Ch. 2511..2520

Chapter 2511 My Name Is On The Back

Everyone was upset with Levi’s behavior and clamored for him to apologize.

Only by prostrating and repenting could he appease the crowd’s anger.

Levi smiled. “The reason I climbed up the stairs and stepped on the stone plaque is that I have surpassed them all. The Divine Leaderboard isn’t enough to reflect the extent of my power!”

“B*llshit!”

“What makes you think you are a cut above the rest?”

Levi’s words had riled up the crowd.

Not only had he desecrated what they considered to be holy, but he had also ridiculed it to their faces.

Everyone was furious.

“Force him to kneel!”

Just when the crowd was about to make their move, Levi yelled, “Wait!”

“What else do you have to say?” the crowd asked.

“What does it take before I can walk on the ninety-nine steps and put my foot on the stone plaque?” Levi questioned.

“Erm, technically, no one is capable of that.”

“However, it might be acceptable for Dark Emperor, who is on the top of the list, to lay his foot on the stone plaque.”

“That’s right. Only Dark Emperor is qualified. No one will dare complain if he does it,” the group replied.

“However, what if I’m stronger than Dark Emperor and far surpass those on the Divine Leaderboard?” Levi sneered.

After all, Dark Emperor was just one of his alter egos.

The moment they heard Levi’s words, everyone burst into uncontrollable laughter.

In fact, they felt as if they were going to die from it.

Is there anyone in this world more powerful than Dark Emperor? Impossible! Stop kidding yourself!

If one were the previous Divine Leaderboard’s first ranked fighter, one might still not be the most powerful in the world.

After all, many other powerful warriors were previously not included.

But now, the current Divine Leaderboard had included all warriors without exception.

The margin of error was less than one percent.

Therefore, Dark Emperor was indeed the strongest of them all and naturally deserved to be categorized as undefeatable.

Consequently, no one was going to believe Levi when he proclaimed himself to be stronger than Dark Emperor.

In fact, they even thought it was nothing but an absurd joke.

“Levi, how can you claim to be stronger than Dark Emperor when your name isn’t even on the stone plaque? Can’t you see Dark Emperor’s name listed at the top?”

“That’s right. We don’t see Levi’s name inscribed anywhere on the stone plaque,” the crowd asserted.

“Of course, my name is up there. However, it’s has been carved on the back!” Levi replied.

“The back? Hahaha,” everyone sniggered.

No one believed Levi’s claim.

“Levi, can you not come up with such a ridiculous lie? Words on the back?”

Everyone laughed.

“Wouldn’t you know just by taking a look for yourself?” Levi sneered.

Everyone was stunned.

That’s right. We would know whether Levi is lying or not just by checking the back. That would easily clear things up.

However, no one present dared to check the back given how sacred the entire place was.

The stone plaque was built with its back facing a cliff.

Hence, the only way one could see it was by standing at the top of the stone plaque.

That was the equivalent of trampling on Dark Emperor, Killfinger, and the head of the ancient Garrison clan just to take a look.

Obviously, no one in the entire world dare to do it.

Standing on top of the stone plaque was no different than challenging all the elite warriors listed on the Divine Leaderboard just for the sake of checking whether Levi’s name was at the back.

It was an endeavor no one thought was worth taking the risk for.

Moreover, everyone was sure that Levi’s name wasn’t there in the first place.

Therefore, it wasn’t worth throwing their lives away for something so trivial.

“Levi, you really are cunning. You made such a claim on purpose because you know we won’t dare step foot on the stone plaque!”

“Levi, you have to kneel. No one here believes you!”

 

Chapter 2512 Lab Of Gods Emerges

Obviously, no one believed him as they insisted he drop to his knees.

In fact, even Zoey and the others thought Levi was kicking up an unnecessary fuss.

At the back? How is that possible? He’s definitely lying.

“Why don’t you just apologize? After all, you have angered the crowd,” Zoey suggested.

Tens of thousands of men insisted that Levi apologize on his knees.

At the crucial moment, Levi was amused.

“Don’t you believe me? I’ll pull out the stone plaque and show all of you the back!”

Everyone gasped the moment Levi made the suggestion.

Pulling it out is a blatant desecration of the plaque!

“Levi, do you have a death wish?”

The crowd was infuriated.

Suddenly, an intimidating aura swept the entire area.

The true warriors of the Divine Leaderboard had arrived.

It was the first time the crowd had seen so many of them.

Evidently, the newly defined Divine Leaderboard had lured many warriors out of their seclusion.

Climbing the ninety-nine steps, they arrived at the Hall of Gods.

When they saw the names inscribed on it, they too were equally inspired.

After all, the names on the stone plaque at The World Summit represented the rankings of the top warriors on the planet.

Obviously, everyone wanted their names to be carved at the top.

Most of the names on the stone plaque were visible to everyone except for the very top part that pierced the clouds.

Thus, the Divine Leaderboard warriors leaped onto the stone plaque to check the names at the top.

They had wanted to commit to memory the top ten names, especially those at the top three.

However, despite how strong they were, no one dared to step on the very top of the stone plaque, as that was the equivalent of challenging Dark Emperor.

Consequently, they had no access to the back of the stone plaque.

“Levi, there! None of the elite warriors dare to look behind the stone. And yet, you want us to do it? Are you mad?” someone retorted.

Initially, everyone thought that the warriors from the Divine Leaderboard wouldn’t come.

However, hundreds of them turned up in the end.

The temptation of the Hall of Gods was simply too great to ignore.

The moment they arrived, they caught everyone’s attention.

Hence, the crowd inadvertently forgot about Levi.

Instead, they were working hard to remember the faces of the fighters on the Divine Leaderboard, so as to not offend them in the future.

“Let’s go. There’s no point staying back anymore.”

With that, Levi and his men left.

On the journey back, everyone was silent.

Levi was cognizant that they had been inspired by their visit.

Even though everyone wished for their names to be carved on the stairway, they were still upset to have it trampled upon.

Therefore, their dream was to have it inscribed on the stone plaque instead.

Contrary to what they were concerned about, Levi was wondering what sort of organization the Dark Web was.

After all, they seemed to be omniscient, considering they knew about him and Lab of Gods.

The only person with such power that came to his mind was his mentor.

Wouldn’t it be great if the Dark Web was founded by my mentor?

Regardless of whether the Dark Web was neutral, Levi knew he had to find out what they were about.

Or else, they would be like a knife hanging over his head even though they didn’t pose any immediate danger.

At any point in time, the knife might cut his neck or even pierce through his heart if he wasn’t careful.

“Were you awed by the experience? My dream now is to become the top warrior on the leaderboard!” Zoey declared.

Just like her, everyone else’s heart burned with the same ambition.

Azure Dragon sighed.

Although he too was greatly motivated, he had promised Levi that he would only train in the basic techniques.

At the rate he was going, he figured that he had no chance of making it into the Provisional Leaderboard, let alone have his name carved on the stone plaque.

Meanwhile, the new Divine Leaderboard had astounded the world, causing upheavals everywhere.

That night, two figures appeared in Oakland City.

One of them was an ordinary-looking middle-aged man who was a new entrant to the Divine Leaderboard.

In front of him was another man in suit and leather shoes. Both of them were a striking contrast to each other.

He was none other than Mr. X of Lab of Gods, who finally made his appearance.

 

Chapter 2513 Divine Extraction Technique

No one had expected him to emerge in Oakland City.

However, the person in front of him was an unfamiliar sight to everyone.

Nevertheless, Daxon or the other elders of The Cardinal Hall might recognize him still.

After all, he was the heir to the Divine Extraction Technique. It was one of the ultimate techniques in the world, just like the Iron Golem Technique.

In truth, when the full potential of both techniques was unleashed, they could be used to balance each other out.

Neither one had the advantage over the other.

Living up to its namesake, the Divine Extraction Technique allows one to extract the energy of their opponents.

Not only that, but it also allows them to also absorb all sorts of energy from their surroundings and use it as their own.

However, the Divine Extraction Technique had one flaw.

If one absorbed more energy than one’s capacity allowed, one would end up exploding instead.

Also, if the energy one absorbed counteracted each other, one would suffer grievous injury and potentially be blown apart.

Therefore, if one wasn’t skillful enough, didn’t have a strong body, or couldn’t gel the energy in time, it was easy for accidents to happen.

Therefore, one had to overcome the above issues before one could achieve a level in the Divine Extraction Technique that was comparable to Level Eight or Nine of the Iron Golem Technique.

Or else, one would be dead by Level Six if one wasn’t careful enough.

In truth, the Divine Extraction Technique was more difficult to master than the Iron Golem Technique.

One had to continuously absorb the energy of others to increase one’s strength. However, when one had reached the limit of one’s capacity, one would simply be killed.

That was the problem faced by every generation of wielders of the technique.

The man standing in front of Mr. X was no exception.

Ever since he was designated as its heir, he had diligently trained in the technique, hoping to master it at its highest level.

Soon, the problems mentioned just now surfaced and became his biggest obstacle.

Just when he was filled with despair, a mysterious man came looking for him, promising him that he could solve his problem and make him stronger.

That man was Mr. X.

Mr. X remarked with a smile, “The day has finally come. As of now, I have solved all the problems you have faced. No matter how much energy you absorb or how complex they are, your body will be able to contain them.

“Also, we have modified your body so that you can digest all the energy you absorbed within a minute. This is the power of modern technology that you were previously disgusted by.”

The Divine Extraction Technique user had nothing to rebut Mr. X with.

After all, Mr. X spoke the truth.

The Lab of Gods did help him overcome all those problems by upgrading his body with the latest technology.

He was well aware that all his predecessors had physically exploded from absorbing more energy than they could handle.

Also, there were two more who were killed due to the conflicting energy within their body.

It didn’t help their cause that a Divine Extraction Technique user would always grow greedy.

After all, the more power they extracted, the stronger they became.

However, no one was able to solve the pre-existing problems still.

Consequently, he became the first one to do so with his own body.

By then, he skill was between Level Six and Seven.

It was considered an achievement as his previous seven predecessors had only reached Level Six.

“From now on, you will begin your journey of becoming a fearless and invincible warrior. Go on absorb the energy of whoever you please and as many as you want. You only have one goal which is to become stronger!” Mr. X plainly remarked.

With a hopeful expression and a murderous glint in his eye, the heir to the Divine Extraction Technique replied, “Understood! I can now extract and meld an unlimited amount of energy. Soon, I will wipe out everyone on the Divine Leaderboard!”

“Mmm-hmm. As to how you repay us, it’s simple. All you need to do is to dispose of these few targets…”

 

Chapter 2514 The Three Targets

Mr. X had a murderous expression on. “Even though the new Divine Leaderboard has revealed many new warriors, they are still within our control. As for The Cardinal Hall and Divine Brigadier, we are familiar with their strength too. If a conflict arises, we can still deal with them. All except… the top three. Not only do we not have a handle on them, but we also don’t even know who they are.”

“Previously, we had some leads about Killfinger and the new leader of the ancient Garrison clan. But when we tried to investigate, there was resistance everywhere. As of now, we still don’t know who they are.

“As for Dark Emperor, it’s even worse. We are aware that someone else has taken that position. Previously, it was Dark Emperor’s fellow disciple. But now, it is evidently someone else. Unfortunately, we still don’t know who it is.

“Now that Dark Emperor and Sacred Organization have grown extremely powerful and terrifying, the only person who has a clue is the senior disciple of the previous Dark Emperor, who also happens to be her son. He probably knows who the current Dark Emperor is. However, we have already spent a long time looking for him.

“The three of them pose a direct threat to us and we have no way of keeping them in check. Therefore, we need to either kill them or have them submit before we can execute our plan.”

The man standing opposite raised his gaze at Mr. X. “Therefore, you want me to eliminate them?”

Mr. X nodded. “Exactly! All you need to do next is to absorb as much energy as you can. Soon, you will be able to reach the stage where you are capable of slaughtering those three. With your obstacles removed, you can now unleash the Divine Extraction Technique without worrying about your limits. Based on our calculations, you will be strong enough to kill the three of them in three months’ time.”

“Mmm-hmm, not bad! What I’m going to do next is to challenge other warriors one by one so that I can absorb all their power. I should have enough strength once I extract the energy from half the warriors on the Divine Leaderboard. That way, my increase in power will become a gradual process. Therefore, regardless of what I do, the investigations will never lead back to you.”

Mr. X nodded. “Mmm-hmm. You’re really smart. Given that you are an Erudian warrior who has gotten stronger gradually and the fact that the new Divine Leaderboard has thrown out many new names, no one will cast any suspicion in our direction.

“All right, I understand. I’ll take my leave now.”

Staring at his silhouette, Mr. X let out a smile.

“After spending such a long time making preparations, it’s time to harvest the fruits of our labor.”

He laughed insidiously.

At that moment, someone appeared beside him and remarked coldly, “Aren’t you going to kill Levi?”

It was Lucifer who had been resurrected from the dead.

By then, his power had increased to incomprehensible proportions.

“Levi? Haha, given his condition, what makes him even worthy of being our enemy? Will God bat an eyelid over a mere mortal?” Mr. X sniggered.

Levi was no longer a concern for him as the difference in skill was just too great.

After all, they had done their research on Levi and no longer found him to be a threat. Considering he wasn’t even on the Divine Leaderboard, there was no need for them to treat him as a potential opponent.

Moreover, when Mr. X compared himself to God, he had meant it in a literal sense.

“I still hold a grudge against him for killing me with a suicide attack back then.”

Lucifer had a vengeful character.

“Actually, we can order him to kill Levi at a snap of a finger. However, we might risk exposing ourselves if we aren’t careful,” Mr. X explained.

Lucifer nodded. “That’s true. We shouldn’t expose ourselves on the account of Levi. At the end of the day, he is nothing but a weakling now. Killing him is no different than squashing an insect. Having heard your perspective, my interest in killing him has waned.”

Just as he spoke, Lucifer stomped his foot on an ant.

“Other than the top three of the Divine Leaderboard, the only other thing I’m concerned about is Restricted Area 76. The Gods there have disappeared without a trace,” Mr. X remarked.

However, he received a piece of shocking news at that moment.

 

Chapter 2515 End Of The Line

The men he had sent to investigate returned with news that the Gods of Restricted Area 76 were all dead as if they had gone extinct.

However, the Gods’ energy was compressed into crystals which were taken away by Sacred Organization.

“In that case, the more the reason we shouldn’t allow Dark Emperor to live. I’m no longer curious about his identity anymore. I just want him dead!” Mr. X hissed.

“Of course, we want the crystals too. Now, we have to figure out how to get them,” Lucifer suggested.

“Mmm-hmm, we must get them back. However, taking out those three rivals remains our top priority.”

The Lab of Gods had officially emerged again and set their scheme in motion.

However, no one else, including Levi, was aware of it.

Although he was looking for Lab of Gods, he wasn’t doing so in the right direction.

The next few days, Levi witness the proliferation of madness.

Kirin and his comrades’ attitude toward training had gone from being fanatical to raving mad.

To them, it was either death or training.

Every time Levi saw them, they would always be training.

Evidently, they had been greatly inspired.

The Divine Leaderboard seemed to have a devilish hold on everyone. Just by being there, it was driving everyone crazy.

They wanted to grow stronger regardless of the price.

They would consume any drug or use any method as long as it could help them progress.

Zoey and the others behaved in the same way too.

Training with such fanatical fervor, their skills improved by leaps and bound, elevating them to a whole new terrifying level.

One by one, they arrived at the peak of the respective techniques they wielded.

However, Levi couldn’t bring himself to be happy for them.

The faster they improved, the closer they were to their impending doom.

After all, when they reached the pinnacle of their powers, they were at risk of a backlash that might cost them their lives.

Therefore, Levi couldn’t bring himself to allow them to continue down that path.

Left without a choice, he gathered everyone.

“Everyone, it’s time to stop,” Levi uttered with a conflicted expression.

“Stop?”

Everyone was puzzled.

Azure Dragon guessed Levi’s intention at once. “Boss, are you going to tell us that we are at risk of a backlash for training our techniques to their peaks?”

“Precisely! In less than a month, all of you would reach the pinnacle of your powers. Beyond that lies death. I don’t want to see any of you sacrifice…”

Just as Levi spoke, everyone fell silent.

Evidently, no one believed him.

Sensing what was going on, Levi turned to Azure Dragon. “Azure Dragon, didn’t you promise me that you would collect data on everyone’s technique and make a detailed analysis? Did you not do it?”

“I…”

Azure Dragon was stunned as he truly didn’t.

He didn’t take it seriously as he felt there was no need to do so.

Now that Levi had exposed him, he felt ashamed over the mistake he made.

“Boss, don’t blame Azure Dragon. We refused to give him the data, as we didn’t think it was necessary. Also, what you said can’t be true. All our techniques are different from each other, how can they be treated the same way? Also, after training the techniques for such a long time, we have not experienced any side effects at all. So, how can you claim that death awaits us at the peak of our powers?”

Everyone stood up for Azure Dragon and maintained that they didn’t believe in what Levi said.

“It’s actually the other way around. By working on our own techniques, we have made significant improvements. That’s how we remain relevant to present times. As for Azure Dragon, he gave up his own technique to train in your basic technique just to placate your feelings. But look at him now, he hasn’t improved at all!”

“Boss, shouldn’t we always look at the evidence? You like to abruptly refute what is obvious to us.”

Levi replied with resignation. “Azure Dragon didn’t improve because he is too distracted and was never serious in his training. As for the rest of you, it’s fine if you don’t believe me. But, I suggest you spend some time to conduct this research…”

 

Chapter 2516 Losing Themselves

Levi wasn’t making baseless claims and refuting them without reason.

A long while ago, he had told Azure Dragon and the others how they could validate it.

If Maya Industries was able to do it, so could Garrison Industry.

However, Azure Dragon and the others didn’t proceed with it. Instead, they continued to accuse Levi of making baseless statements.

“If Azure Dragon had followed my instructions, all of you would have known whether what I said was true,” Levi snapped.

Azure Dragon was speechless.

“Boss, you shouldn’t accuse Azure Dragon of not taking your instruction seriously. Anyone else in his shoes would feel the same way. If one’s comrades were improving significantly, while one was still stuck where one was, who wouldn’t be worried?”

“Setting Azure Dragon aside, what about Wynona and Mia? Aren’t they training hard with your basic technique? Did they see any improvement?”

“Ever since the new Divine Leaderboard was released, I didn’t see their names on either of the leaderboards. Therefore, the problem doesn’t lie with Azure Dragon!”

“Boss, we are tired of accommodating you all this while. Just look at Azure Dragon. As the most senior one among us, he has quietly sacrificed himself for our sakes all this while.”

“Boss, we do trust you. But at this pivotal moment, can you stop making a fuss? We have reached a crucial stage in our training. If we achieve the pinnacle of our technique, our strength will go through a momentous change. With that, we will be able to enter the Divine Leaderboard!”

Everyone persuaded Levi sincerely so that he would stop disrupting their training at such a vital point in time.

Zoey added, “I’ll be honest. They have already sacrificed so much for you. Without them, you wouldn’t be where you are today in this current era. You have to give it a rest and stop bugging us. If you continue, it’s no good for everyone!”

“Fine! In that case, you can continue.”

Levi could see that they were firm in their decision.

Regardless of what he said, they would refuse to believe him.

Moreover, they had no energy left to conduct the experiments that would verify Levi’s words.

All they could think of was how to grow stronger.

They were so obsessed that it bordered on being fanatical.

Possessed by the desire to become more powerful, no one was allowed to disrupt their training.

If Levi insisted on stopping them, he would only invite more trouble.

In fact, they might even sever ties with him.

Cognizant that they were determined to achieve their objective and would regret it if they didn’t, Levi decided to let them do what they will.

Instead, he planned to rescue them when they reached the brink.

Nevertheless, he still needed to figure out how.

After all, he too wasn’t sure what sort of doom awaited them at the end. It might potentially be something that was beyond his capabilities to resolve.

Therefore, he had to come up with a comprehensive plan and start preparing ahead of time.

Levi knew that he couldn’t let them die despite how stubborn they were.

Thus, he had no choice but to save them. After all, all of them were his friends.

Watching everyone go into solitary training, Azure Dragon let out a long sigh.

Given how desperate they were, they said many things that must have hurt Levi’s feelings.

With that, Levi left without another word.

With less than one month left, he had to find a way to deal with the backlash that they would inevitably face.

Therefore, he had no time to lose.

Watching Levi leave without a word, Azure Dragon knew that Levi must have been angry.

Given how hurtful the words earlier were, anyone in his position would feel the same way.

However, since everyone was focused on their own training, no one had time to be considerate of Levi’s feelings.

Meanwhile, Azure Dragon planned to teach them a lesson when they finished.

“Oh right, Boss did mention that the experiment’s data will help us analyze the techniques problems. Shall I give it a try?

 

Chapter 2517 Just Try It

Azure Dragon realized that this wasn’t the first time Levi mentioned it.

In fact, he had brought it up many times.

By using data to analyze all the different techniques, they could find out if all the techniques were actually the same thing. Also, they would find out whether death awaits them at the peak of their techniques, and if they would suffer any backlash.

Shall I give it a try? Since no one believes what Boss said. In fact, they even accuse him of refuting their methods without any evidence. Nevertheless, Boss did provide the method to verify it. However, even before getting a result, they didn’t even have the courage to validate his words. Why don’t I just give it a try? After all, my frustration is just getting in the way of my training.

Given that he had resigned himself to the fact he wasn’t going to improve, he felt conducting research and analysis would be a better use of his time.

What if Levi is right? Perhaps, I may be able to save Kirin and the rest.

Hence, Azure Dragon gathered all the techniques and headed to Garrison Industry’s testing ground to begin his research.

After all, it was going to take some time.

Maya Industries was the leader in data analysis. Hence, they were able to do it swiftly.

However, it was the first time Garrison Industry was exposed to something like that. Hence, they needed a longer time instead.

For the next half a month, everyone trained vigorously while Levi looked for a way to save them. As for Azure Dragon, he continued with his research.

During that time, the entire world went through an upheaval.

Triggered by the new Divine Leaderboard, many warriors began to go into a frenzy.

They would challenge each other and fight to the death.

Every day, the names on the Divine Leaderboard and Provisional Leaderboard would constantly be updated.

Fortunately, the stone plaque built by the Dark Web was made of special materials which allowed the names to be replaced easily.

Or else, the rate at which the names were changing would have required a new stone plaque to be built.

During that time, many new warriors emerged.

Some were on the Divine and Provisional Leaderboard previously, while others were not.

All of them came out of nowhere to challenge each other.

Their goal was to climb to the top of the ranks.

Meanwhile, in Erudia, seven to eight new warriors appeared.

One of them wielded the Divine Extraction Technique.

From the Provisional Leaderboard’s sixty-third step, he continued his meteoric rise to the ninetieth step.

However, everyone that he challenged was killed.

After all, anyone who fought with him would have their energy and lives sucked away by the Divine Extraction Technique.

Therefore, death was inevitable for whoever encountered him.

Moreover, after every battle, his strength would increase significantly because he had absorbed all their power.

Luckily, they were living in an age where the fittest survived.

Every day, many would be killed or injured due to the challenges that were going on for the sake of climbing the Divine Leaderboard.

Therefore his murders were covered up as no one took any notice.

Furthermore, his rank wasn’t high enough to draw any attention to himself too.

After all, there were just too many formidable fighters who emerged, with many of them outshining him in terms of their performance.

As he maintained a low profile, very few people took notice of him.

His behavior was consistent with Mr. X’s plan for him to mature slowly. By the time he was noticed, it would already be too late.

By then, he would be prepared to face the top fighters of the Divine Leaderboard. By absorbing the powers of a few more men, he would be able to defeat the top three.

Therefore, the current circumstance fitted his plans for progress perfectly.

After one week, he had reached the ninety-fifth step.

For every step he took, he had to absorb the powers of tens of men.

At that moment, he was capable of challenging someone from the ninety-ninth step or the tail end of the Divine Leaderboard.

However, instead of skipping steps, he continued to challenge his opponents one by one.

On one hand, he did so to keep a low profile and not attract any attention.

On the other hand, he wanted to absorb the power of more victims to strengthen himself.

Even though the fighters on the Provisional Leaderboard were considered to be weak, accumulating their energy en masse would still provide unimaginable power.

Knowing that he couldn’t waste any of it, he took his time to grind through these enemies.

Soon, he reached the ninetieth step and was due to face Kirin and his comrades.

 

Chapter 2518 Research Results

Karsten, the heir to the Divine Extraction Technique, arrived in North Hampton as he worked his way up the list.

However, he was told that Kirin and the others were all in solitary training.

“They can continue with their training after accepting my challenge,” Karsten replied with a smile.

“Are you worried that they would become stronger after their solitary training and defeat you? Is that why you insist on challenging them first?” Wynona, who was keeping watch, sneered.

“Fine. Forget it. I’ll come back to challenge them once they have completed their solitary training. I’ll skip them for the time being,” Karsten laughed before leaving.

In truth, there wasn’t much point in challenging them other than to absorb their powers.

Hence, if he insisted on extracting their powers, something untoward might happen and draw unnecessary attention to him.

Given that it wasn’t worth the risk, Karsten only dared to absorb the powers of those whom he challenged.

If he randomly extracted the powers of someone else, The Cardinal Hall and other similar organizations would notice easily.

Consequently, Zoey and her comrades managed to dodge a bullet.

Or else, they would have been killed during Karsten’s challenge.

As for Wynona and the others, none of them expected someone so ordinary-looking to be on the cusp of shocking the world.

Meanwhile, Karsten’s next step was to continue challenging the warriors on the Provisional Leaderboard.

Naturally, he too was challenged every so often by other warriors. With his good results and consistent wins, Karsten was soon one of the top fighters on the Provisional Leaderboard.

Furthermore, all his opponents met the same fate.

They too had their lives sucked out of them.

Cognizant that he would be exposed sooner or later, Karsten knew that he had to make hay while the sun still shone.

He had to build a solid foundation before his secret was revealed.

At the same time, Lab of Gods was providing him with support in the shadows.

They had sent hundreds of warriors to challenge those on the Divine and Provisional Leaderboard, wreaking havoc everywhere.

In truth, their main purpose was to provide cover for Karsten’s actions.

That way, everyone’s attention would be diverted away from him. It then allowed him to stay under the radar.

Hence, Levi was the only one who could possibly notice him.

Unfortunately, Levi was too preoccupied with saving Kirin and the others that he didn’t have the time.

Furthermore, it wasn’t like Lab of Gods had made their move. Hence, he wasn’t bothered about getting involved.

After all, he had no interest in the change in ranks of the Divine Leaderboard.

No matter how much turmoil there was on the leaderboard, his alter egos still occupied the top three places.

And that wasn’t going to change.

No matter how strong the opponents are, there’s no way they can be stronger than the Gods of Restricted Area 76. If one punch isn’t enough, I’ll send a second one.

Levi, who was the only person to potentially notice the problem, wasn’t even bothered with it.

Consequently, Karsten had a lot of time and space to let his strength mature properly.

Meanwhile, the Dark Web was likely aware of what was going on. However, given their neutrality, they wouldn’t reveal the extent of Karsten’s true power.

Furthermore, the change in ranks was determined by the challenges and not based on their true strength.

In other words, the Dark Web had only collated the names of all the elite fighters.

However, the changes in actual ranks were being determined by the large organizations instead.

After every challenge, there would be a reshuffling of names.

Ten days later, Karsten had defeated everyone listed on the ninety-ninth step. Thus, he was only one step away from being promoted to the Divine Leaderboard.

Fifteen days later, Karsten’s name was officially added to the bottom of the Divine Leaderboard.

From that moment on, he couldn’t avoid being noticed no matter how hard he tried to keep away from the public eye.

Nevertheless, he still hadn’t caught the entire world’s attention yet.

Therefore, he still had time to continue growing stronger and elevating his skills.

Also, Lab of Gods had sent men to help him divert the public’s attention, allowing him to continue with his plan.

They had expected him to only begin attracting attention once he reached the top hundred of the Divine Leaderboard.

However, that wasn’t Karsten’s goal.

He wished to only be noticed when he was in the top ten of the Divine Leaderboard.

The reason was that he wanted to absorb more energy from his opponents first.

Consequently, he needed Lab of Gods to help him buy more time while he went around doing that.

In fact, he could absorb all sorts of energy from his opponents, not just their powers.

While Karsten was working hard toward his goal, Kirin and his comrades were also doing the same.

In fact, they were about to reach the peak of their powers.

Meanwhile, Azure Dragon had spent half a month on his research and finally had the results.

 

Chapter 2519 We Have Misunderstood Levi

Boom!

The moment he saw the results, Azure Dragon felt as if he was struck by lightning.

Consequently, his face was filled with disbelief.

It’s true! It really is true! Boss is right!

After a detailed data analysis, he discovered that the hundreds of techniques in the new era were actually all the same.

One assumed them to be different due to the complex changes they went through.

Nevertheless, they were essentially the same technique even though it wasn’t obvious to the naked eye.

In fact, the person training it wouldn’t even know.

Only after data analysis was conducted to compare the techniques with each other would it become obvious.

Boss has been right all along! In fact, he even gave us the method to validate it. To think that all of us have wrongly accused him of making baseless claims all this while!

“But sir, we have no evidence so far as to indicate whether one will be doomed upon reaching the pinnacle of one’s technique. Perhaps, that conclusion isn’t true.”

“That’s right. There’s no problem if the techniques are all the same. But, the destruction at the peak of the technique is likely false,” a few of the lab’s scientists commented.

“Not necessarily. Continue with the research. After breaking down a hundred techniques, run a model to analyze what happens when they have trained to the peak of their powers…” Azure Dragon ordered.

Given that the next stage was even more complex, they needed an additional half a month to complete it.

However, Azure Dragon recalled that Levi told him they didn’t have much time left. All in all, they would reach the peak of their powers in a month’s time from back when he said it.

Consequently, he knew that time was of the essence, and he needed to finish the analysis before they had completed their training.

Or else, the consequences would be dire.

If what Levi said turned out to be false, that would be for the best.

However, if Levi was right, all his friends would die.

Therefore, Azure Dragon knew he had to shorten the time of the research.

The way he saw it, Levi had given up after his feelings were hurt.

Now, it was entirely up to him.

Nevertheless, he knew there was no point telling everyone now without any concrete evidence.

He had to throw the results of the research in their face before they would believe him.

Or else, there was no way they would stop training.

As a result, Azure Dragon and his team worked tirelessly to that end.

Lucky for them, Edmund was also in solitary training, or else, he would become an impediment.

Consequently, Azure Dragon managed to shorten the time frame required from half a month to around ten days.

During that ten days, Karsten progressed by leaps and bounds.

Even though he was ranked in the top five hundred of the Divine Leaderboard, his strength had reached that of someone in the top hundred.

Within ten days, he had climbed five hundred places and began to attract everyone’s attention.

In spite of Lab of Gods’ best efforts to cover up and provide a distraction, Karsten had already made a name for himself.

Thus, many were investigating his background, trying to find out how he grew so powerful in such a short time.

Soon, echoes of the Divine Extraction Technique reverberated throughout the world.

Hence, Karsten had less than three days before he became equally famous.

Within that three days, he had to reach the pinnacle of his power to ensure that he would be strong enough to defend himself.

Only then, could he achieve the levels which Lab of Gods wanted him to.

This is my last chance. I have to go all out and there’s only one choice left.

With that, Karsten brazenly challenged four hundred opponents at one go.

Other than the top hundred, everyone else above him on the Divine Leaderboard was invited.

When the four hundred of them showed up, everyone was stunned.

Isn’t it a one-to-one challenge? Why are there so many people?

“Has he gone mad?”

“Is he really challenging four hundred men at the same time?”

“All of us are within the top five hundred!”

Everyone lost their minds, as they didn’t know what Karsten was up to.

On top of the four hundred, more and more people began to arrive.

Some were from the Provisional Leaderboard, while others were not.

Soon, the crowd grew to tens of thousands of people.

It was now evident that other than the four hundred from the Divine Leaderboard, Karsten had invited many other warriors to the event.

He had wanted to absorb the powers of as many as he possibly could.

 

Chapter 2520 Sucking Dry A Hundred Thousand Men

Knowing that he would be exposed within three days and the trouble that would ensue, Karsten wanted to elevate his power to the ultimate level.

All he needed to do was to absorb as much as he could.

No longer needing to hide his identity, he planned to suck everyone’s powers dry en masse.

That was the reason why he issued the mass challenge.

As for the other tens of thousands of fighters, they were brought there by Lab of Gods.

Meanwhile, the crowd continued to grow.

Their target was to gather more than a hundred thousand warriors for Karsten to absorb.

Furthermore, Lab of Gods had also provided him with energy capsules.

The capsules, used specifically by them, contained an immense amount of energy.

Naturally, they were extremely powerful.

Given how much effort they had poured into Karsten, it was evident Lab of Gods wanted to create an invincible warrior at any cost.

When the four hundred Divine Leaderboard fighters appeared, they viewed Karsten with disdain.

How can someone who had just climbed to the five hundredth position dare to challenge so many of us at one go? Does he have a death wish? Any one of us here is strong enough to deal with him.

Without wasting any time, Karsten attacked.

The moment the battle started, everyone was stunned.

They realized their power was being sucked away, and they had no way of defending themselves.

Regardless of whether one was four-hundredth on the Divine Leaderboard or above the hundredth place, the result was the same.

All they could do was helplessly watch as Karsten absorbed their energy.

“This… this is the Divine Extraction Technique! It’s just as famous as the Iron Golem Technique!”

“The Divine Extraction Technique? Oh my God! Retreat! Retreat!”

When the Divine Leaderboard warriors realized what it was, they intended to withdraw at once.

Among them were fighters from both Erudia and Raysonia who were familiar with how powerful the Divine Extraction Technique was.

Having lost the will to fight, they tried to flee at once.

“Divine Extraction Technique, Level Eight!”

However, Karsten wasn’t going to let his prey escape so easily.

Hence, he unleashed the highest level he had reached—Level Eight.

The fact was no one had ever achieved Level Eight of the Divine Extraction Technique before.

It was only made possible after Lab of Gods resolved Karsten’s limitations.

Level Eight had allowed Karsten to absorb everything, regardless of who or what it was.

With nothing left to fear, Karsten extracted the power of whatever he wanted.

More importantly, he was able to meld all the energy he absorbed so that they wouldn’t be in conflict.

Boom!

The moment Level Eight of the Divine Extraction Technique was unleashed, the sky and the earth trembled.

A powerful gravitational pull covered the four hundred warriors of the Divine Leaderboard and the hundred thousand fighters behind them.

Everyone was being restrained by its frightening pull.

Just like an insect caught within a spiderweb, they were unable to struggle free. All they could do was wait to be eaten.

That was the power demonstrated by the Level Eight Divine Extraction Technique. It could absorb the energy of a hundred thousand men at the same time.

It was something Level Seven still wasn’t capable of.

“From now on, I will take over this world on your behalf!” Karsten roared just like a raving-mad demon.

That was the reason why the Divine Extraction Technique was so powerful.

Theoretically, it could make one invincible, as one could absorb energy without limits.

All one needed was the capacity to hold all that power.

“Argh!”

With a terrifying roar, Karsten began to extract everyone’s energy.

“Ah!”

“Ah!”

One by one, his victims widened their eyes while their veins bulged out of their faces.

Soon, their bodies began to rapidly dry out as they withered into a bag of bones.

All of them had been sucked dry.

One down!

Two down!

……

Ten thousand!

……

Fifty thousand!

……

A hundred thousand!

……

In a blink of an eye, only the four hundred from the Divine Leaderboard were left standing. The rest of the warriors behind them had turned into a large swathe of withered bodies.

Evidently, all of them had already been sucked dry.

As for those on the leaderboard, they were able to hold out a little longer because they were more powerful.

Unfortunately, it was a futile effort as it was a matter of time before they suffered the same fate.

“Please, have mercy! Let me go! I’m willing to submit to you!”

Some of them began to surrender.

However, Karsten was already consumed by the rush of power he felt.

“No way!”

Amidst the harrowing cries, Karsten extracted the energy from all the four hundred fighters.

Boom!

His body unleashed so much energy that he could tear the planet apart.

“I am now invincible!”