Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!-Chapter 372: The Desert’s Call

He’d been handed a mission by the system. Impossible or not, he had to see it through, even if it meant biting the bullet.

Ethan watched Uncle Jed’s stunned expression. He put on a fearless smile and asked, "What’s wrong, Uncle Jed? You’re not scared, are you? If you are, I won’t hold it against you. Once we’re out of here, we can go our separate ways."

Uncle Jed froze at his words. His face flushed crimson. "Scared? Is that what you think of me?" he roared. "Damn it, it’s just unifying the Sea of Death! Years ago, when I was in the Forgotten City, I suggested it already. But that spineless City Lord... always carousing, always scheming, and he even—ugh, never mind!"

He slammed his spear onto the ground with a thump that echoed out. "But remember this: the City Lord of the Forgotten City—his head is mine!"

Ethan watched, slightly taken aback by how quickly Uncle Jed’s mood had turned. Could it be a grudge over a woman? He recalled the old man’s ferocity in that illusion—the way he’d stabbed him without hesitation—and the things he’d muttered. It was almost certainly something personal.

’Perfect’, he thought, chuckling inwardly. I’ve reeled in a formidable general. Even better, he hadn’t expected this guy to harbor ambitions of unifying the Sea of Death himself. That revelation genuinely surprised him.

"Are you... are you serious?" Nora Vance’s eyes widened as she looked between the old man and the young one. Here, deep underground, they were plotting world-changing events as if it were just another chore.

"Of course, it’s true," Ethan said with a confident look. "What, you don’t think we can pull it off?"

Nora shook her head slowly. "Do you even have a single soldier?"

Ethan hesitated and glanced at Uncle Jed.

"Alright," Nora said, sighing. "Let me rephrase. Do you have any Sandstone Beasts? Any Nightwings? Any Cliffstriders?"

With each question, Uncle Jed’s expression darkened further. Ethan felt a little embarrassed—he didn’t even recognize any of those names.

"Nora, that’s enough," Uncle Jed muttered, rubbing his temples. He turned to Ethan. "Kid, I think we should just forget it."

"Why?" Ethan asked, genuinely confused.

"Sigh... Sandstone Beasts haul cargo across the Sea of Death," Uncle Jed explained. "Nightwings are flying mounts—good for scouting at night. Cliffstriders are siege cavalry. Right now...it’s just the two of us. Nothing but big words. Unifying the Sea of Death is just not realistic. Let’s focus on finding a way out of here first."

The once-imposing Uncle Jed seemed utterly defeated. Ethan stayed silent. He’d known from the start it was a long shot, but he still had to try. Either way, escaping had to be the first priority.

"My King... the exit to the surface is within me," a faint voice echoed in Ethan’s ear. "Allow me to guide you one last time."

A strange phenomenon appeared again, and wooden steps extended slowly in front of them.

"What in the... Jed, are you turning into a fucking spirit?" Uncle Jed blurted, eyes wide.

"Squeak, squeak..." Little Empty let out a disgruntled cry.

"Haha..." Dot giggled, then quickly clamped her hand over her mouth.

"What did it say?" Uncle Jed demanded, glancing at Dot.

"Nothing!" Dot blurted.

Ethan had to stifle a laugh. He was pretty sure the little monkey was cursing Uncle Jed. He cleared his throat and waved them forward. "Let’s go. The exit’s in there!"

To be able to leave from here at all felt like an unexpected blessing.

Ethan, Uncle Jed, and the others stepped onto the wooden stairs. This time, though, the steps didn’t carry them automatically. He realized the old tree’s power must have been nearly spent.

Inside the colossal trunk, they didn’t find themselves in the same treehouse Ethan had entered before. Instead, they faced a spiraling staircase of intertwining wooden vines, ascending into darkness that seemed to go on forever.

"You’ve got to be kidding me..." Ethan muttered under his breath. Was he really going to have to climb all the way up?

His worst fear was confirmed.

Five days later, they reached a narrow dead end. There was no way forward—and no way back. As they’d climbed, the wooden staircase had slowly vanished, step by painstaking step.

"Uncle Jed... clear the way," Ethan called, his voice hoarse. "You must feel it too—the temperature’s risen a lot. We should be on the surface by now."

Uncle Jed nodded, scratching his disheveled hair and rubbing his face. Five days of climbing had nearly driven him mad. The endless spiral had left him feeling dizzy and half-delirious. Two days before, he’d already noticed the drastic change in temperature—proof of day and night outside. If Ethan hadn’t stopped him, he’d have tried to break through the trunk long ago, just to see daylight.

"Ha! Dragon emerges from the sea!" Uncle Jed roared, spinning his spear and thrusting forward.

Screech... Pop...

The grinding noise gave way to a sudden pop as the spear broke through.

"What the... I told you to clear a path, not drill a peephole!" Ethan snapped, staring at the arm-sized opening and the shaft of blinding sunlight streaming in.

"Uh..." Uncle Jed scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish. "It’s too narrow here."

Ethan rubbed his forehead. Uncle Jed still wasn’t thinking straight. He was starting to worry about their grand ambitions—how were they going to lead an army with this kind of strategic mindset?

"Get out of the way. If you can’t swing your spear, use your fists!"

He took a deep breath.

"Bear Form!"

"Force Resonance... Heavy Strike!"

During their climb, he’d passed the time experimenting with combining Force Resonance and his combat skills. He’d found it worked surprisingly well. This would be the first time he tried it in an actual situation. He murmured an apology in his mind—Sorry, Old Tree—and drove his fist into the trunk.

Boom!

The wood exploded outward with a crack, and Ethan stepped into the blinding sunlight.

"Squeak, squeak!" Little Empty shrieked, squeezing his head.

Ethan’s heart sank. Oh no—this little guy had lived underground for who knew how many years. The sudden brightness must have burned its eyes. He waved his hand, conjuring a tent that enveloped them all. He scooped Little Empty close, and sure enough, its eyes were bloodshot, tears streaming. Fortunately, he’d reacted in time.

"Don’t squirm," Ethan murmured, gently wrapping a cloth around its eyes. "You’ll get used to it."

"Squeak, squeak..." Little Empty wailed.

"Empty says it hurts so much..." Dot burst into tears too.

Ethan felt a headache building. Nora quickly picked Dot up, hugging her close and whispering comfort. Little Empty, hearing Dot’s crying, fell silent. It patted its tiny chest and let out an "Oh, oh..."

"Okay, Empty’s not crying. Dot’s not crying either," Dot sniffed, wiping her cheeks.

The three adults exchanged glances. These two had only known each other a few days, but they were already inseparable.

"Let’s rest here a while," Ethan said.

Five days of climbing had nearly broken his will. As soon as he’d stepped outside, he’d extended his senses, confirming there were no hostile creatures nearby. No one objected. He set up their bedding, and everyone finally lay down on a flat surface. After so many days sleeping on stairs, the relief felt indescribable.

While the others rested, Ethan checked the map. To his surprise, they’d emerged quite close to Beastfall City. A trek northwest would get them there in less than three days. He was almost excited. Finally, a real city. He’d grown tired of endless sand.

Night fell.

Ethan stood on a hillside, staring south. Beyond the edge of his senses, he noticed a distant flicker of firelight—sometimes bright, sometimes dim, occasionally shooting straight into the sky. He’d been watching it for hours. In all his time here, he’d never seen anything like it.

He called Uncle Jed over, but the old man was just as baffled. Maybe a large tribe was camped there—otherwise, no campfire would be visible this far away. Nora, however, couldn’t see anything. She guessed it was because she was just an ordinary person. Still, she offered another possibility.

"When I was little, my father said that when a rare treasure appears, it’s often accompanied by strange signs," she said, half-smiling. "Maybe it’s some fire-elemental treasure about to emerge."

She spoke lightly, but Ethan listened carefully. If there really was some rare treasure, should he go look?

After weighing it in his mind, curiosity won out. He returned to the tent.

"Uncle Jed... you two wait here. I’m going to check it out."

"If I’m not back in two days, go to Beastfall City without me."

Uncle Jed looked worried. He wanted to argue, but when he glanced at Nora and Dot, he swallowed his words. "Alright," he said quietly. "If we reach Beastfall City first, I’ll be at the West Gate every noon. If you arrive, come to the West Gate at the same time. We’ll meet there."

Ethan nodded. "Deal."

He left them enough food and water for a week, even if they used it generously. Nora hesitated as though she wanted to speak, but he simply nodded at her and turned away.

After a moment’s thought, he activated Divine Teleportation, marking this place as a coordinate. He wasn’t sure if it would work in this world, but it was worth trying. He also realized the skill’s range had grown—now up to 2,000 miles. The system must have upgraded it after seeing how vast this planet was. Even so, 2,000 miles was still nothing compared to the Sea of Death’s supposedly 153 million square kilometers.

"Bye-bye, Uncle Ethan..." Dot called softly from the tent entrance.

"Bye-bye..." Ethan raised a hand without turning back.

Whoosh—a dark shape leaped onto his shoulder. He froze.

"Empty!" Dot called again.

"Squeak, squeak!" The monkey mimicked Ethan’s wave, not looking back.

Ethan tilted his head and looked at it. By now, he’d removed the bandages. Its eyes were still raw and red. The little creature bared its teeth, then squatted determinedly on his shoulder, as if to say, I’m ready. Let’s go.

Ethan shook his head, unable to hide a faint smile.

He transformed into Travel Form and ran into the night. The distant firelight burned like a beacon across the flat sands, guiding him forward.

As the saying went, hoping to reach a mountain by running will kill the horse. He ran all night, but the firelight seemed no closer. When dawn broke, he checked his map—he’d covered over 700 kilometers. That was his limit running on sand. On flat ground, he could reach 130 kilometers an hour in Travel Form. But here, no matter what form he took, the sand stole his speed.

It wasn’t yet too hot, so he pressed on for another 300 kilometers before stopping. When the nine suns rose, the desert turned into an oven.

He rested through the day and set out again after dusk. Finally, around one in the morning, he arrived at the foot of a massive hill.

A mountain—in the middle of the desert.