Perfect ⚔️ let's unfold **Chapter 57 – Conspiracy in the Shadows** in full * novels style directly connecting to Chapter 56 where Ratan confronted the envoys of nations and sects.
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# **Chapter 57 – Conspiracy in the Shadows**
*(connects directly to Chapter 56 – First Contact with Nation Powers)*
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## **1. The Night After the Banquet**
The Eternal Grounds glowed faintly under twin moons. Disciples rested after long drills, elders meditated, and the air smelled of pine resin and mountain frost.
But not all slept.
Beyond the torchlight, where shadows deepened into silence, whispers slithered. Cloaked figures met in a hollow cave at the mountain's edge, their voices hushed yet sharp as blades.
"The Eternal Clan grows too quickly."
"They bind divine beasts and heal armies with tears. Left unchecked, they will upset the balance of kingdoms."
"Then let us upset them first."
The leader stepped forward—his mask carved into a demon's leer, eyes faintly glowing with crimson qi.
"The nations already eye them with envy," he said. "We need only nudge… and their so-called allies will do our work."
He unfurled a scroll, blood-red script crawling like living worms across the parchment. "A plan of threads and knives. Watch how easily mortals betray themselves when touched by fear."
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## **2. The Prince's Doubt**
In a lavish guest hall provided by the Eternal Clan, Prince Arjun Vermillion sat sleepless. His attendants whispered, his goblet of wine stood untouched.
He replayed Ratan's Cosmic Step in his mind—the effortless warping of space, the arrogance of power.
"That boy… no, that man… he will not bend. He will not serve the throne."
A shadow entered his chamber. A masked emissary bowed low. "Your Highness, do you not see? If the Eternal Clan rises, your Vermillion line will fade into history."
Arjun's eyes narrowed. "And what would you have me do?"
The emissary placed a jade token upon the table. Dark qi pulsed faintly. "Unite the banners against him. Call for a test of strength, where fate may be… adjusted."
Arjun's hand trembled, but he did not reject it.
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## **3. The Elder's Temptation**
Elder Yunhai of the Verdant Peaks meditated in his quarters, yet his mind was troubled. The Eternal Clan's rapid rise shook centuries of sect hierarchy.
He opened his eyes—and a scroll already lay before him. He did not remember it being placed there.
"Teach them your secrets, Elder, and they will surpass even Verdant Peaks. Hold your knowledge, and they will cast you aside when stronger allies arrive."
Yunhai's heart wavered. His sect prized stability above all. To gamble with an upstart clan? Dangerous.
Yet within the scroll glowed lines of demonic qi, shaping themselves into visions: the Eternal Clan seated on the throne of mountains, Verdant Peaks forgotten, Yunhai's disciples bowing to strangers.
His fists clenched. "No… I cannot allow that."
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## **4. The Mercenary's Lust**
Commander Kael drowned himself in wine, his scars twisting as he laughed to himself.
"Miracles… cosmic tricks… divine beasts…" he muttered. "All wasted on children playing at clan."
From the darkness behind him, a low voice whispered:
"Why serve when you can take? The beast in Ratan's Inner World… imagine its power unleashed for you alone."
Kael's grin widened. "Yes… why beg at their table when I can claim the feast?"
The shadow handed him a vial, black liquid swirling within. "Drink when the time comes. Power will answer."
Kael did not ask what it was. He drank.
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## **5. Ratan's Unease**
On the Eternal Grounds, Ratan meditated atop the Stone of Origin. His chakras pulsed in rhythm with the cosmos, yet within his heart a heaviness lingered.
The karmic threads he had glimpsed with his Ajna chakra wove strangely tonight. They tangled, knotted, twisted with foreign intent.
"Something moves in the dark," he murmured.
Ishita approached, her silver aura glowing like moonlight on still water. "You feel it too."
He nodded. "Not one enemy. Many. Bound by whispers."
Sunita's soft voice came from behind. "Then… we must hold together. For if the heart falters, the body follows."
Her words steadied him, yet the storm of fate still churned.
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## **6. Seeds of Conspiracy**
The next morning, subtle changes rippled:
* Prince Arjun suddenly demanded a "trial of legitimacy," claiming the Eternal Clan must prove itself before the Vermillion throne.
* Elder Yunhai hinted that Verdant Peaks would withdraw their goodwill unless Ratan shared his cultivation path.
* Commander Kael's mercenaries grew restless, their eyes bloodshot, their laughter edged with violence.
To disciples, it seemed mere politics. To Ratan's sharpened senses, it was a net tightening.
"They no longer look upon us as equals," Mahadev growled.
"They look upon us as prey."
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## **7. The Masked Hand Revealed**
That night, in the valley below the Eternal Grounds, cloaked figures gathered again.
The masked leader raised his hand. In the moonlight, his palm burned with demonic runes. "The nations waver. The sect hesitates. The mercenaries hunger. Perfect. Soon, they will strike at each other and at the Eternal Clan. When blood spills, we will move in the chaos."
One follower asked timidly, "But… if the boy Ratan sees through us?"
The leader laughed softly. "He already suspects. Let him. Even foresight cannot stop betrayal born from human greed. When allies turn knives upon him, even the Eternal will bleed."
The shadows bowed.
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## **8. Foreshadowing of Storm**
Above them, unseen, Ratan stood upon a ridge, cloaked in cosmic distortion. He heard every word.
His eyes blazed with galaxies, yet his chest grew cold. "So… it begins. Not beasts. Not storms. But men, their hearts twisted by whispers."
He returned to the Eternal Grounds.
To his people he said nothing—only that they must train harder, stand closer, sharpen their unity.
For the storm was not one of armies, but of daggers in the dark.
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✅ **Chapter 57 Complete** – The demonic sect manipulates **Prince Arjun, Elder Yunhai, and Commander Kael**, sowing mistrust and greed. Each rival power begins to turn against the Eternal Clan. Ratan senses the coming storm but knows betrayal is harder to fight than beasts or blades.