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"Everyone, stand down!"
At that moment, Li Yelan—the head of the Li family—also stepped in to stop the clan members.
Just now, she had used a magical artifact to probe him. Her great-uncle's body held no traces of corpse energy, nor was there any demonic or ghostly presence. On the contrary, it radiated a powerful wave of spiritual energy.
Hearing the family head's order, the others quickly withdrew their respective magical tools.
Seeing this, George leapt out of the coffin in one smooth motion, his mind racing to come up with a plausible explanation for his sudden resurrection.
Fortunately, it didn't take long for him to find a barely acceptable excuse buried within Li Xuan's memories.
"Great-Uncle, what exactly is going on here?"
Li Yelan stepped forward, her face full of confusion as she questioned George.
Her great-uncle had lived for ninety-eight years. Though he had studied Taoist arts, his cultivation had always been weak. He had long since reached the end of his life's journey. In the past two years, he had been bedridden, even struggling to walk. He had spent most of his time confined to bed.
Seven days ago, he had finally taken his last breath—and she had been there when it happened. She could personally confirm he had truly passed.
And yet now, not only was he alive again, but that leap from the coffin had clearly shown a physical improvement.
Though his hair remained white, a closer look revealed that his complexion was rosy, and the deep wrinkles on his face had visibly faded.
It was all incredibly bizarre.
The other clan members perked up at Li Yelan's question. They, too, were eager to know how the old ancestor had suddenly come back to life.
The Li family's direct and collateral branches combined totaled more than 300 members—not counting those working in the family's modern business enterprises. Many of them lacked spiritual talent and had long since settled into normal family lives.
As a result, the generational gaps within the clan were huge—something common in large families.
For instance, among the direct bloodline, someone like Li Syaoran technically had adult relatives who, by seniority, should be considered his grandchildren.
To most of the clan, the ninety-eight-year-old Li Xuan was nothing short of a living ancestor.
Aside from Li Yelan, who still addressed him as "Great-Uncle," everyone else respectfully referred to him simply as "Ancestor."
Ahem. "To be honest," George said, adopting a solemn and reflective tone, "I didn't expect this either."
"At the time, I genuinely believed I was going to die.
"But just as I took my final breath, I found myself reflecting on my entire life. I thought of the Taoist path I had studied for decades and all the scrolls I had pored over. And suddenly, something clicked. I had an epiphany."
"In that moment, it felt as if I had become one with nature. My mind was flooded with insight—and when I woke up again, I was already inside the coffin."
"Could it be… he achieved enlightenment?!"
As George finished speaking, the older members of the clan, including Li Yelan, widened their eyes in shock, their faces filled with disbelief.
The younger ones looked at each other, clearly puzzled. They had no idea what "enlightenment" meant in this context.
As recorded in various Taoist texts, once one's cultivation reached a certain level, it was possible to become one with the universe and comprehend the Great Dao.
Someone who achieved enlightenment wouldn't just see a massive leap in spiritual power—they could also dramatically extend their lifespan, potentially living three or four centuries with ease.
But such things had always been regarded as legend. No one in modern times had ever truly reached that state—at least, not that anyone had admitted.
Well, almost no one.
According to clan records, the world's strongest sorcerer—Clow Reed, who shared half of the Li family's blood—was said to have reached that realm. Still, even he had never officially confirmed it.
If George truly had achieved enlightenment, then his resurrection would be understandable.
Still, it was hard to accept. The old ancestor had always had average talent and weak magical ability. How could he have achieved enlightenment?
But then again, when it came to enlightenment, cultivation level wasn't the only factor. The key was often the state of mind.
The old ancestor had lived ninety-eight years. He could recite every Taoist text in the clan from memory and had studied every spell and technique the family possessed.
He had never married or had children his entire life—his energy had been wholly devoted to the pursuit of the Dao.
Given such a state of mind and lifestyle, the possibility that he had achieved enlightenment wasn't entirely out of the question.
"Great-Uncle… did you really attain enlightenment?"
Li Yelan couldn't help but swallow nervously as she stepped forward to confirm.
For a family like theirs, this was no small matter.
A cultivator who achieved enlightenment—no matter how weak they were before—would ascend to the ranks of the world's top experts.
There were even stories throughout history of ordinary scholars with no prior cultivation experience who, by thoroughly studying ancient scriptures, suddenly attained enlightenment and became immortals overnight.
Exaggerated, perhaps—but not entirely impossible. Becoming an actual immortal might be a stretch, but becoming a highly respected Taoist master was well within reach.
The Li family had once been a prestigious clan in the world of Taoist arts, though in recent times it had fallen into decline. Especially now, among the youngest generation, only Li Syaoran showed any spiritual talent.
Fortunately, Li Syaoran's aptitude was extraordinarily high. Even at a young age, he was already stronger than many fully grown clan members.
Still, no matter how gifted he was, time was needed for him to grow.
If the old ancestor truly had achieved enlightenment and his power had greatly increased, then aside from Li Yelan, the family would now have another powerful protector. They would no longer have to live in fear of external threats.
Back when Clow Reed had risen to prominence, he had crushed every other magician—Eastern or Western—and was universally recognized as the world's strongest sorcerer. But in doing so, he had also made many enemies.
Naturally, this animosity extended to the Li family, who shared his bloodline.
While Clow Reed was alive, those enemies dared not act. But once he passed, everything changed.
Some Western magicians in particular had long coveted the source of Clow Reed's strength—his fusion of Eastern and Western magical arts, with a heavy emphasis on the Li family's Taoist spells.
For years, they had been attempting to steal the Li clan's Taoist secrets in hopes of becoming the next Clow Reed.
The family had already dealt with quite a few foreign magicians who had tried to sneak into the Li residence.
"I believe I have," George said with a firm nod. "I can feel a tremendous increase in my spiritual power. And I now have far deeper insights into Taoist arts than ever before."
With that, he turned and walked out to the courtyard in front of the ancestral hall.
Raising his hand with a dramatic sweep, he shouted toward the sky:
"Summon the Thunder King—Heavenly Thunder, Descend!"
In an instant, the skies over Xiangjiang darkened with thunderclouds. Countless streaks of lightning twisted and surged among the clouds, crackling ominously as though they could strike at any moment. The entire scene radiated terrifying power.
Hissss—!
Li Yelan and every member of the Li clan inhaled sharply as they watched the thunder spell unfold.
The storm covered the entire sky above Xiangjiang—an awe-inspiring display that shocked them to their core.
A singular thought echoed in everyone's mind:
"Damn! The old ancestor is OP!"
At that moment, there was no longer a shred of doubt in anyone's heart. The old ancestor had achieved enlightenment.
Otherwise, how could he have gained such terrifying power? A casual thunder spell, and it had shaken the heavens themselves.
"Looks like they bought it."
George swept his gaze over the stunned faces of the crowd, then casually waved again—dissipating the dark clouds above.
Truthfully, while he had inherited Li Xuan's feeble spiritual energy and complete Taoist knowledge, there was no way he could actually use this world's Taoist arts just yet. He'd need time to slowly adapt and internalize everything.
What he had just cast wasn't a Taoist spell at all.
In reality, it was an ancient storm spell—Tempest Descent—from the world of Harry Potter.
(End of Chapter)