Han Shuo did not linger in the Xilun Duchy after all. Two days meant two days. After parting with Helen, he raced onward and reached Benedict Sackville's ducal residence in the Nathan Duchy that very night.
National Preceptor Stassom of the Verdun Dynasty had left a deep impression on Han Shuo. From Helen, Han Shuo learned that this surviving National Preceptor of the Verdun Dynasty might indeed still be alive. Generally, experts who advanced to the Saint realm naturally gained longer lifespans. Stassom had become a Sword Saint many years ago and had lived in seclusion in Thorn Valley ever since reaching the Saint realm. By all rights, he should indeed still have been alive.
This man was the National Preceptor of the Verdun Dynasty and the only Saint-realm expert in the Seven Grand Duchies. If Han Shuo wanted to claim the Seven Grand Duchies for himself, Stassom was certainly a threat. Fortunately, the man had long since withdrawn into seclusion. What Han Shuo needed to do was use the Xuan Demons and the book to perform Demonic Possession on the grand dukes one by one, using the Xuan Demons' power to slowly turn them into his puppets.
Unlike the Lancelot Empire's previous large-scale invasion, Han Shuo believed this method should be more reliable. Stassom, who had remained secluded in Thorn Valley, ought not to notice anything. By the time Han Shuo secretly controlled all Seven Grand Duchies, his strength would probably have advanced further. At that point, even Stassom might not be beyond his ability to deal with.
Benedict Sackville's ducal residence blazed with lights that night, as though a banquet was underway. Figures thronged the central courtyard, guarded closely by many fully armored knights. In a hall hung with crystal chandeliers, elegantly mannered nobles of the Nathan Duchy,