hold back.

Whatever this so-called Temple Master was down there had to be worse than Harrison.

Silver light burst into existence as Luna materialized in his grip. The seven-foot spear gleamed coldly in the dim air as Ethan continued plummeting down the shaft of the spire. Normally, launching an attack mid-fall would be reckless, but with Force Synchronization he did not need solid ground to strike.

"Serpent’s Coil Strike!"

He twisted the spear between his palms, sending it spinning so fast that it resembled a drill. The air shrieked as the weapon rotated, and the space around the spearhead began to shudder violently. A vortex formed around the whirling tip, tearing open a vacuum zone several yards wide.

"Go."

Ethan slapped the base of the spear and the weapon rocketed downward.

Broken stone, shattered beams, and clouds of dust were pulled into the spiraling force of the attack, wrapping around the spear like a raging dragon of debris.

WHOOOOOSH.

The sound alone was terrifying.

Ethan watched it descend, his eyes blazing. Even he had no clear idea how many skills he had compressed into that single strike. Ever since mastering the Primordial Forging Art, his body had begun to feel almost bottomless. He poured skill energy into the attack, layered it again and again, then fused it all together with the forging technique.

This was everything he had, his strongest strike yet.

The entire spire trembled violently. Far below, the howling aura of resentment that had filled the depths was shredded apart by the spiraling vortex. Within seconds Ethan could not sense that malignant presence at all.

Then a voice exploded inside his skull.

"Kid, RUN."

The roar carried raw panic, terror, and despair.

Ethan blinked in mid-fall.

"Catfish? What, my attack won’t kill whatever’s down there?"

The Dragon of Consumption had spoken to him many times before, but never in that tone.

"There is no time. Go. That strike may not kill it, but it will release something far worse."

The dragon’s voice was shaking.

"It has been bothering me since we arrived here. Something felt familiar. Now I remember."

For the first time since Ethan had known him, the dragon sounded genuinely afraid.

"What thing?"

Ethan was already moving upward. When he launched Luna he had dropped to the fifth level of the tower, but the spear itself had plunged all the way to the bottom.

"Just run. You have doomed us both."

The dragon’s voice was becoming frantic, almost hysterical.

Ethan had never heard him like this. Whatever lay below must be something truly terrifying.

He took the warning seriously. Energy surged through his feet as a vortex spun beneath them. The first tier of the Primordial Forging Art activated, the Bubbling Spring acupoints opening fully.

That was how he flew now.

Combined with his Travel Form, his body grew light as a feather as he shot upward through the broken interior of the tower.

Then an explosion erupted below.

BOOM.

At the same moment a scream tore through his mind.

"AHHHH!"

It was Luna’s voice filled with pure terror.

"Luna!"

The connection vanished instantly.

Gone.

"Master, run, don’t—"

Her voice cut off mid-sentence.

Silence filled his mind.

From far below, a low chant slowly rose through the shattered tower.

"Any non-human that gains sentience is a demon. Demons must be slain. Boundless Buddha..."

Every syllable dripped with hatred. It was not simple anger but something older and colder, a cosmic kind of resentment.

Ethan stopped ascending.

The Dragon if Consumption screamed at him to keep running, but he ignored it.

"Shut up."

That bond he shared with Luna had simply vanished, as if someone had reached in and erased it. At that moment nothing else mattered.

She had been with him since the very beginning. She was impulsive and talkative, yes, but when things truly mattered she had always been reliable. She was not just a legendary weapon, she was his greatest ally.

How many times had she saved his life? Without her he would have died a hundred times over.

He had stopped seeing her as a weapon long ago. To him she was family. She called him Master, but in his mind she had always been more like a little sister.

That scream still echoed in his head. Whatever horror the dragon had warned him about, Ethan was ready to tear it apart.

And there was still a chance, however small, that Luna had only been sealed. If he could find her and break whatever binding held her, that lively little girl might still return.

A black figure suddenly shot upward from the depths of the tower.

The man was dragging someone behind him, a limp body in purple robes.

Harrison.

The figure himself wore black robes embroidered with gold threads. He did not stop, nor did he even glance at Ethan as they passed each other. He simply rushed upward and vanished through the barrier of water far above.

Ethan recognized him immediately.

The Temple Master.

Oddly enough, the man did not feel particularly strong. His aura was weak and chaotic, and resentment energy swirled around him like a swarm of vengeful spirits.

Ethan ignored him and dove downward instead.

He plunged all the way to the ninth level.

Dust filled the air as the entire structure trembled violently. Ethan scanned the chamber, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

’What the hell?’

He had expected some enlightened monk or ancient master, Instead he saw a monstrosity.

A gigantic serpent head protruded from the ground, its massive body still buried beneath the floor. Even with only part of it visible, the creature already filled most of the ninth level.

"Brother... Luna is over there."

Yaya’s gentle voice echoed in his mind. Ethan followed her direction and spotted the spear wedged between the serpent’s head and the wall.

Luna was driven deep into the ground, golden light wrapped around the spear, binding it in place.

Ethan let out a breath he had not realized he was holding.

She had been sealed, not destroyed.

But the golden light surrounding her felt wrong. It shone like sacred power, yet something dark twisted within it. Two completely opposite forces had fused together in an unsettling mixture.

On the other side of the serpent, pressed against the wall, stood the white-robed woman from earlier. Her entire body was trembling as she stared at the creature.

The serpent lowered its gaze toward her.

"You are human. I will spare you."

Ethan whipped his head around. ’Who said that?’

The serpent’s tongue flickered as its enormous mouth opened slightly.

It was actually speaking.

"What."

There had been no warning, or preparation. A giant snake speaking Buddhist doctrine was not something his brain was ready to process.

"Grab your weapon and run," the Dragon of Consumption urged weakly.

Ethan ignored him and stepped toward Luna.

If the serpent’s attention remained on the woman, he might be able to retrieve the spear unnoticed.

He moved quietly, slipping into what he hoped was the creature’s blind spot. Step by careful step he closed the distance.

Just as he reached out for the golden light, the entire tower lurched violently. The serpent’s head twisted toward him.

Its eyes were the size of houses and they burned with a deep red glow.

The mouth remained closed, the tongue still flickering lazily, but four enormous fangs protruded downward, each dripping with a chilling aura that felt cold enough to freeze hell itself.

Ethan tensed.

"Demons?" he said slowly. "You’re the demon here." The pressure filling the room was suffocating, yet somehow he still managed to speak.

"A tree demon. Four weapon spirits. And that one makes five. Then there is a catfish demon and a loach demon."

The serpent squinted slightly, as though studying him more closely. It had just listed everything within him one by one.

Ethan’s face paled. The tree demon was the Tree of Life, the four weapon spirits were the Four City Lord Seals.

With Luna that made five.

The catfish and loach were the Dragon of Consumption and its counterpart.

All of them existed within his Mindscape.

Yet the serpent had seen them instantly without probing or using any technique. It had simply looked at him and laid everything bare.

’Are your eyes some kind of X-ray scanner?’

Ethan swallowed his anger. The serpent had not attacked yet, It had even promised to spare the white-robed woman. Maybe there was still room to talk.

He cleared his throat.

"Uh... Great Serpent. The things you mentioned are not demons. They’re spirits. Weapon spirits. You know, weapons that gain sentience. And the tree spirit is special..."

The serpent interrupted him immediately.

"Anything non-human that gains sentience is a demon. I advise you not to associate with demons.

If you do, I will have no choice but to subdue you as well."

Ethan fell silent.

According to this creature’s logic, anything non-human that developed consciousness counted as a demon.

Annoyingly, the logic almost held together. His mind spun quickly, then an idea struck him.

"Hey, Great Serpent. Do you know who broke your seal just now?"

The serpent’s eyes flickered as golden light began to gather within them, though the glow quickly faded again and returned to red.

"It was..."

The serpent glanced toward Luna.

"Yes. Her."

Ethan’s heart leapt.

This terrifying monster might be powerful, but it seemed slow on the uptake.

"And do you know who threw her? Who actually broke the seal?" Ethan stood there practically radiating smug pride.

"Uh... you?"

’Perfect.’

"Don’t doubt yourself. Drop the question mark. You know she’s my weapon, so yes, it was me."

Ethan struck a ridiculously confident pose.

The serpent recoiled slightly. "You broke the seal. You freed me." Its enormous eyes narrowed as it considered the idea.

"Exactly. So technically I’m your savior."

Ethan spread his hands.

"I saved you, so you let us go. Everyone walks away. Clean and simple."

"You’re a Buddhist, right? Buddhists don’t bite the hand that feeds them."

He went straight to the point. The serpent remained silent, clearly thinking. Ethan did not intend to wait for the conclusion.

"Silence means consent," he said casually. "I’ll just take my things and leave."

He stepped toward Luna again.

There was no way he was standing around while this monster finished its philosophical debate. If the serpent decided to bite him afterward, he doubted he could even escape.

One bite would end everything.

He still had three gorgeous women waiting at home. He had no intention of dying here today.

Coming down here had been pure impulse. Luna had been in trouble, so he had not hesitated. Now that the adrenaline was fading and he was standing face to face with this nightmare, the fear finally sank in.

That head alone was hundreds of feet long.

If the full body emerged it would easily stretch for thousands.

Just the weight of the creature was terrifying. One twitch could flatten the entire chamber.

Ethan had seen plenty of bizarre things since entering this world, but this was on another level.

Across the room the white-robed woman stood stiffly against the wall. She looked like she might have wet herself. The serpent had already said it would spare her, yet she remained frozen in place, clearly too terrified to move.

Ethan slowly extended his hand toward Luna again.

His fingers hovered just inches from the golden seal when a voice struck his mind like a physical wall.

’Stop.’

The command carried absolute authority.

Ethan’s hand froze instantly.

"You would take that which bears demonic taint?"

The serpent’s eyes flared as gold and red clashed within them.

"It spoke to you. It cried out. You heard it, and you came for it. This bond, this attachment, is precisely the poison that corrupts."

The enormous head lowered until its eyes were level with Ethan.

"I have watched countless beings fall to this same weakness. Mortals who loved their tools more than truth. Gods who cherished their demon blades until those blades consumed them.

Sentience within the non-human is always corruption. The weapon you cherish will become your end."

Ethan’s jaw tightened.

"You don’t know her."

"I know enough."

The serpent’s voice carried the weight of unimaginable years.

"I have been imprisoned here for longer than I can remember. I was sealed because I refused to accept the doctrine that demon and Buddha could never coexist."

"They proved me wrong."

Golden light surged in its eyes, then faded again.

"And now I awaken to a world infested with demons. Weapons that speak. Trees that possess souls. Creatures hiding behind human forms.

You, human, carry an entire menagerie inside you. And you see nothing wrong with it."

Ethan met the creature’s gaze without flinching.

"Wrong? They’re family."

The word hung heavily in the air. The serpent went completely still.

"Family," it repeated slowly, as if tasting the unfamiliar concept.

"You would die for them."

"Yeah," Ethan said simply. "I would."

For a long moment neither of them moved.

Then the serpent laughed. The sound resembled mountains grinding together.

"Foolish. Completely foolish. And yet..."

Both the red and gold lights within its eyes dimmed slightly.

"I find myself hesitating." The head withdrew a little.

"You broke my seal. By any measure I owe you a debt."

"But I cannot allow demons to roam freely while I stand idle."

Ethan’s thoughts raced, It wanted a compromise.

"Then let me prove they’re not demons."

The serpent narrowed its eyes.

"Explain."

Ethan pointed toward Luna.

"Her. She’s a weapon spirit. Pure. She’s never harmed anyone innocent, never even wanted to."

"Release the seal and let her speak. If she’s truly corrupted, if she really is dangerous..."

He forced the words out. "Then I’ll handle it myself."

The serpent studied him carefully.

"You would destroy your own family if proven wrong?"

Ethan clenched his fists. "If she’s truly corrupted, she wouldn’t want to exist like that anyway. So yes."

Another long silence passed, then the golden seal around Luna flickered.

"Speak, little demon. Your master has purchased your voice."

The light pulsed once and shattered. Luna’s spirit form appeared beside the spear, shimmering and weak but unmistakably alive.

She looked at Ethan, with her eyes moist.

"Master... you idiot. You should have run."

Ethan grinned.

"When have I ever done what I should?"

She laughed softly before turning to face the serpent.

"Great... uh... Snake, sir. I’m not a demon. I’m a weapon forged by a craftsman who poured his soul into his work. That soul lingered and eventually became... me.

I’ve never hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it. And Master is the first person who ever treated me like a real person instead of an object."

The serpent’s gaze flickered thoughtfully.

"A weapon spirit born from craftsmanship rather than corruption..."

The serpent paused. "Interesting."

For a moment Ethan allowed himself to relax, then the serpent’s eyes hardened.

"But irrelevant."

Those two words dropped into the chamber like a stone.

Ethan blinked.

"...What?"

The serpent’s enormous pupils narrowed as its tongue flicked slowly through the air. "You misunderstand something fundamental, human."

The golden seal fragments drifted lazily around Luna’s weak spirit form, their light still lingering like dust in the air.

"A blade forged with noble intent may still cut the innocent. A poison brewed for medicine may still kill."

Its gaze shifted toward Luna.

"You claim your existence was born from craftsmanship rather than corruption. That may even be true."

Luna stiffened slightly.

"But the origin of a thing does not determine its end."

Ethan’s grin faded.

The serpent continued calmly. "Sentience within the non-human inevitably breeds attachment. Attachment breeds desire. Desire breeds suffering."

Its voice deepened, carrying the weight of ancient doctrine.

"And suffering breeds corruption." The serpent’s gaze settled fully on Luna, its red eyes burning with quiet certainty.

"Therefore, for the sake of the path... I must eliminate her."