Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!-Chapter 371: The World Tree’s Legacy

The little monkey was jumping up and down in front of Ethan, practically throwing a tantrum. Just as he was at a loss for what to do, the entire city began to change again. Countless specks of light burst forth from the ground, in the shape of seeds. More and more appeared, forming a shimmering river of stars overhead. It swept across the sky, circling the ancient tree at the heart of the ruins.

In that instant, Ethan felt a pang in his chest. He sensed a deep attachment within and at the same time, an endless sorrow.

"Ethan... this..."

Uncle Jed, Nora, and Dot all woke up then. They didn’t know what was happening, but each of them stood frozen, stunned by the magnificent sight before them.

"Squeak-squeak-squeak..."

The little monkey finally stopped its incessant wailing. It knelt down before the massive ancient tree. But it wasn’t only this place undergoing a transformation. All across the Umbral Star, the world was changing. Animals lifted their heads to wail in grief. Plants drooped their branches as if mourning. Every living thing felt it. Their lives had been born from this tree—and now, it was about to grow old.

Though it radiated a comforting aura, gently assuring the world that it was not dying, only undergoing a kind of nirvana and rebirth, no one knew whether the reborn tree would ever be the same again. And while the various intelligent races had awakened to higher consciousness, they had lost their instinctive perception. Whether that was a blessing or a tragedy remained unclear.

A voice resonated inside Ethan’s mind—words no one else seemed able to hear.

’My King... thank you for granting me life once again. This is my final gratitude to you.

Go forth, my children. And you, little monkey, follow the King and leave this place.’

Uncle Jed and the others didn’t react at all, but Ethan’s heart thumped. In the next moment, the series of stars reversed direction and surged toward him. The lights poured into his lower abdomen, one after another, coiling around the core within.

As more of the colorful seeds settled there, they slowly began to orbit the sprout of the World Tree in his body. A vibrant, shifting nebula appeared. Ethan’s core trembled, and the previously chaotic swirl of energy suddenly aligned itself to some unknown law.

He sucked in a sharp breath. It was like watching a new world come to life.

Ethan chuckled, almost giddy. After all this time, he finally had a core. He couldn’t help wondering what Morzan would say if he saw it. Morzan had always claimed Ethan would never be able to bear a core, no matter how hard he tried.

Speaking of which, he realized he hadn’t heard from Morzan since arriving here. Maybe they were truly in different worlds. He wondered how Lyla was doing. Checking the time, he jolted—he’d been here for days, but the system time showed only a few minutes had passed.

’Damn... five days here, only seven minutes there?’ He slapped his forehead. They probably hadn’t even noticed yet!

"Ethan, what’s wrong?" Uncle Jed asked, frowning when he saw him smack himself. Even Nora was eyeing him like he’d lost his mind.

"Uh... nothing!" Ethan’s face flushed. He looked up at the ancient tree still glowing softly and bowed in his heart. ’If we ever meet again, I hope you have grown anew.’

Beside him, the little monkey stared blankly from Ethan to the tree. Ethan crouched down and smiled.

"Come with me. It’s not dead—it’s undergoing nirvana. You’ll get to see it again."

The monkey scratched its head, looking bewildered. Ethan patted its fluffy head.

"I’ll give you a name!"

"I’ll call you—"

Before he could finish, Dot piped up, "Call him Fluffy! Dot already thought of it!"

"Squeak-squeak..."

Ethan was taken aback. The name was definitely fitting. This medicine spirit monkey really was fluffy—its fur so long it nearly brushed the ground. Even the back of its head was hidden under that thick hair. Its little legs were buried in it entirely.

"You don’t want it? Fluffy sounds great!" he said, trying to persuade it. But the monkey’s "squeak-squeak" was clearly a protest aimed at Dot.

Ethan’s eyes darted around. He stood up straighter, trying to project an air of authority. In a deep, formal voice, he declared, "Today, I bestow upon you the name—"

He paused for effect. Everyone stared, caught by his solemn tone.

"The name... Little Empty!"

"...Ah?"

Ethan froze. That was not what he meant to say.

"Tch..." Uncle Jed scoffed, unimpressed. He’d clearly expected something majestic. Nora burst out laughing, and Dot shook her head. "Fluffy sounds better."

Ethan’s eyes went wide. He’d been about to say Sun Wukong! How did Little Empty come out instead?

"Ahem... I misspoke," he said quickly, clearing his throat. "Let’s try that again."

He raised his hand and began once more.

"Today, I bestow upon you the name... Little Empty..."

’Damn it...’ He cursed silently as everyone’s faces fell.

He refused to give up. "Today, I bestow upon you the name... Little... Empty..."

He practically roared each word, but no matter how hard he tried, the same name came out.

Dot was clutching her stomach, laughing so hard she could hardly breathe. Uncle Jed was rubbing his forehead like he was embarrassed to be seen with him. Nora wiped tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes. Even the little monkey stared up at Ethan with wide, exasperated eyes before waving its hand, as if to say, I get it, you don’t have to keep repeating it.

Only Ethan understood what was happening. Could those fictitious myths be true—was there really a powerful being whose title was forbidden for others to use? But no, that was ridiculous. Back on Earth, there were plenty of people named after powerful figures, and nothing ever happened to them.

Unwilling to believe in superstition, he tried again.

"Alright... let’s forget the name. I’ll bestow a title instead. Something impressive, so you’ll sound important when you’re out and about."

He took a deep breath.

"You shall be called: Great... Sage... Little..."

The moment the words left his mouth, he knew something was wrong. Even the title he had in mind wouldn’t come out properly. But Great Sage Little wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

Ethan glanced around and realized everyone looked like they were about to faint from laughing. He decided to change the subject as fast as possible.

"Little Empty, have you seen this before?"

He pulled out a piece of leather parchment—the single fragment of the Bloodline Map he carried. Uncle Jed and the others slowly sobered when they saw Ethan was finally asking something serious.

Little Empty took the fragment, turning it over in its hands and sniffing it.

"Squeak-squeak..."

Ethan looked helplessly at Dot.

"It says it hasn’t seen this shape before," Dot translated, "but it does have a piece with a similar scent."

Ethan’s eyes lit up.

"Where is it? This is very important to me. Take me to get it, and you can have all the fruit you want."

Little Empty’s ears perked up, but then it hesitated, wringing its tiny hands.

"What’s wrong?" Ethan asked, glancing at Dot.

"I don’t know—it hasn’t said anything."

At last, the monkey seemed to reach a decision.

"Squeak-squeak..."

"It says... you have to keep your word," Dot translated.

"I promise," Ethan said at once.

Little Empty took a deep breath, looking extremely reluctant. It lifted the long fur covering its body, reached into its crotch, and pulled out a tattered parchment.

Ethan took an involuntary step back.

Little Empty stepped forward, holding it out with both hands.

Ethan’s eyes widened, unsure what to do. When the monkey had lifted its fur, he’d clearly seen it was wearing a loincloth—and that loincloth was the parchment in question. The legendary lost fifth fragment of the Bloodline Map.

"Squeak-squeak..."

"It’s asking you... do you want it or not?" Dot said carefully.

Ethan’s face twisted in pure conflicted horror.

Of course he wanted it, But... who knew how long the monkey had been wearing it—hundreds, maybe thousands of years?

He swallowed hard. He and Little Empty stared at each other, locked in silent agony. Finally, with no better options, Ethan extended a trembling hand and pinched the tiniest corner. The second he felt it, he flung it into his inventory.

---

[Ding... System Notification: Main Quest "Explore the Ancient Ruins" completed.]

[Ding... System Notification: Obtained "Bloodline Map Fragment" x1.]

---

"Phew..." Ethan let out a long, exhausted breath. "Thank you... Little Empty."

He reached out and patted the monkey’s head, discreetly wiping his fingers clean in its fur.

"Alright... We should head out. How we’re getting back to the surface is still a problem."

As he spoke, Uncle Jed stepped forward, his expression serious.

"Ethan... how did you know there was a fragment of the Bloodline Map here? If I’m not mistaken, that should be the most mysterious fifth fragment. The Sea of Death has been so stable precisely because it was lost. All four cities know that even if they steal each other’s fragments, the map would stay incomplete. But if word gets out... the peace of the Sea of Death might end."

Ethan waved a hand dismissively.

"What’s there to be afraid of? At worst... I’ll just unite the Sea of Death, so what?"

---

[Ding... System Notification: Triggered Ultimate Quest "Conquer the Sea of Death." Quest Reward: Ability Scroll – Immortality(Divine).]

---

"What?"

"Holy crap..."

"Ah..."

Three different voices broke the silence.

Uncle Jed and Nora gaped at Ethan, stunned by his words.

The "holy crap" was all Ethan. He’d been convinced all this time that collecting the Bloodline Map was the only main quest. The final reward was supposed to be the Immortality Divine ability. After all, that was the trial quest he’d been sent on by the Blood King.

He never imagined a single offhand remark would trigger an ultimate quest. With his heart pounding, he opened the quest panel.

---

Quest Name: Conquer the Sea of Death

Quest Requirement: Unite the four main cities.

Hurricane City: 0/1

Beastfall City: 0/1

Forgotten City: 0/1

Clearspring City: 0/1

Quest Duration: Within the trial quest time limit

Quest Reward: Ability Scroll – Immortality (Divine)

---

Ethan stared, confirming the system wasn’t messing with him.

’Damn... this just got serious.’

How vast was the Sea of Death? Forget uniting it—just traveling between the four cities would take ages. There were no planes, no high-speed trains, and his Predator Beast X had been totaled.