"A mere remnant soul dares to seek my head? Old man, you think too highly of yourself," Chen Xiao sneered, shaking his head dismissively.
"A remnant soul?" Gandao let out a cold laugh. "Young man, open your eyes and see. I am no mere remnant soul!"
"Very well, at your age, you've likely never witnessed what a true Nascent Soul is!"
"Today, I shall broaden your horizons!"
As he spoke, an ethereal silhouette of an old man appeared behind Gandao. The old man's age was indiscernible, but he exuded an aura of seniority. He had a leopard-like head, piercing eyes, and exposed white hair.
"Void Transformation realm. A Nascent Soul can travel ten thousand miles, roam between heaven and earth, and the physical body remains invincible!" Gandao declared proudly. "I, am in the Void Transformation realm!"
Chen Xiao narrowed his eyes. "Void Transformation realm, eh? This is getting interesting!"
The demon venerable Tu Shan Che was also in the Void Transformation realm. However, demon cultivators and human cultivators differed; the Void Transformation realm for demon cultivators far surpassed that of human cultivators.
"So you attached your Nascent Soul to a cat?" Chen Xiao asked with a light chuckle, speaking indifferently. "Doesn't seem all that impressive!"
"Hmph, you know nothing!" Gandao snorted angrily. "That black cat was merely a medium. In reality, my Nascent Soul was within my physical body, far away in the Immortal Hidden Realm."
A hint of surprise flickered across Chen Xiao's face. He truly hadn't perceived this, nor could he have guessed it. It wasn't surprising, though. If Gandao's Nascent Soul had been attached to the black cat, Chen Xiao's divine sense would have detected it.
Noticing Chen Xiao's surprise, Gandao burst into triumphant laughter. "Hahahaha, brat, now you know how formidable I am, don't you?"
Formidable, he was indeed... but his mental state seemed a bit off. Chen Xiao mused inwardly, this old fellow was far too prone to maniacal laughter. Perhaps life in the Immortal Hidden Realm was too stifling, driving him to such a state.
"So what if you're formidable? Aren't you still confined to the Immortal Hidden Realm? From what I know, disciples in the Immortal Hidden Realm can only leave once a year. So, your choice to use soul projection was likely due to this restriction, right?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I don't know who it is that restricts you, but it's clear that you are insignificant in their eyes!" Chen Xiao feigned contempt, realizing that despite the old man's high cultivation, his mentality was immature, easily provoked.
As expected, upon hearing Chen Xiao's words, Gandao's face turned crimson with rage. He gritted his teeth and cursed, "You sharp-tongued little brat!"
"Once I twist your head off, let's see if you still have so much to say!"
Wisps of milky white fluid, half liquid and half gas, emanated from Gandao's body. Chen Xiao immediately recognized it as true essence flowing from his Nascent Soul. Chen Xiao paused slightly. Was he going to use true essence to control techniques? True essence was a form of energy, fundamentally similar to spiritual energy, qi, or demonic energy. However, true essence was far more precious than spiritual energy, as spiritual energy could be replenished after use. True essence, on the other hand, was the materialization of mental energy, and replenishing it after consumption was far more complex than with spiritual energy. Of course, employing techniques with true essence naturally yielded far greater power and effects than with spiritual energy.
"Hahahaha, kid, stunned, aren't you!" Gandao roared with laughter again. "This is the most powerful aspect of the Void Transformation realm. The power of true essence is inexhaustible, and true essence is far beyond comparison to spiritual energy!"
"To put it plainly, although we are both cultivators, the difference between us is far greater than the difference between a cultivator and an ordinary person!"
"Heh, is that so..." Chen Xiao chuckled, licking his lips. "Then I, young master, shall witness today whether the Void Transformation realm is truly as formidable as you claim!"
"Very well, I shall satisfy you!" Gandao grinned menacingly. "Although the compatibility between my Nascent Soul and this body is still very low, it is more than enough to deal with you!"
With that, Gandao suddenly raised his submachine gun and began firing at Chen Xiao. *Tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk...* This submachine gun was the one Man Shan had used during the banquet. It was an ordinary submachine gun, not a magical artifact. However, in Gandao's hands, it was no longer ordinary. Every bullet fired from the barrel was enveloped in the power of true essence! Even with Chen Xiao's current physical resilience, he dared not withstand it directly. The consequence of doing so, Chen Xiao foresaw, would be his body being riddled with holes.
However, Chen Xiao was Chen Xiao. The spiritual energy within him was inexhaustible, and its composition was complex, its strength far exceeding that of ordinary cultivators. Thus, he conjured a protective shield with his spiritual energy, enveloping his body. Gandao's true essence bullets could not harm him.
"Oh? You truly are a peculiar one!" Gandao's gaze sharpened, and a look of excitement appeared on his face. "Hahahaha, today I shall have a good fight with you!"
Saying this, he tossed the submachine gun aside, extended his right hand, and shouted, "Blade, come!" Milky white true essence converged towards his hand, eventually taking the form of a blade. This treasure blade formed from true essence was far more potent than a martial artist's qi-manifested weapon!
"Blade, go!" Gandao hurled the true essence blade at Chen Xiao. The blade, as if possessing eyes, pursued Chen Xiao! Chen Xiao dodged, his figure vanishing into the air. However, the true essence blade still captured his aura and pursued him into the void. Without using the Thunderous Divine Crown, it was impossible to escape this true essence blade. But doing so would be of little significance to Chen Xiao! He summoned the Yi Tian Sword and met the true essence blade, unleashing a sword strike! *Swish!* The sword energy, like a thin line, sliced into the true essence blade. *Hummm—* The true essence blade vibrated violently, cracks appearing on its surface, before it shattered into pieces and dissipated.
"Hmm?" Gandao blinked. "Kid, how did you do that? What is your cultivation realm?" His true essence blade should not have been able to be intercepted by anyone below his own realm! Although his Nascent Soul was currently possessing another body, and his strength could not be fully unleashed, the Void Transformation realm was still the Void Transformation realm. Even if he could only exert half his strength, it was still the strength of the Void Transformation realm! It was akin to an adult fighting a child; even if the adult was severely injured and weak, they could still easily overpower the child with their physique and strength. Chen Xiao's displayed strength implied he was clearly not a child...