"Should I kill him or not?" Zhou Hong hesitated internally.
Of course, if he could refine Alituotuo into a puppet, that would be ideal.
However, to refine a puppet, one first needed Lock Soul Grass. The single stalk of Lock Soul Grass he had found previously was just enough to refine eight puppets. Where could he find more Lock Soul Grass now? Even if he found it, he would have to find a way to completely control Alituotuo, rendering him immobile. This meant Alituotuo had to cultivate the Eight Divisions of Futu to the third level. Only then, when he was completely powerless, could he be refined into a puppet. Upon successful refinement, Zhou Hong could unleash the Eight Immortals Sword Array in an instant.
Although Zhou Hong already possessed one set of the Eight Immortals Sword Array, who would complain about having another?
With this thought, Zhou Hong immediately said to Alituotuo, "If you don't want to die, there's still a chance."
"Thank you, City Lord. What chance is there?" Alituotuo raised his head excitedly.
"That is to become my subordinate."
"Just like that?" Alituotuo felt it was too simple.
"Yes, but it's not that simple to become my subordinate; you must meet the qualifications."
"What qualifications?"
"I have a celestial art here. If you can cultivate it to the third level, then you will have the qualification."
"Is there such a thing?" Alituotuo suspected Zhou Hong was joking with him.
"How about this: you come with me to the City Lord's mansion, and I will immediately give you this celestial art to cultivate. If you truly have talent, then I will spare your life and you can be my subordinate from now on."
"Good!"
Zhou Hong immediately returned to the City Lord's mansion, and Alituotuo followed him into the main hall.
"Listen carefully now. I will only recite the incantation once. You must remember it in your heart and not write it down with pen and paper."
"Yes, City Lord, please speak."
Zhou Hong recited the cultivation methods for the first three levels of the Eight Divisions of Futu, word by word.
"Do you remember?"
"I remember."
"Very good. Now, go to the underground celestial prison of the City Lord's mansion. You can only come out when you have cultivated to the third level. Don't blame me for not warning you: if you haven't reached the third level within three years, you will lose your qualification to be my subordinate, and I will take your life. Also, don't try to escape. The moment you step out of the prison, you will die without a burial place."
"Good!" Alituotuo nodded. This outcome was far better for him than his previous offer of becoming a slave or a kept man. He had a rough idea of the Eight Divisions of Futu; although profound, cultivating to the third level within three years was likely not a major problem. He was confident he wouldn't need that long.
"Then go!" Zhou Hong immediately led Alituotuo to the entrance of the underground celestial prison.
"City Lord, wait for me for three years. I will definitely cultivate successfully and come out."
"Alright, I look forward to it."
Alituotuo immediately entered the underground celestial prison.
Zhou Hong's lips curved into a slight smile. He hadn't expected to lure him into the prison so easily. Three years later, when Alituotuo had truly cultivated successfully, Zhou Hong could effortlessly refine him into a puppet. Then, with seven more, he could form another set of the Eight Immortals Sword Array.
However, within these three years, Zhou Hong would have to find a second stalk of Lock Soul Grass.
Zhou Hong returned to the main hall. As soon as he entered the main gate, he found more than a dozen Demon King level powerhouses standing inside.
"Who are you?" Zhou Hong asked with suspicion, though he had already guessed they were the Demon Kings who had been watching in secret.
"Greetings, City Lord." The more than a dozen Demon Kings in the hall immediately bowed to Zhou Hong.
There was no need to guess; they must have seen how easily Zhou Hong dealt with Alituotuo and dared not put on airs in front of him, so they came down to pay their respects.
"Heh heh, you are all Demon Kings within the territory of my Wu Meng City, right? Since I took office, none of you have come to see me. Why are you all here today? No, there are still some missing." Zhou Hong said with a cold laugh.
"City Lord, we did not know that Wu Meng City had a new City Lord, which is why we did not come to pay our respects in time. We beg for your understanding."
"Well said, 'did not know.'" Zhou Hong looked at the dozen or so Demon Kings before him. Half of them were first-grade Demon Kings, and the rest were second and third-grade, totaling about fourteen. He had heard from Hei Lan before that within the jurisdiction of Wu Meng City, there were a total of sixteen Demon King factions. Some of these sixteen factions were composed of individuals, while others were formed by several Demon Kings.
Zhou Hong couldn't help but think: why not trick all these people into the underground celestial prison and have them cultivate the Eight Divisions of Futu? If that were the case, he could probably form two sets. Combined with the set he already had, he would possess three sets of the Eight Immortals Sword Array, and his strength would increase significantly.
"Everyone, do you know why Alituotuo was not killed by me?" Zhou Hong asked deliberately.
"Why?" They were all very confused. They had all seen Alituotuo kneeling and begging for mercy.
"Because I made him cultivate a very powerful celestial art. He is now in the underground celestial prison and will not come out until he cultivates to the third level."
They all looked bewildered. Not killing Alituotuo was already an act of grace, but giving him a powerful celestial art to cultivate? What was this all about?
"You don't believe me?"
"City Lord, we just don't understand. Not killing him was already a great kindness, why would you give him a celestial art to cultivate?"
"Yes, City Lord, is there something wrong with your celestial art?" another second-grade Immortal King said.
Zhou Hong couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. This guy was too accurate.
But Zhou Hong still snorted, "You are the one with problems, and your whole family has problems. I just happened to obtain a celestial art, but I've tried my best, and I can only cultivate it to the third level at most. I can't advance any further. So, I want to find more people to help me with references. If Alituotuo can provide good reference opinions after cultivating, I will not only spare his life but also become his friend."
"City Lord, what celestial art is it? Since you're looking for references, why not consider us?"
"Exactly, City Lord. Let us take a look too. Although our cultivation talent might not be as good as Alituotuo's, we've all managed to cultivate to the Demon King level, so we're not far off. Perhaps people with different perspectives will have different understandings."
The more than a dozen Demon Kings in the hall clamored, all wanting to try cultivating Zhou Hong's celestial art.
"That would be excellent. Whoever can provide me with good reference opinions after cultivating to the third level, I, Zhou Hong, will be his best friend."
The Demon Kings present became excited. Being City Lord's best friend was a great temptation.
(My mind is a bit chaotic today, so only one chapter.)