The morning sun bled red across the horizon, casting the Crimson Overlord Sect in a fitting hue. On the highest peak of the Bloodshade Plateau, Jin Zhen stood with arms crossed, his black robes fluttering in the wind. Behind him, rows of disciples trained in synchronized formations, their movements fierce and precise. His sect was no longer a fledgling gathering of misfits—it was evolving into a force that could not be ignored.
But Jin Zhen's sharp eyes were not on them today. His attention was locked on the distant valley below, where scouts had reported a curious movement from the Azure Cloud Alliance.
"A scouting party on my borders… How bold," he muttered, a smirk tugging at his lips.
[System Notification:
Warning: Detected encroachment by Azure Cloud Alliance scouts.
Option A: Confrontation – Reward: +500 SP
Option B: Observation – Reward: +200 SP
Option C: Ambush – Reward: +800 SP (High Risk)]
He tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"High risk, high reward… But too soon. Let's test the waters first."
[Option Selected: Observation.]
The reward screen vanished, and Jin Zhen turned to his most trusted subordinate, Meng Yue, who had become a core elder after proving herself in battle and logistics.
"Dispatch the Shadow Veil unit. Follow them, but don't engage unless provoked. I want to know everything. Their faces, formations, even their scent if possible."
Meng Yue bowed. "It shall be done, Sect Master."
As she vanished into the wind like a ghost, Jin Zhen turned toward his personal cultivation chamber. It had been some time since he last used his SP. He had accumulated over 5,000 points—enough for a serious upgrade.
Inside the sealed chamber, surrounded by formations and spirit stone arrays, he opened the System Panel.
[Crimson Overlord System Interface:
Name: Jin Zhen
Realm: Peak Earth Ascension
Body Type: Obsidian Fiend Physique – Mid-Tier
Talent Grade: Celestial Red Lotus (Awakened)
SP Available: 5,480
Sect Reputation: 3,960 (Feared)
Sect Rank: Tier 4 Rising Sect
Personal Wealth: 120,000 Spirit Stones
Owned Territories: 5 (Bloodshade Plateau, Moonvine Valley, Ironroot Mine, etc.)
Current Quests:
Strengthen Core Disciples (2/5)
Expand Sect Influence (Completed: +1000 SP)
Prepare for Sect War (Ongoing)]
He tapped into the SP section, his eyes lingering over a particular option.
[Upgrade: Obsidian Fiend Physique → Abyssal Tyrant Body (Low-Tier Divine Physique)
Cost: 4,500 SP]
"Finally... something worthy."
[Upgrade Confirmed.]
His body convulsed instantly, as waves of dark energy flooded through him. The chamber's protective inscriptions flickered dangerously. Bones creaked. Muscles tore and regenerated. Every pore of his skin expelled impurities like black mist. Even his blood, once crimson, now gleamed with a faint silver sheen.
When it ended, Jin Zhen stood at the center, steam rising from his body.
[Upgrade Complete. New Status Acquired: Abyssal Tyrant Body – Strength, recovery, and energy absorption dramatically enhanced.]
He smiled, fists clenched. "Now I can face even a Nascent Lord head-on."
Suddenly, the chamber doors burst open. Meng Yue rushed in, uncharacteristically flustered.
"Sect Master! There's a problem."
He raised a brow. "Speak."
"The scouts weren't scouts. They were a diversion. The Azure Cloud Alliance just launched a strike on our outpost in Moonvine Valley. Two elders dead, one captured."
Jin Zhen's expression darkened.
[System Warning:
Territory Moonvine Valley is under threat.
Option A: Send reinforcements (cost: 3,000 Spirit Stones)
Option B: Personally intervene (Risk: Medium, Reward: +1,200 SP)
Option C: Abandon territory (Sect Reputation -500)]
His eyes narrowed to slits.
"I'm getting real tired of these games."
[Option Selected: Personally Intervene.]
—
Within half an hour, Jin Zhen was tearing through the skies atop his crimson-winged beast, the Hellfeather Roc. Below him, Moonvine Valley burned. The Azure Cloud Alliance forces were numerous, but not elite. He spotted the captured elder—Elder Ping—strung to a pillar, bloodied but alive.
From above, he roared, "All those who dare step on my land… DIE!"
A beam of black light shot from his palm, splitting into dozens of serpentine tendrils that ravaged the battlefield.
[System Skill Activated: Abyssal Chain Descent.]
Soldiers screamed as the chains bound and crushed them. Jin Zhen landed like a meteor, a shockwave reducing half a dozen attackers to paste.
"Y-You! Jin Zhen!" One of the Azure commanders stammered.
"Wrong move, dog," Jin Zhen growled.
He unleashed his new strength. Every punch shattered weapons. Every kick broke bones. In ten minutes, the battlefield turned silent. The survivors fled—those who could.
He walked over to Elder Ping and tore the bindings apart.
"You… came," Ping gasped.
"I always repay loyalty," Jin Zhen said simply.
[Quest Updated:
Rescue Sect Elder: Completed (+600 SP)
Retake Moonvine Valley: Completed (+1,200 SP)
Casualties: 2 Core Disciples, 14 Outer Disciples
Territory Secured.]
[SP Balance: 2,780]
Back at the sect, the news spread like wildfire. Jin Zhen, the Crimson Overlord, had once again crushed an alliance without fear or hesitation. Disciples revered him even more. Many outer disciples begged to be taken under his wing.
In the depths of the main hall, Meng Yue met with him privately.
"Sect Master, this wasn't a random attack. Someone's pulling strings to draw you out."
Jin Zhen didn't flinch. "Then we'll cut the strings. I want our informants in the Azure Cloud Alliance paid double. I want to know who's behind this."
Meng Yue nodded. "And… what of the captured soldiers?"
"Interrogate the commanders. Execute the rest."
She bowed and left.
Jin Zhen stood in silence for a moment, eyes closed.
This wasn't just about power anymore. This was war. And war demanded more than strength—it demanded strategy, ruthlessness, and sacrifice.
He would give all three. Because he was no mere Sect Master.
He was the Crimson Overlord.