The situation in Soul World could be first defined with one sentence.
The first open betrayal of a major power.
It had been inferred since before the Beast Domain invasion that the Nox developed a way to counter Soul World's ambient mana, but the exact method was unknown until they actually broke into the Spirit Domain.
At that moment, people realized that what they thought was one was actually two!
The Nox had their own method to overcome the natural hurdle they faced. This method gave them the ability to traverse Soul World without being inhibited by the Sector, but they wouldn't receive any benefits either.
It was a method that had heavy restrictions on its use. Certain conditions had to be achieved, otherwise, they'd immediately lose their protection.
However, the second method covered for this weakness.
What else could it be?
Divine Soul Holy Land, the main influence that governed Soul World, sold themselves to the enemy.
With their support, not only could the Nox achieve the conditions for their personal method, but they also received the benefits that the Spirits felt in their home domain!
It was obvious how they used this gift.
Their invasion was unstoppable.
The frontline forces in Eien were unable to move due to the intense battles taking place on that front, which cut off a large number of the speedy reinforcements the domain could've gained.
And with the Spirits themselves lacking a central figure to guide them, they were forced to fight on their own, inefficiently in a way that could only hold off for so long.
Yet, strangely enough, the Soul World invasion wasn't progressing as fast as many thought it would.
It was quite incomprehensible.
Usually, whenever the Nox gained an advantage, their progress would hasten immensely. The Beast Domain was taken down within a year and a half, barring Beast Emperor Star, and the Giant Domain took even less time than that.
The Soul World invasion started while the Beast Domain's calamity was still ongoing and continued from that point forth, but even after so long, the Nox had only been able to take 30,000 worlds, roughly 20% of the domain's full size.
It was a war that continued through Damien's 4th year of imprisonment.
And the main players who allowed the domain's survival were just a few.
The Ancient God Clan, whose hidden world was located in this domain, naturally played a large part.
After losing the Genesis Bead, they expected to see negative development in their clan, but it didn't turn out like that at all.
Instead, they experienced explosive growth.
Di and Ran weren't able to see much of Damien after the Grand Assembly or during it, and Xinyue went out of her way to avoid him, but they couldn't deny that they were subordinated to him now.
Because after seeing everything he'd accomplished after leaving them, they stopped feeling so much rejection towards his presence.
That was the key.
Once they became important to "that man," once the Void recognized their status, like everyone else, it supported their growth so they could become a force Damien could utilize to its fullest.
He still wasn't aware of this, but they were.
And perhaps they wouldn't directly act on Damien's will for a decent while, but they never planned to ignore the strength he granted them.
Their clan population boomed and the power of their experts did as well, and with that strength, they directly confronted the war that came to them.
The border of Eien, through which several Nox slipped by in the chaos of the boundary's war, was guarded by them so the tragedy of the Giant Domain couldn't be replicated.
They were like a border guard, a first line of defense.
The Plant Races also played a role none expected from them.
Those who survived Eden's collapse migrated to the Divine Realm and Soul World, as these were the closest and safest domains for them.
The Plant Races in Soul World hid and cowered for many years. They acted like they were extinct, avoiding the war with all their power, running away from traumatic memories of the past.
However, when the war made its way to their doorstep, they united.
As if some mysterious force granted them the courage to move forward, they came out from the shadows and showcased the capabilities that once allowed them to rule their own Sector of the universe.
What they provided was technology and support.
The starships they used during their war and the mass-produced weaponry that boosted the capabilities of regular soldiers gave those still loyal to the universe a way to fight even if they didn't have much power of their own, and the supportive capabilities of their inherent abilities set up something that not many of the previous battlefields had access to.
A medical center.
A place where soldiers could be sent to be healed back to their full capabilities.
It was an obvious advantage that the universe should've set up earlier, but they simply didn't have enough healers.
Why else were the Elves and Plants targeted before anyone else?
Their weakness was definitely part of it, but as seen with the extinction of the Giants, the Nox moved with more thought than anyone could've predicted.
Nevertheless, these two provided a stage.
A stage that was occupied by the most unexpected of influences.
Nirvana Soul Holy Land.
They were the second strongest force in Soul World, but their reputation suffered immensely after the Grand Assembly.
After all, their subordinate sect, Sapphire Soul Palace, not only embarrassed themselves by provoking the Human Domain, but betrayed the universe in proceeding events.
However, they were not defined by those they ruled.
In the absence of Divine Soul Holy Land, that influence who closed their doors and remained silent throughout this war, they took the place of the central figure.
They gathered the loyal powers of Soul World under their banner, and once they had a chain of command established, the Spirits were finally able to gather their wits and fight back.
It was a surprisingly effective move.
And when it was made, people began to realize something.
The universe…
The universe wasn't actually as helpless as they thought, was it?
To hold out longer than the Beast Domain, longer than certain territories of Eien, longer than anyone else since this grand conflict began…
Not many could understand the reason immediately.
But it dawned on them soon enough.
Compared to those previous defeats, only one factor had changed.
There were still traitors, the enemies were acting fiercer than ever, but…
Heaven's Army hadn't intervened.
Even after a year and some time passed, Heaven's Army didn't send any official backup to support them.
Wasn't it strange?
The greatest existing force in the universe, made up of countless influences and rogue practitioners uniting together, was actually the hindrance that held the universe back.
A fundamental truth spread to the ears of any and everyone who maintained their loyalty in the midst of hopelessness.
That truth that had been hidden amongst the experts of the world became a universal truth.
Corruption.
Maybe the lower levels had been cleansed, but what did it matter?
The more time passed, the more the older generation fell into temptation.
And frankly…
It was disgusting.
