At first, because of this, they didn't attack at all. For the first five years after Dyon nearly killed all of their young geniuses, they didn't send anyone. In all likelihood, they were attempting to contact, or, rather, hoping to contact their backers for a helpful solution.

However, one had to know that the elusive backers of the 99 universes had been in control of them for several million years, from the destruction of Soul Rend Peak, to now. With so much time having passed, several generations would have come and gone. Over time, their interest in the usefulness of the 99 universes would have plummeted.

As expected, those backers hadn't contacted the 99 universes in numerous years already, closing in on more than a hundred thousand by now. And, even before that, the time lag between contacts had been growing. In the end, the 99 universes would only rely on themselves.

Unfortunately for them, those 5 years were enough for Dyon to foster many competent essence gatherers, none more outstanding than Allura, Sibyl, and Kedar, the leaders of the Mortal Clan geniuses.

Although their quantity was lacking, and even their quality in some aspects, Dyon had given them such a large lead that it hardly mattered. Over the last two campaigns, the 99 universes had spent all of their time trying to reclaim one tower, hoping to use it as a base of operations. But, they were rebuffed again and again.

By the time this third campaign rolled around, Allura, Sibyl and Kedar no longer needed to rely on the tower advantage. But, this just made the 99 universes lose more miserably.

Unfortunately for them, the geniuses the 99 universes sent to face Dyon had been Pseudo-Saints back then. By now, they had already passed their first tribulations and could therefore no longer enter the essence gate. They stood no chance.

Aside from the mortal clan geniuses, there were other flourishing geniuses as well. Not to mention Giralda's son Ryu who was seemingly a step above them all having earned the only S grade thus far given by the academies, there were also the former soul slaves.

Although it seemed like Dyon was doing nothing, he would often send out his clones to diligently guide them. Before he began this small break of his, only Masada had entered the Master realm, being of the 3rd stage.

In truth, this was too low a standard. Considering Masada had a peak saint realm soul, her upper limit was that of a peak grandmaster, yet she was still a master. However, under Dyon's 6 months of guidance, every single Lower Blossom innate soul stage genius entered the peak practitioner realm at a minimum, with over 1000 of them becoming masters, with Masada leading the pack as a 10th stage master!

Not even the former soul slaves themselves knew this was thanks to Dyon's guidance. Everyday, he would form thousands of clones and send them all out in disguise, claiming himself to be a nominal elder of Soul Rending Peak. In this way, he slowly rose their standards, day by day.

Soon, on one particular day as Dyon was absentmindedly kneading Clara's breast, he decided that it was about time for the meeting to officially begin.

**

On this particular day, the Soul Palace was bustling. The long-anticipated meeting was finally occurring. While many who had been invited felt pride, there was still a mixed bag of emotions.

Those who understood what the title of True God meant had already long since submitted to Dyon's strength, but that didn't mean the acknowledged his leadership. While having the larger fist and vast resources was great, the ability to run an empire was an entirely different matter.

At the same time, there were those who didn't comprehend what the True God title meant at all. Due to the precarious situation they were in, Dyon was very selective with the individuals he allowed to leave their universe and interact with the outside world. Of course, he trusted his Demon Generals, his wives, close friends, and even his little god sons and daughters, but that trust didn't extend to everyone.

As a result, many had spent the last more than 7 years now holed up in this universe. Of course, it wasn't exactly like this place was a prison. After all, it was an entire universe. So, this didn't cause much dissatisfaction, although it was a source of slight discomfort.

Currently, every notable figure in their Soul Rend Universe was gathering, whether that be those of the past powers, or the new ones that originated from Dyon's home universe.

The hall they gathered in was one Meiying specifically designed for these sorts of occasions. It was a large, oval room, spanning over three hundred meters down its longer length, and just below one hundred fifty meters down its shorter.

The room was designed into layers, with each subsequent higher layer taking up a larger radius along with a higher elevation.

Obviously, with the current scope of Dyon's fledgling empire, this sort of size was overkill. As a result, everyone gathered toward the lowest layer, allowing the higher layers to be sealed off by curtains of lavish red and gold. As of now, the area they had access to was just a few dozen meters in every direction.

In the lowest layer, the oval had a section of its head cut away, effectively separating Dyon's faction and trusted aids from everyone else.

Many could only confusedly walk into such a grand scene. Not only were the materials the hall was crafted in pristine beyond belief, but it had a distinctly modern design to it. After Dyon's input, Meiying decided to take some cues from the mortal world in its design. One could almost mistake it for a United Nations assembly room.

At this moment, the quiet murmurings of the crowd calmed as the entrance doors to the hall opened. Their eyes all focused on the approaching group of individuals, unable to take their eyes off of them. Still, even with their imposing atmosphere, none were grander that the youth that led them all.

Dyon currently wore robes of black-gold, beautifully crafted and etched with ancient emblems. Even without a crown, he undisputedly carried the air of a ruler, somehow overshadowing even the dao realm cultivation of Zabia who followed behind him.