Freehub replacement sealed bearing wheel

[mattw1]

I have a Bontrager Race wheel with sealed bearings. While I have a lot of experience with wheels that have loose bearings, I don't have much with wheels that have sealed bearings. So here is my question; how do I get the axle out and the freehub off? Once the axle nuts were off, unlike a wheel with loose bearings, the axle itself still feels rigidly in place. I've watched some youtube videos on the subject but none of them really get to what I am asking. I do notice that there seems to be a lock ring with slots of some sort in the freehub (see image with two red circles). Do I pull that out with some sort of sharp tool? Anyway, I've included pictures of the hub and any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.