Chapter 1: The Great Dream Awakened a Thousand Years Ago

Wang Lie was dumbfounded, wondering what kind of place this was. Although the scenery was nice, there wasn't a single person in sight, and the eerie atmosphere was enough to scare anyone. Wang Lie cursed as he jumped down from the rock and looked up, faintly seeing the surrounding cliffs, unsure if there was an exit. Wang Lie had always been an outdoor sports enthusiast; during his university days, he was a key member of the Beijing University Mountain Eagles Club, having ventured into many desolate mountains and wilderness. Although he felt a bit anxious at this moment, he was not afraid.

"Did I guess wrong? Is this not the world of 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'? But the valley, the lake, and the jade disc are clearly right." Wang Lie scratched his head, "Never mind, it was dark just now, maybe I didn't look carefully. I'll search again; I refuse to believe there is no exit."

The riverbank was filled with rocks, and there was not a single path. Wang Lie walked for about seven or eight miles, unevenly, until he came across a wild peach tree, laden with fruit. Having been hungry for a long time, Wang Lie climbed the tree and ate his fill, feeling invigorated. After walking for another ten miles or so, he finally spotted a small path. Exhausted, Wang Lie sat down by the roadside, unwilling to move. After waiting for a while, he saw a person dressed in ancient attire approaching from a distance. Wang Lie's last glimmer of hope was extinguished; it seemed he had truly traveled back to ancient times.

Regardless of everything, Wang Lie held the torch and walked forward. The path continuously sloped downward, evidently getting lower as he walked. After a while, the space suddenly expanded. Wang Lie took a look; this was a natural stone chamber, likely the bottom of the lake. However, it had not yet been transformed into a room. Noticing a passage in the southwest corner, Wang Lie did not linger and continued onward. He passed through several similarly undeveloped stone chambers and faintly heard the sound of water. He quickened his pace, turned a few corners, and the sound of water became deafening. Ahead, light was filtering in. He quickened his steps and reached the end of the passage, where there was a cave barely large enough to accommodate him. Peering outside, his heart raced in fright.

"It really does look a bit like it, could it be?" Wang Lie's expression darkened, "By the way, there should be a small piece of the Infinite Jade Wall to reflect the image. Let me look for it. Oh heavens, please don't play tricks on me, I am not ready to traverse yet"

This lake takes on an elliptical shape, with most of it hidden among the thickets. It flows from west to east, then from east to west, forming a loop of approximately three to four kilometers in distance. To the southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest, there are sheer cliffs, leaving no way out. Looking up at the towering cliffs, a white mist envelops the valley

A man who appeared to be a woodcutter came, carrying two bundles of firewood. He set down his burden and responded with a few words, using a dialect. Wang Lie was taken aback, completely unable to understand.

"Could you please speak a little slower?" Wang Lie said apologetically

"Oh no, this scene seems so familiar," Wang Lie suddenly noticed a stone wall to the right of the waterfall, smooth and lustrous like jade. It must have been millions of years ago when the waterfall was even larger than it is today. After countless years of erosion and washing, this half of the stone wall has been polished to such a smooth finish. Later, as the water flow of the waterfall decreased, this piece of glass-like, mirror-like stone wall was revealed. "What! Is this not the Infinite Jade Bi?" Wang Lie exclaimed in shock, jumping up.

Wang Lie walked forward along the mountain wall where the small jade wall was located, not poking at the dense thicket with a branch. He did not know how long he had been searching, when Wang Lie once again poked at the thicket with a branch, he stumbled and nearly fell. The branch surprisingly did not reach the mountain wall. Wang Lie, disregarding his awkwardness, cheered and hurriedly pushed the chaotic branches aside with both hands, revealing a dark cave that suddenly appeared before his eyes

Returning to the valley, Wang Lie gathered some dry branches and leaves and piled them together. After searching for half a day, he could not find any flint, so he decided to use a few branches to create fire by friction. Although he had practiced this during his outdoor training, it still took him a considerable amount of effort to successfully ignite the fire. After carefully crafting a torch, Wang Lie shook his hair and walked into the cave

After carefully recalling the plot of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," Wang Lie, who has always been a fan of martial arts, felt relieved; otherwise, he would not have known what to do. "According to the original work, there should be a sword indicating the direction of the cave entrance," Wang Lie said as he looked at the opposite cliff, scanning from the bottom to the top and then from the top to the bottom. However, apart from stones and trees, he found no sword on the cliff.

Apart from the echoes, all that could be heard was the rumbling sound of water. No one answered Wang Lie, who surveyed his surroundings. He found himself in a valley, where to the left, a great waterfall cascaded like a jade dragon from the cliff, tumbling down into an exceptionally clear lake. The waterfall continuously poured in, yet the lake did not overflow, suggesting there must be an outlet for the water. The water churned at the point where the waterfall entered, but merely ten zhang away from the waterfall, the lake's surface was as smooth as a mirror. The moonlight shone into the lake, creating a bright round moon at its center. Just moments ago, he had been sleeping on a large rock not far from the lake's edge, no wonder he had been awakened by the cold.

Wang Lie gestured and calculated the angle of the moonlight reflection. After a moment, he discovered a large, bare stone wall behind a thicket, covered in vines. This stone wall was remarkably smooth, resembling a bronze mirror, but it was much smaller than the cliff on the west side of the lake. Wang Lie suddenly sat down on the ground, "What the heck, this is truly the Infinite Jade Wall. Am I really going to cross over? Fortunately, I ended up in such a place. Damn it, Duan Yu and Xu Zhu are both overpowered characters. How am I supposed to get by!"

"What the hell!" Opening his eyes, Wang Lie jumped up in fright. "Where is this place! Which bastard is playing a joke on me? I was clearly in a hotel in Hainan, how did I end up in such a ghostly place? Who did this? Come out, and I promise I won't kill you!"

As he looked out, the raging waves and swift currents revealed a great river. The riverbank was lined with steep cliffs, rugged and towering, indicating that he had arrived at the banks of the Lancang River. Wang Lie was overjoyed and slowly crawled out of the cave. He noticed that he was several dozen meters above the river surface; even if the water rose significantly, it would not flood the cave. However, reaching the riverbank was not an easy task. After resting for a moment, Wang Lie used both hands and feet to climb up, while firmly committing the surrounding terrain to memory for future visits. He thought to himself: "Since Wuyazi has not yet arrived, I will take the lead. Once I find out what kind of world this is, I will return to develop an unbeatable seaside villa. If I can also bring those beautiful sisters into my fold, that would be absolutely delightful." Wang Lie chuckled to himself, lost in his fantasies.

Achoo— Wang Lie sneezed and woke up from his dream. "Damn, I was just dreaming about watching beautiful women on the beach, how did it suddenly get so cold?" Wang Lie murmured to himself

Hahaha—" Wang Lie laughed heartily a few times, "Indeed, there is a way out, I am truly clever!" Wang Lie felt quite pleased with himself. The cave was pitch black; although according to the plot of the Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils there was no real danger, Wang Lie still did not rashly enter. Who knows if this place is part of the world of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils? The guiding sword that should have been there was absent.

At this moment, dawn was approaching, and the valley lay in quiet stillness; not a trace of human presence could be seen, nor even the slightest sign of animal tracks. Only the sounds of birds could be heard, harmoniously calling to one another from afar. Wang Lie sat by the lake, tapping the water's surface with a twig, lost in thought. Having lived for over twenty years, he found himself encountering such a scene for the first time, which felt like a book. How could a perfectly good vacation in Hainan lead to such a situation? He tossed the twig aside, leaned against a rock, and waited for the ceaseless flow of the waterfall. How could a perfectly good vacation in Hainan lead to such a situation? He tossed the twig aside, leaned against a rock, and waited for the ceaseless flow of the waterfall

"That's not right, why isn't it here? Could it be that the direction is wrong?" Wang Lie carefully examined the walls of the mountain in other directions, yet he still did not find the sword that should have been embedded in the wall.

Upon entering the cave, Wang Lie took a look around and found it to be a completely natural limestone cave, showing no signs of human intervention. Wang Lie felt a chill in his heart, "It seems that this really is not the world of 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'. Or is it that Wu Yazi has not yet arrived here to live in seclusion?"

Casually picking up a branch for self-defense, Wang Lie walked along the lake. Although he did not know where he was, finding a way out was the top priority. He pitied himself for being in his pajamas, without even a mobile phone by his side

After a long time of back-and-forth, the two of them communicated through words and gestures. Wang Lie, through a mix of guessing and deduction, managed to understand some things. Currently, it is the first year of the Ming Tong era in Dali. Wang Lie is not familiar with Dali's history and cannot determine the exact year in the Gregorian calendar. In any case, the current emperor is not his uncle Duan Yu. Finally, Wang Lie clarified the direction to Dali City. Since he is already here, he should make himself comfortable. Finding a place to learn from a master is the most important thing, Wang Lie thought.

This brother! Wang Lie stopped the newcomer, clasped his hands, and asked, "May I ask where this place is?"

Wang Lie is not a person who gives up on himself. After venting for half a day, he stood up. Regardless of whether he truly crossed over to the world of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," the presence of the Infinite Jade Wall indicates that there is a way out. First, he would find someone outside and then discuss further.