Divine Path System Chapter 1765: Varian steps into Rank 3

Everyone scanned the area, searching for the man they had been entreating for help. Asherah, however, did not bother to join them.

She collapsed into her chair and exhaled a long breath of relief. "You didn't vanish this time. I am truly glad to be proven wrong."

"The very survival of life hangs in the balance." Varian's soft voice resonated. "I will fortify the defenses. Tell the people they have no reason to fear; the disasters shall conclude within days."

"I leave the living under your protection, All Mother Asherah."

Under the intent gaze of the divine rankers, along with billions of citizens and countless refugees, a gentle, sacred light bathed Elysium.

"The Ruler of Eden!"

"The gods have bestowed their blessing upon us!"

"We are truly blessed to survive!"

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Unseen by the masses, Varian materialized far from Eden, attempting to lock onto the two monstrous entities.

Their positions shifted with such velocity that even a peak rank 2 like Varian could not track them. Nevertheless, he could perceive the aftermath of their skirmishes, and the mere sensation sent a shiver down his spine.

The invisible, all-encompassing laws disintegrated wherever the echoes of their combat lingered. The very fabric of the universe was unraveling in those sectors.

This conflict operated far beyond his current realm. Given that they wielded such devastating power, it was little wonder the Architect viewed him with disdain.

And, calculating his path to similar supremacy, the God Emperor regarded him as nothing more than a disposable pawn.

"Both of you exploited me as a piece in your own scheme." Varian closed his eyes solemnly. "But this pawn is now ready to flip the board."

He pushed his divine paths to their threshold, aiming to crash through the bottleneck into rank 3. To his profound astonishment, the barrier was nowhere to be found!

Two possibilities emerged to explain this.

First, the Architect might be so deeply embroiled in conflict with the God Emperor that he lacked the focus to enforce the restriction. It was also possible that the unraveling of the laws themselves nullified the ban.

Second, perhaps because Varian generated the shards of order and chaos internally, he had found a way to bypass the limitation entirely.

He could not be certain which cause was correct. However, he knew one thing: his advancement to rank 3 was no longer a hurdle.

The rules of the game were about to be rewritten!

"Status," Varian murmured, driven by habit.

Nothing appeared.

"For a short time, I shall have to manage without Logos," he whispered before channeling his innate shards.

[Life & Death Avenue: 1000/1000Space & Time Avenue: 1000/1000Order & Chaos Avenue: 1000/1000]

"Break!"

His paths shattered a monumental boundary, causing the universe to shudder.

However, due to the existing seismic fluctuations, the disturbance went largely unnoticed. Varian consciously suppressed the kinetic energy as much as possible.

A few moments later, his entire aura dissolved, and he appeared no different than an ordinary mortal.

He no longer required conscious effort to manipulate his aura, for it now obeyed his every whim.

When he sought to unleash an attack through order, he simply commanded the existing order of his surroundings, and they would strike. The aura facilitated his will without hesitation.

"Oh?" Varian felt his potential and a knowing smile touched his lips. "How interesting."

At rank 2, a divine ranker would typically have mastered one avenue.

At rank 3, they are expected to achieve mastery over all three.

To transition into this rank, one must attain a foundational mastery of the two secondary avenues.

A low rank stage would appear as:[Main Avenue: 1001/3000New Avenue 1: 1/3000New Avenue 2: 1/3000]

To advance further, they are required to raise their new avenues to bridge the gap with their main one.

A mid rank 3 would look like:[Main Avenue: 1500/3000New Avenue 1: 1000/3000New Avenue 2: 1000/3000]

Ultimately, at high rank 3, equalization occurs:[Main Avenue: 2500/3000New Avenue 1: 2500/3000New Avenue 2: 2500/3000]

Naturally, peak rank 3 represents all avenues reaching the cap of 3000/3000.

Since Varian possessed all avenues already, his standing was unique.

[You will retain an advantage others cannot replicate as you ascend.]

Logos had been right. Her words proved true. He wished she could have witnessed this moment.

But he shook off the thought; he looked forward to reuniting with her when this was over. As promised, a sliver maid indeed.

'Status.'

[Life & Death: 1500/3000Space & Time: 1500/3000Order & Chaos: 1500/3000]

Varian had erupted directly into mid rank 3.

His comprehension of the avenues had long since eclipsed that of a rank 2, but the bottleneck had held him back. Once the barrier fell, he naturally surged forward, elevating his mastery from 1000 to 1500.

The God Emperor had plotted for eons, fathered countless descendants, and performed perilous rituals just to grasp high rank 3.

The Architect, being the very creator of existence, stood only at high rank 3 as well.

Varian had undertaken none of these efforts, yet he now stood at mid rank 3, merely a heartbeat away from greatness.

"Time to conclude what remains unfinished." He turned his gaze toward Hortus and the three forbidden regions.

Their prior attempt at fusion had faltered. The Primordial gods were rank 3 entities, and as a rank 2, he lacked the capacity to control the process fully.

But now—

"Fuse!"

The cosmic forbidden regions initiated their union with their Hortus counterparts.

Unlike the previous encounter, Varian expended very little effort. The process unfolded smoothly, as if they were always destined to be one.

Hortus ascended to a higher level of existence, and Varian intimately experienced the shift.

As he channeled his consciousness into the fusion, something profound transpired.

The cosmic version represented the ultimate Law, reflecting how things are, while the local version was an experiment of how things might be. During the merging, these deep cosmic secrets were laid bare.

This was a singular opportunity. Varian seized it with fervor.

As the overseer of the region, he was granted a privileged perspective, with Hortus even tempering the rate of fusion to allow him greater insight.

Moments later, he opened his eyes.

The universe convulsed violently, but this time, he made no effort to suppress the fluctuations.

[Life & Death: 2500/3000Space & Time: 2500/3000Order & Chaos: 2500/3000]

High rank 3! Only moments earlier, he had been a peak rank 2; now, he stood at high rank 3, achieving parity with the two beings who had regarded him as nothing but a pawn.

The disasters ravaging the universe subsided almost instantly, and the grand tremors ceased.

The two titans battling for the fate of existence turned toward him, their faces masks of unadulterated shock.