Degrade from Nobility to a Humble Slave novel Chapter 418

At Cloud Sect, Kenneth bore the most power. If Kane, who had an astonishing amount of talent, didn't take over the reins of the Burning Sky Palace in the Imperial Capital, the head of the Cloud Sect would dominate the entire Eastern Region.

The vice leader held the second highest amount of power. The elders were next in the hierarchy, followed by the saints.

In truth, the power that a saint was granted depended a lot on his age. If their talents weren't good enough, they would remain stuck at the Cloud Sect. The exalted Cloud Hall had no interest in admitting those of mediocre talent.

In the past, Zen had had conflicts with the saints. At the court trial that day, it was Saint Zara who had conducted the trial on him.

Naturally, Zen was more alert now, knowing that his opponent was Saint Zara's disciple.

Johanson didn't wear the purple robe of the personal disciple. Instead, he had donned a solid black coat. He was dark-skinned and thin, and he stood opposite Zen like a weak child, with no apparent momentum emanating from his person.

If the crowd didn't know that he was, in fact, Johanson, they would dismiss him as a frail student on appearance alone. The inconspicuous boy did not look like the top disciple of Cloud Sect that he was.

Everybody had the momentum. For instance, a child had a childish momentum, a general had an executioner's momentum, while a scholar had a civilized momentum. The momentum was on display for everyone at any given space or time. The momentum of the ordinary, however, was not as eye-catching as that of the warrior.

It depended on the human's blood and vitality. After cultivation, warriors usually showed signs of bearing stronger vitality than ordinary people. They could be as tough as bulls, and thus exuded stronger momentum.

But Johanson could restrain his momentum. Apparently, he knew the secret to conceal it.

Stepping on the competition field, Zen summoned life vitality to his body. He was not afraid of those who appeared to be tough outwardly, but were timid inside, such as Vale. Zen could see through Vale immediately. But this Johanson... he appeared to be a mystery.

Just as the referee declared the battle open, Johanson laughed, the voice hollow and strange. Without another word, he began the fight.

Black life vitality spread across his body continually, flowing behind him like ribbons of broken fabric as he moved. Floating in the air, he looked like a ghost.

As Johanson flew around Zen, the black shadows remained behind, still in mid-air. The shadows were different from Zen's demonic phantoms which acted like silhouettes. The black shadows, on the other hand, were similar to Johanson's own body, as if each of them was a duplicated figure of him.

'The life vitality avatar has donned the shape of his body. The cultivation method he has practiced seems to be either of illusion or assassination, ' Zen reflected, realizing that he knew what Johanson intended to do. The black shadows on the competition field blended in with his black coat with ease and could act as his shield when required. Johanson wanted to bend the atmosphere of the battlefield to his favor.

Zen fixed his attention on Johanson, not betraying his emotions. He didn't dare relax. Johanson was certainly aware of Zen's gaze on him. His movements were languid as he arranged the black shadows. The more black shadows on the competition field, the more chaos there would be. The scenario would work to his advantage.

After a while, Johanson sped up. His figure disappeared from the competition field, finally escaping Zen's attention.

'Is he hiding somewhere?' Zen frowned as he scanned the black shadows floating one after another. He couldn't lock in on Johanson's position.

For this type of assassination attack, Zen did not have an answer. Johanson had concealed all of himself. Zen had to plan and take the action afterward. Once Johanson attacked him, he would fight back.

But would Johanson give him that opportunity?

Johanson floated in the air, one among the many dark shadows. He looked at Zen indifferently. He had already targeted Zen, but didn't spread the killing intent as of yet. Hiding the intent was one of his many talents.

Johanson also cultivated the martial arts, but unlike most warriors, he mainly practiced the assassinating method.

Once, there had been a tribe called the Shadow Group in the Eastern Region. It was said that the headquarters of the group was on the other side of the continent, and that the Shadow Group in the Eastern Region was only a sub-sect.

Even as a small branch, it had made praiseworthy achievements in the history of the Eastern Region.

At least ten emperors, including three of the Burning Sky Empire were killed by the assassins of Shadow Group.

The members of the group were specialized in assassinating. They had the confidence to kill an opponent more powerful than them.

The Shadow Group's existence was a great threat to the Burning Sky Empire, as well as to the top seven noble clans. No emperor or powerful man wished to live in the vicinity of killers who threatened their very existence.

Three hundred years ago, the Burning Sky Empire joined hands with the Cloud Sect and the top seven noble clans to slaughter the Shadow Group. The group of assassins in the Eastern Region gradually fell apart. They hadn't been able to recover in the past three hundred years.

Johanson was born during this period in the Eastern Region, a genius of the Shadow Group.

He had the innate talent of hiding breath and soul force far beyond others of his age. These two strong points ensured he'd go far on the road of assassination.

His aim was to get out of the Eastern Region and make his way to the Shadow Group's headquarters on the other side of the continent, so he could compete with the young talents belonging to the same sect and tribe as him. The Cloud Sect and the Cloud Hall served as mere springboards for his talent.

For an assassin, it was most important to gather information first. This was his first time to fight in the All Peaks Competition. But, he had watched each round of battles keenly and made mental notes of the varieties of strength and features of the disciples participating in the contest.

The display of strength by Zen, who was currently only at grade two of the nature level, had surprised Johanson. It seemed that the boy had talent not inferior to his. Zen had such rare power at a lower level. If he stepped into the Illuminating Soul Realm someday, would he defeat the powerful men sitting at the top?