Chapter 2023 - 87: Lost Soul

The Lost Soul hadn’t been back for long before it suddenly stirred again, a development that seemed entirely within the expectations of the Demon Princess.

Zhang Xiaoman looked at the broken chains beneath her and wore a contemplative expression.

He had already gained some understanding of the events that had taken place here; the opponent’s arm and the damaged formation were due to him. If it hadn’t been to help him absorb that part of the Forbidden Power, she wouldn’t have been injured.

The so-called Forbidden Power, which Zhang Xiaoman had never encountered before, could be discerned and deduced with his current strength, revealing its true nature as an upper limit set by the universe. Breaking this limit immediately invites the universe’s consciousness to besiege, similar to the Heavenly Dao’s restrictions on cultivators undergoing tribulation on the Divine Ancient Continent.

Under different circumstances, Forbidden Power wouldn’t appear, because the universe’s upper limit is quite high, and even advancing to the Upper Transcendent Level might not provoke its interference.

Zhang Xiaoman surmised that perhaps due to imprinting the sixth Star Pattern, he attracted the other’s attention. After all, no one in history had ever imprinted this Star Pattern, which might have exceeded the universe’s limits, thus attracting the Forbidden Power.

"The senior asked me to help extract that power for you."

Ignoring the violent spatial shock, Zhang Xiaoman quickly approached the Demon Princess and extended a finger towards her sealed right shoulder.

Seeing this, the Demon Princess did not hinder or evade, entirely acquiescing to his action.

As Zhang Xiaoman pointed, a soft white light flashed from his fingertip, merging into the Demon Princess’s body. She felt the familiar aura and couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

Immediately after, Zhang Xiaoman gently lifted his finger, pulling out a wisp of black aura like silk from her arm.

Ni Yang, standing aside, looked on with wide eyes and an agape mouth, stunned by the scene.

In fact, just earlier, it wanted to remind Zhang Xiaoman of the terrifying nature of this power, which even Zizi couldn’t control and had to seal within themselves. So, despite Zhang Xiaoman’s ascension to the Upper Transcendent Level, it should be handled with caution, given the disparity between him and Zizi.

The result was Zhang Xiaoman effortlessly extracting the black aura and, in front of them, compressing it into nothing, erasing its existence.

With the black aura extracted, the Demon Princess’s body quickly recovered, her once discolored right arm returning to normal, though the formation chains on her right remained broken and temporarily irreparable.

The spatial shock continued, seemingly caused by the chain’s damage loosening the Soul-locking Array, providing lost souls an opening.

"You indeed managed it; it seems I was not mistaken about you."

The Demon Princess nodded at Zhang Xiaoman, her eyes showing a hint of admiration.

"The Forbidden Power is the pinnacle of universal law; to unravel it, one must possess power exceeding this peak."

"Though I wield the Power of Destruction, its tier isn’t as strong as the Forbidden Power, so even if temporarily vanquished, it cannot prevent its restoration. With each return, it absorbs more of the Power of Destruction, growing stronger, so I could only seal it temporarily."

"However, I’m relieved you did not disappoint me; the strength you possess surpasses the Forbidden Power, namely the First Sequence. If there’s anyone in the world who could truly unravel it, it’s likely only you."

Uncharacteristically, the Demon Princess explained a lengthy discourse. Zhang Xiaoman realized this might be the so-called shared topic; earlier, her silence could partly be due to character and partly due to the disparity in levels—there was simply no common topic, akin to discussing insider matters with an outsider to your circle, a fruitless conversation.

Zhang Xiaoman now somewhat understood why she had suggested discussing the truth after he imprinted the Star Pattern. It seemed resolving the troubles here required Upper Transcendent Level strength.

"Will the lost souls come over? Do I need to prepare anything?"

Zhang Xiaoman inquired.

The Demon Princess remained composed, as if the unfolding crisis had nothing to do with her, calmly responding:

"You need not worry; although the Soul-locking Array is damaged, they can’t break in immediately. You’ve previously inquired about the truth here, and I’ll take this opportunity to inform you so you can reconsider whether to stay."

The Demon Princess lightly pointed in the air, conjuring a vivid image viewed by everyone present.

"29 million years ago, the Demon Lord first sensed another universe closely resembling ours approaching. The Demon Lord predicted that due to high correlation similarity, an inevitable collision would occur in the future, which you now experience as the Great Fusion."