Probing and Taking Him Away

With Vidal's death, the abyssal energy beneath his feet began to calm down.

Countless giant hands struggled unwillingly, but ultimately retreated back inside.

The chaotic and Destruction Abyss Plane gradually shrank until it disappeared completely.

Lister had never been exposed to abyssal energy in his previous life, and this was his first time fighting Vidal.

The energy in the abyss would be much stronger than he had anticipated.

Fortunately, the two sides should not be in the same cosmic plane.

He used his knife to pry open the opponent's armor and picked up the gray, misty sphere.

Notification: Congratulations, you have obtained the Key to the Soul Barrier).

[Key to the Soul Barrier): This key is a single-use key that can open and close Soul Barrier. It can also drain the souls of marked life forms within the Soul Barrier and plunder soul energy through killing...]

I didn't expect it to be just a one-time use key.

Lister stroked the small ball, a wave of disappointment washing over him.

"Notification: Saber Soul Mastery has taken effect; Soul Strength has increased by 1.91."

"Notification: The soul power within the barrier has been fully refined. Do you wish to inhale it?"

So this Soul Barrier is actually a different kind of arena?

No wonder it was only Vidal who pulled him in this time.

It's likely they've been eyeing him since the last federal conscription, intending to absorb his soul power within the barrier?

I didn't expect that my strength was lacking; even though I was three levels higher, I couldn't defeat him.

Ultimately, the roles of hunter and prey were reversed, and he ended up benefiting Lister.

"Yes!"

There was no need to hesitate. What was being refined within the space was the very soul power that Vidal had just lost after his death, so it naturally could not be marked.

The next instant, the soul power within the entire Soul Barrier became active again.

Under the perception of the Killing Intent Wave, one can sense that the soul power in the entire space has become abundant.

After a surge, some of the souls once again spread into his soul space.

Unlike the erosion experienced during the previous attack, this time the soul power was incredibly gentle.

It filled the entire soul space while simultaneously injecting itself into the Saber Soul.

A wonderful, tingling sensation, as if flesh and blood were regenerating and strength was constantly increasing, kept coming from within.

The Saber Soul continued to grow stronger, and the scarlet longsword became increasingly eerie in color.

"Bang!"

Until a certain moment, it was as if a certain key point in the Saber Soul was opened, and its figure suddenly grew taller and stronger.

"Notification: The restriction on Saber Soul Mastery has been removed; you can continue to improve."

System notification: You may choose one skill to upgrade. (Limited to SS level and below)

"Selection complete, skill 'Flash' is being upgraded."

The wonderful growth of the soul continues, and at the same time, a sense of space is constantly growing in the mind.

It was as if Lister's talent for space had been elevated; his understanding of space improved rapidly at that time.

The Killing Intent Wave, sensing that the space in front of him was no longer as stable as before.

It seems to be riddled with flaws, maintaining relative stability only under certain special circumstances.

For Lister, it seemed as if he could open that passage and cross it simply by having the will to do so.

Notification: The skill 'Flash' has been upgraded to SS level.

[Flash (SS-rank) LV200: Utilizing absolute spatial perception, one can perform high-frequency teleportation within the perception range of Killing Intent Wave.]

Finally, the displacement problem that had been troubling Lister for so long was finally solved.

From the original few hundred meters, it has broken through to a new level of sensing coverage, with the displacement distance increasing by hundreds or even thousands of times.

Indeed, each upgrade from S to SS level skill represents a huge leap forward.

Of course, the speed of movement, or even the maximum speed, is also related to one's agility attribute.

I felt the soul power injected into my body gradually decrease until it was finally absorbed.

It's a different feeling from the increase in level and four-dimensional attributes.

The enhancement of his soul gave him an unusual sense of ease.

It felt as if all the shackles on my body were being removed, and my perception of the universe was being further enhanced.

Silently assessing the improvement, Lister felt the effect was just so-so.

The absorption of Vidal's soul power was not as effective as he had imagined.

All I know is that my sword Saber Soul Mastery unshackled before level 120.

The increase in the strength of this soul is actually just so-so.

"Dispel the Soul Barrier?"

"Disarm!"

The gray mist sphere in his hand instantly turned into a cloud of mist.

The entire Soul Barrier began to dissipate.

The river of souls beneath our feet gradually disappeared, turning back into a desolate rocky area.

The space slowly shrank back to its original state, and the forbidden zone of the desolate land reappeared before our eyes.

However... in Lister's perception, there were several uninvited guests.

He gripped the Shadowless Blade tightly in his hand instantly, and his murderous aura enveloped the entire planet.

This was the first time the usually safe Beta Civilization had been shrouded in such murderous intent.

Many Galactic Nobles collapsed to the ground, unable to withstand the oppressive force.

Most families immediately activated their defense mechanisms.

"Notice: Due to a disturbance by forces within the restricted area, the First Governing Star of the Beta Civilization has activated its emergency response plan..."

"Notification: Ultimate Magnetic Shield activated, Spatial Shielding enabled,..."

The entire Beta Civilization responded swiftly with defensive measures.

Lister did not rush to make a move, but instead looked at the five Hegemon around him.

Unexpectedly, it was still one-on-one inside the Soul Barrier, but as soon as I came out, it was one-on-five.

Moreover, all five are familiar faces active in the Galactic Federation: two from the Beta Civilization and three from the Witchcraft Civilization.

Even Sailuo Beta and Zion Kylef, the leaders of their respective civilizations, were among them.

At this moment, all five of them looked at Lister with solemn expressions, but it was Sailuo Beta who broke the silence first.

Where is Vidal?

As he coldly pressed for answers, an oppressive aura immediately descended upon him.

Chaos, disorder!

The planet's murderous aura instantly rivaled its power.

[Target discovered: Sailuo Beta (Federation Military District General, Beta Civilization)]

[Level: Lv???]

[Class: Nightmare of Chaos (Other Species)]

[Health Points:???]

[Physical strength:???]

[Attribute: Strength???...]

[Skill:???,???]

[Overall Rating: S (Overlord Tier)]

As expected of the number one person in the Beta Civilization, his level is undetectable, but he is most likely already at level 240, which is the peak of the Fourth Advancement.

Lister was somewhat surprised by the opponent's main profession; he had expected the opponent to be a telekinetic user, but it turned out to be something else entirely.

"Since I was able to emerge from the Soul Barrier, is there any need to say more?"

Despite knowing he was outmatched by the five Hegemon, Lister was not afraid.

At least he still has one chance to be resurrected.

If he were to actually take action, he would like to experience what it feels like to use his full strength after reaching the third stage.

"Hmm...? You've already reached level 20 after just one promotion?"

Zion, standing to the side, was observing him with great interest, but revealed nothing.

His eyes revealed undisguised excitement and curiosity.

"You actually defeated Vidal is only at the 20th rank and has the blessing of Soul Barrier?"

Sailuo's voice grew colder, and his anger became increasingly evident.

The chaotic pressure forced Lister to retract his killing intent once more.

The old Hegemon's combat power is indeed much stronger than Vidal's.

"Truly a piece of trash!"

"I wasted my opportunity on him."

Without waiting for a reply, Sailuo flashed to Lister's side and reached for his throat with one hand.

Lister, with his guard on high alert, was naturally not going to be hit by an attack of this magnitude.

With a flick of his Shadowless Blade, he thrust it forward in a straight line.

As a martial arts-based skill-based profession, Lister is not afraid of his opponent in close combat.

His knife attack was even faster than Sailuo's.

Just as the blade was about to strike his opponent, an invisible force acted upon him.

The movement of his hand holding the knife froze instantly; for a moment, Lister was unable to control himself.

"Attacked: You have been affected by the 'Disorderly Environment,' and your control over your own power has become unbalanced."

"The Robust Soul has been activated, the rank has been increased, and the Disorder effect has been nullified."

After a brief pause, the power returned.

During the close-quarters combat, Lister clearly sensed the surprise that flashed in Sailuo's eyes.

Unfortunately, it was too late by then.

The Shadowless Blade pierced his abdomen with unstoppable force.

The next moment, the strange light in Sailuo's eyes intensified as the Shadowless Blade pierced through his entire body, blood dripping down the blade.

Attack: Deals 0 damage (transferred under special conditions), ignores defense damage 0 (transferred under special conditions), total true damage -2,862,239 points.

As expected of Class Holder from another discipline, they are more troublesome than I imagined.

Ordinary attacks could be directly redirected, and even interfere with his control over his own power.

Unfortunately, they were powerless against Lister's true damage!

The moment the Shadowless Blade was withdrawn, the penetrating wound in his waist and abdomen healed instantly.

The other four Hegemon did not participate in the battle between the two.

Sailuo's expression immediately became much more serious, and his attitude towards Lister was no longer one of disdain and contempt.

Clearly, this blow taught him a lesson.

His hand gesture shifted instantly, and he thrust a single finger towards Lister's chest.

At the same moment, the space around Lister began to become chaotic.

It exploded silently as the Sailuo came close.

Fortunately, Lister had anticipated this and immediately activated the Time Crystal Bracer.

The next instant, he unleashed a powerful slash with his horizontal sword.

The silver-black blade flashed across Sailuo's neck again, its momentum undiminished.

He slashed towards the distant horizon.

Countless buildings collapsed instantly; high-level energy shields and magnetic mesh shields were a joke in the face of Lister's swordsmanship.

As the blade swept across the ground, it cracked and created a huge crater.

Countless public space rail platforms were destroyed at this moment.

"Attacked: Damage taken -761002 points, Rupture effect is now immune."

Attack: Deals -2,883,329 points of true damage.

In another close encounter, Lister once again had the upper hand.

Of course, these are just initial probes from both sides.

After all, the other four Hegemon were not surprised by the current situation.

Moreover, Sailuo is Class Holder from another category, making him far more unpredictable and difficult to deal with than the average person.

Just as the third wave of combat was about to clash, another powerful pressure descended.

A robust, mature man in his forties also entered the restricted area.

Just by looking at the man's full stubble and the general's rank on his shoulder, Lister immediately recognized him as Boren Leviathan.

His expression immediately turned serious, after all, Boren was also the Hegemon of the Galactic Federation.

Although he vaguely learned from Vidal that Boren was slightly different from other Hegemon, he still immediately raised his guard and prepared for a real fight to the death before he was truly certain.

[Target: Boren Leviathan]

[Level: Lv???]

[Occupation: Mechanical Kingdom (Mechanical Engineering)]

[Health Points:???]

[Physical strength:???]

[Attribute: Strength???...]

[Skill:???,???]

[Overall Rating: S (Overlord Tier)]

As General Boren approached, Lister gradually relaxed.

The domineering aura emanating from him helped him fight against the chaotic will within Sailuo.

And in the end, General Boren steadily walked to his side, clearly standing on his side.

Seeing this, Sailuo immediately retreated warily, his face growing even more grim.

"Boren, what are you doing here?"

"According to our tripartite agreement, the emergence of a new Hegemon has nothing to do with you! Nor is it your place to interfere!"

"Hehe~! According to the agreement, I also have the right to know about the birth of a new Hegemon."

"I'll let the matter drop last time with Enel Quick."

"But why weren't I notified this time?"

"Now you know, don't you!"

When confronted with Boren's counter-questioning, Sailuo simply chose to skip it.

Lister could also sense that among the three major level-four civilizations, the Witchcraft Civilization and the Beta Civilization were clearly more closely related, while the Leviathan Civilization seemed to be... excluded.

"What do you want by rushing over here now?"

"This isn't Soul Barrier... I should be the one asking you questions!"

"Now that it was Litesi who emerged from that situation, what are you trying to do now?"

"Hmph! Boren, you don't actually think you have the right to talk to us, do you?"

"Allowing the Leviathan Civilization to possess the vast majority of the power of a Level 4 civilization is already a concession from both of our civilizations."

"Whatever happens today, it's none of your business!"

Having said that, Sailuo aura subtly rose.

Compared to just now, the feeling of chaos and disorder was several times stronger now.

At the same time, another Hegemon of the Beta Civilization also stopped standing idly by and truly got involved.

Zion's expression also changed drastically, and he was no longer as relaxed as before.

He joined forces with two other Hegemon from his own civilization, each radiating their own powerful aura.

"Wait a minute!"

"Boren, Sailuo, don't rush to make a move."

"Now that Lister has emerged from the Soul Barrier, we will certainly abide by the agreement made seven thousand years ago."

"That was just a test; otherwise, we wouldn't have just stood by and watched."

In the end, it was Zion, a member of the Witchcraft Civilization, who spoke up to offer advice.

The ancient civilization of the Galactic Federation is Witchcraft Civilization.

Although Zion is only a second-generation leader, his words carry considerable weight.

At least the tense atmosphere between the parties immediately eased considerably.

"Since we're keeping our promise, let's stop here!"

"I will be in charge of the advancement of the Merrick Civilization!"

After speaking, Boren Leviathan looked directly at Zion, awaiting his answer.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense again.

After a long while, Zion finally calmed his aura and nodded.

"I'm fine with it, but there's one thing I want to make clear beforehand."

"The treatment of the Merrick Civilization can only be based on that of your Leviathan Civilization; other matters are none of his concern."

"The Galactic Federation remains the Galactic Federation; no new agreements will be made!"

Let's go!

In the end, in a silent moment of unspoken understanding, Boren left with Lister.