Perfect 🌑 this will be a dark and intense chapter, showing the antagonist's schemes escalating after Ratan's overwhelming victory. Here is **Chapter 68 – Demonic Cultivator's Scheme**, written in full ** novels style**,directly following Chapter 67.
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# **Chapter 68 – Demonic Cultivator's Scheme**
*(connects to Chapter 67 – Rival Clan Annihilation II)*
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## **1. Shadows After Victory**
The Eternal Clan celebrated the annihilation of the Ashura Clan, but in the silence beyond their walls, darkness stirred.
In a barren valley far from the Eternal Grounds, the surviving **demonic cultivator overlord** sat cross-legged upon a throne of bones. His aura was thick and suffocating, veins of shadow crawling across the land. Even the air reeked of blood and decay.
He had witnessed Ratan's Cosmic Sword in action through spiritual echoes carried by spies. Instead of despair, he smiled.
> "So… the boy can channel starlight itself. The stronger he becomes, the sweeter it will be to consume him."
He extended his hand into the void, conjuring images of sects and clans across the continent. Unlike Ratan, who inspired loyalty and harmony, this being sowed chaos and despair. His plan was simple yet terrifying: **break Ratan's potential allies before they could unite under him.**
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## **2. First Strike – Sect of Crimson Veil**
The **Sect of the Crimson Veil**, a mid-tier ally of the Eternal Clan, held dominion over several valleys of spirit herbs. Their matriarch, Lady Veyra, had sent envoys to congratulate Ratan on his victory over Ashura.
The demonic cultiv
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## **2. First Strike – Sect of Crimson Veil (continued)**
Night fell heavy upon the valleys of the **Crimson Veil Sect**. A crimson moon cast eerie shadows across their spirit herb gardens, the leaves trembling as though sensing impending death.
Lady Veyra stood atop her jade platform, her aura blazing like scarlet fire. She had received word of Ratan's Cosmic Sword and rejoiced inwardly—allying with the Eternal Clan had been a wise choice.
But before dawn could arrive, calamity descended.
A **black fog** rose from the earth, thick and choking. Screams echoed as disciples clutched their throats, collapsing as their life force was sucked away. Demonic sigils etched themselves into the very air, glowing like wounds in the heavens.
From the fog emerged a figure cloaked in obsidian robes. His eyes burned like inverted suns, pits of endless malice.
> "So weak… and yet you dared swear loyalty to Ratan? For that, you shall be erased."
Lady Veyra summoned her sect's protective formation, a scarlet lotus blooming in the skies. But the demonic cultivator's laugh shattered the night—his hand pierced the lotus like paper, and rivers of blood erupted from the disciples' bodies, fueling his power.
By dawn, the Crimson Veil Sect was no more. Only smoldering ashes remained, and above it floated a message carved in blood across the skies:
**"Those who follow Eternal Clan shall follow into death."**
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## **3. The Web of Despair**
The massacre spread like wildfire across the cultivation world. Sect after sect whispered in terror: *"The Demonic Shadow has returned."*
Small sects who once courted alliance with Ratan began hesitating. Fear spread faster than flame.
Inside his bone palace, the demonic cultivator's smile widened. He summoned the blood of the fallen into a cauldron of shadows, refining it into a dark essence.
> "Crimson Veil… only the first. Eternal Clan, let us see how long you can protect those who cling to your light."
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## **4. Message Reaches Eternal Clan**
Back in the Eternal Grounds, Ratan sat in meditation, the **Cosmic Sword** floating silently at his side. His body radiated a serene starlight that calmed the hearts of disciples training nearby.
Suddenly, Ishita entered, her face pale, holding a jade slip pulsing with residual blood essence.
"Ratan… it's the Crimson Veil Sect. They've been… destroyed."
The hall fell silent. Elders clenched their fists; disciples trembled with fury.
Ratan rose slowly, his aura calm yet terrifying, stars flickering in his eyes.
> "The enemy reveals himself at last."
He knew the attack wasn't random. It was a **direct challenge**—a scheme meant to isolate the Eternal Clan by striking terror into allies.
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## **5. Foreshadowing of Greater War**
That night, as the Eternal Clan gathered in the great hall, flames of determination burned in every eye. Ratan's voice echoed:
> "If fear is his weapon, then unity shall be ours. From this moment forth, the Eternal Clan shall not merely defend—we shall **hunt**."
Kavya, Sunita, and Ishita stood behind him like blazing constellations, their domains shimmering faintly. The disciples roared in unison, their faith unshakable despite the horror.
But deep in his heart, Ratan knew—this was only the beginning.
The demonic cultivator wasn't targeting Eternal Clan directly yet. He was weaving a web, breaking down the foundations of trust across the continent.
Soon, it would not just be sects. Nations, kingdoms, and ancient hidden families would be drawn into the scheme.
And beyond them, the heavens themselves might stir.
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🔥 End of **Chapter 68 – Demonic Cultivator's Scheme**.