Chapter 444: Nine Lifetimes of Reincarnation Refining the Heart

A sudden, unannounced spear thrust attacked Meng Chuan.

"Pfft." Meng Chuan stood his ground, extended a fingertip, and tapped the spearhead, completely neutralizing its strange force.

Meng An retracted his spear without hesitation and thrust it out again.

Instantly, countless spear shadows filled the air as Meng An unleashed a furious flurry of ghostly fast spear techniques.

Some spear shadows seemed to emerge from the wind, swift and elusive.

Others seemed to emerge from fire, violent and ferocious.

Still others seemed to emerge from water, soft and eerie.

These spear techniques complemented each other, flowing endlessly, demonstrating "speed" and "change" to their fullest. Although each thrust carried the power of a regular King-level demon, a King-level demon with slightly weaker defensive abilities might indeed be at a disadvantage. Yet, Meng Chuan effortlessly blocked each one with a single fingertip.

In terms of variation, could Meng An, who had only just reached the Dao Realm, compare to the peak "Cloud Mist Dragon Serpent Blade Technique"?

As for speed, could he truly compare with Meng Chuan, the fastest in the world?

Thus, Meng Chuan effortlessly used his fingertip to anticipate and intercept every spearhead.

"Just one finger, and he blocked all my spear techniques?" Meng An felt the enormous disparity; his proud spear techniques were far too weak before his father.

"Boom."

Meng An, also fiercely proud, wanted his father to acknowledge his strength. He instantly unleashed a devastating move.

The spear's power surged, and its speed dramatically increased.

Meng Chuan still easily blocked it with a single finger, but a hint of surprise crossed his face: "This move possesses the power of a top-tier King-level demon. Impressive!"

When he himself became a Marquis-level demon many years ago, and had cultivated an immortal body, along with the Frost Fiend domain and the 'Heaven's Wrath' divine power, his overall combat strength was barely considered top-tier King-level.

For his son to unleash such power with a single spear thrust upon becoming a Marquis-level demon was indeed far stronger than he had been back then.

"Whoosh."

Meng An retracted his spear, looked at his father, and said, "Father can easily counter my ultimate move, so there's no need to continue attacking. My spear techniques are quite proficient in self-defense, so please make your move, Father, and I will defend."

As he spoke, the space around Meng An twisted, and a five-colored light permeated his domain. Meng An stood with his spear, watching his father.

"Very well, I'll attack, you defend," Meng Chuan said with a smile, lightly tapping a finger.

A terrifying streak of energy burst forth from his fingertip.

The five-colored domain twisted, obstructing the energy streak, which gradually weakened as it flew. Meng An, employing his spear techniques, swung his spear with a rotation, sweeping over the energy like a wave. He completely blocked it. With a "bang," the energy streak collided, causing Meng An to stumble back three steps, but he was indeed unharmed.

"To directly block an attack from a top-tier King-level demon, that's impressive," Meng Chuan praised. "My next move will rival an attack from a peak King-level demon."

Another streak of energy burst forth from Meng Chuan's fingertip.

This energy streak was terrifyingly powerful.

It instantly pierced through the five-colored domain. "So fast," Meng An thought, trying to block it with his spear techniques. But the energy streak was incredibly swift and followed a mysterious trajectory, actually grazing his spear shaft and heading directly for his head.

"What?" Meng An panicked.

As the energy streak neared Meng An, it swerved, flying past his ear and leaving a bloodstain.

Meng An finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"There's a significant difference between a top-tier King-level demon and a peak King-level demon," Meng Chuan explained. "It's not just about raw power, but also the mastery of techniques. With your current spear techniques, An'er, you're more than capable of handling a regular King-level demon, and might even gain the upper hand. However, you'd be at a disadvantage against a top-tier King-level demon, and utterly helpless against a peak King-level demon."

"I understand, Father," Meng An said respectfully, then looked at Meng Chuan with a hint of anticipation. "Father, what about encountering a Creation Realm expert?"

"A Creation Realm expert?" Meng Chuan chuckled.

From a distance, Meng Chuan suddenly materialized directly in front of Meng An, his fingertip touching Meng An's glabella.

"Ah!" Meng An jumped in fright.

"This is what it's like to encounter a Creation Realm expert," Meng Chuan chuckled. "You wouldn't even know how you died."

Without using Tribulation Realm secret treasures or the divine powers 'Quicksand' and 'Control Heaven and Earth', Meng Chuan's combat strength was merely that of an ordinary Creation Realm expert.

Meng An was somewhat incredulous: "Father, my Samsara Domain and Dark Star Domain couldn't even detect your movement, and suddenly you were right in front of me. That's too fast!"

"For a Creation Realm expert, this speed only offers a slight advantage," Meng Chuan explained. In front of his son, he had only demonstrated a flash covering fifty to sixty li, which was merely a slight advantage for a Creation Realm. Of course, his true speed was over a thousand li in a single flash, and that was his greatest reliance in battling in the world gaps.

There was no need to display his true speed of over a thousand li in a single flash before his son.

"These years on the mountain, I've sparred with both Ancestor Yuanchu and Elder Yi once," Meng An said excitedly, looking at his father. "I was only slightly at a disadvantage in those encounters."

"The Mountain Lord and the others haven't reached peak King-level yet," Meng Chuan explained. "Besides, they are busy with their duties; don't always bother them."

"I understand."

Meng An nodded.

Liu Qiyue and Meng You also walked over. Liu Qiyue smiled, "An'er, now you understand your shortcomings, don't you?"

"Yes," Meng An nodded. "My spear techniques, which I was so proud of and thought were excellent for self-defense, I now realize have too many flaws."

"Your father is the foremost expert in self-defense among all King-level demons in the world," Liu Qiyue chuckled.

"Father, how should I improve my self-defense techniques now?" Meng An asked.

Meng Chuan smiled at his son: "There are two main aspects. First, elevate the mastery of your spear techniques. The higher your mastery, the more formidable your self-defense will naturally become. Second, cultivate special self-defense methods, such as domains, movement techniques, or unique secret arts."

"Take me as an example," Meng Chuan explained. "My speed is unmatched in the world. If I choose to escape, even Creation Venerables and Demon Sages can't catch me; that's the first aspect of strong survival ability. The other aspect is that I can stand still and allow enemies to attack, and they would still need to shatter space just to reach me. I also possess defensive divine powers and a robust physical body. Furthermore, the primordial spirit is crucial. In life-or-death combat, enemies will seek out your weaknesses. If your primordial spirit is weak, opponents can directly kill you with primordial spirit secret arts, rendering your high skill mastery useless."

"The primordial spirit?" Meng An nodded slightly.

"Sparring is one thing, but life-or-death combat is entirely another," Meng Chuan stated. "You must either ensure you have no weaknesses, or diligently keep them secret. Once exposed and targeted, it will be fatal."

Meng Chuan smiled at his son: "You've only just attained Marquis-level. The human world is relatively peaceful right now, so cultivate diligently, address your weaknesses, and become stronger."

"Yes," Meng An nodded.

His initial trace of pride was utterly shattered by his father.

He also sensed the immense gap. His father had only cultivated for thirty-odd years longer than him, yet the disparity between them was vast.

"Cultivate steadily and diligently," Meng Chuan told his son. "Even I, your father, am still quite weak on the path of cultivation. I haven't even reached the minimum threshold to enter the River of Spacetime. Keep striving. In the future, as more and more world entrances appear, you will be needed to guard them alongside others."

Even if the threat of world gaps is resolved, as more world entrances emerge over time, a sufficient number of demon gods will be required to guard them.

"I will guard a region, just like Father and Mother," Meng An stated.

"Remember to also focus on your primordial spirit," Meng Chuan reminded him.

Meng An nodded: "Understood."

No wonder...

No wonder Ancestor Cang Yuan placed such high demands on the primordial spirit.

"No wonder Ancestor Cang Yuan made me undergo the 'Nine Reincarnations for Heart Refinement'. Were those nine lifetimes truly just illusions?" Meng An murmured to himself. "Yet, everything felt so real; I remember all those people and events so clearly."