Chapter 626: The Four Overlords of Mount Shu

The streak of sword light was as dazzling as a star and as swift as lightning, carrying a fierce and unstoppable momentum!

Chu Liang spotted the attack, halted mid-air, and with a flick of his long tail, struck the longsword with a crisp clang, scattering the spiritual energy imbued within it.

The attackers were instantly stunned.

They were three young men and women. The two young men wore coarse short robes. One had a headband tied around his dark, tanned skin and a sturdy build, while the other, slightly taller, had a broad forehead and large eyes.

The young woman, the tallest among them, had thick golden wavy hair, amber-colored eyes, and snow-white skin, clearly identifying her as a woman from the Western Regions.

The headband-wearing young man had been the one to launch the sword attack. Seeing his full-force Sword Manipulation Technique so easily neutralized by the evil dragon, his expression changed. Without hesitation, he formed a hand seal, summoning rolling clouds to obscure the surroundings—a divine technique meant to confuse vision.

Chu Liang let out a low growl: "

Grrr.

"

With that single sound, the mist around him instantly dissipated.

The three youths, sensing the dragon’s overwhelming strength, prepared to unleash their divine skills in a desperate bid.

Chu Liang quickly shouted, "Stop!"

In an instant, he shifted his form, transforming into his human appearance as he landed lightly on the ground.

“Huh?” The three stared at him, stunned by his transformation into a human. Their suspicion, however, remained.

“Don’t be afraid, I’m human,” Chu Liang said, smiling and spreading his hands. “I was merely practicing a divine skill when you stumbled upon me and attacked out of nowhere.”

Yet, to his surprise, his tried-and-true harmless smile—one that had never failed to win goodwill—didn’t work this time.

The three continued to stare at him with wary, hostile eyes, as if he were a demonic creature.

Chu Liang was slightly puzzled by their reaction. After a brief hesitation, he took out a bronze mirror and looked at his reflection. The reason for their wariness became immediately clear.

His clothes were tattered and stained with blood, his hair disheveled, and his matted beard completely obscured his face.

The sudden transformation into a dragon after such a long time caused his entire body to radiate a ferocious qi, making him appear even more terrifying than he had in his dragon form. It was no wonder they were so intimidated.

Without hesitation, Chu Liang formed his fingers into a saber and neatly trimmed his unruly beard and hair. He then condensed water from the air to thoroughly cleanse his face. Finally, he discarded his tattered outer garment and changed into a pristine brocade robe.

After this transformation, he waved at the young men and woman. "See? I’m really a good person."

The three finally appeared to trust him a little, whispering among themselves.

"Ah..."

"He really does seem to be human."

"When he transformed into a dragon earlier, there was indeed no demonic qi."

Watching them murmur amongst themselves, Chu Liang smiled and said, "No need to panic. I am a disciple of the Mount Shu Sect, one of the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten, named Chu... Liuxiang. I mean no harm."

At the last moment, he gave a false name.

After all, having won the Champion of the Assembly of Immortal Sects, the name Chu Liang had likely spread far and wide. The entire world probably knew he was the champion, and by extension, who his esteemed teacher was.

He had suffered enough because of his teacher in the past.

"Mount Shu?" Hearing those words, the three brightened instantly and said in unison, "So you’re an esteemed senior from the Mount Shu Sect. We were terribly disrespectful earlier!"

"No need to be so formal," Chu Liang said, smiling as he waved his hand.

He had never realized how useful the name of the Mount Shu Sect could be. He then sat close to the three and prepared to talk with them in detail.

With the misunderstanding cleared up, the three young men and woman apologized to him and explained the purpose of their visit.

...

The Ancient Dragon Lair was located in the Desolate Wilderness in the northeast, long outside the borders of the Yu Dynasty. The territories closest to the Ancient Dragon Lair were the kingdoms in the Western Regions. One such kingdom in the Western Regions was the Gaoyue Kingdom and these three youths were disciples of the Grand Wind Hall in the Gaoyue Kingdom.

Chu Liang nodded thoughtfully upon learning this. No wonder their appearances carried an exotic air.

In recent years, the Far West had experienced frequent disturbances, and the kingdoms in the Western Regions often suffered from demonic calamities. Just days ago, a shocking event had shaken Gaoyue—the kingdom’s princess had been abducted by a demonic dragon during an outing.

The incident sent waves of outrage throughout the kingdom. The furious king immediately ordered the cultivators of Grand Wind Hall to search for the princess. Their investigation revealed that a demonic dragon, notorious for abducting women, was said to reside in the Ancient Dragon Lair. Thus, they came to investigate.

However, they found no trace of the demonic dragon along the way. Instead, they encountered Chu Liang in his dragon form and mistook him for the culprit.

"A demonic dragon?" Chu Liang pondered.

The Ancient Dragon Lair had been abandoned for centuries, becoming like a desolate wilderness. Chu Liang had never heard of any dragons still inhabiting the area. When had such a creature appeared?

He recalled hearing of the Gaoyue Kingdom before. One of the many minor kingdoms in the Western Regions, the Gaoyue Kingdom was renowned for its unique herb, Crimson Moon Celestial Grass—a vital ingredient in many healing pills. Thanks to this rare resource, Gaoyue Kingdom was relatively wealthy compared to other kingdoms in the Western Regions.

However, this wealth was significant only within the context of the Western Regions.

The kingdom could afford only one institution for cultivators, the Grand Wind Hall, whose function was similar to the Imperial Supervisory Bureau of the Yu Dynasty. However, its size and scale were more akin to a small sect. These three were disciples of the Grand Wind Hall.

The sturdy youth with the headband was named Qi Lingshan. The taller young man was Qi Lingmu, and the golden-haired young woman was Qi Lingyue.

They were all around eighteen or nineteen years old, with cultivation levels at the peak of the fourth realm. This was quite impressive, making them likely the most outstanding youths of the Gaoyue Kingdom.

Chu Liang found it odd. The kingdoms in the Western Regions also participated in the Assembly of Immortal Sects. Why didn’t they recognize him?

So he asked, "Your cultivation levels are quite good. Didn’t you attend the Assembly of Immortal Sects?"

"The Assembly of Immortal Sects?" Qi Lingshan paused, then laughed. "Esteemed senior, you must be joking. The Assembly of Immortal Sects won’t start for another six years."

"Six years?"

Chu Liang frowned.

The next Assembly was six years away, which meant the last one had taken place six years ago.

What...

Have I really been lying in the Blue Dragon hidden realm for six whole years?!

No wonder I feel like my body has rusted inside and out. It turned out so much time had passed.

He was momentarily dazed, unsure of what to say as his thoughts swirled in confusion.

For cultivators, it wasn’t unusual for a closed-door cultivation session to last years or even decades. But for Chu Liang, this was his first experience with such a drastic passage of time.

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"By the way, esteemed senior," Qi Lingyue asked, "since you’re a disciple of the Mount Shu Sect, you must know the Four Overlords, right? Are you familiar with White Jade Fan and Mountain Tiger? They’re supposed to visit our kingdom in a few days!"

"Who are they?" Chu Liang asked, puzzled.

"The Four Overlords of the Mount Shu Sect!" Qi Lingyue exclaimed in surprise. "They’re the most influential and dazzling figures of the Mount Shu Sect. Even the kingdoms in the Western Regions know of their prowess. Countless girls dream of marrying them—you don’t know them?"

Chu Liang’s face darkened.

The Four Overlords of the Mount Shu Sect...

That name was ridiculously arrogant. On Mount Shu, he only knew one person bold enough to pull that off.

"White Jade Fan and Mountain Tiger are just nicknames. Maybe the esteemed senior isn’t familiar with them," Qi Lingmu interjected, trying to smooth things over. "But if I said Jiang Huaixu and Meng Shouyang, surely you’d recognize them—they’re famous!"

Chu Liang froze.

The three stared at him in silence.

Jiang Huaixu, nicknamed White Jade Fan, and Meng Shouyang, nicknamed Mountain Tiger, were two of the Four Overlords of Mount Shu—renowned as the most domineering figures of the sect in recent years.

This "senior" doesn't look that old. If he doesn't know this, he must be a fake Mount Shu Sect's disciple.

Even Chu Liang himself began to doubt himself.

Scratching his head, he muttered, "Maybe I am in a fake world?"