Invasion through simple means

Our realm wasn’t weak or strong.
It has seen golden ages and barren ones as well.
We were part of a warrior civilisation, so we were never afraid of challenges.
And yet…we were defeated so easily…
Wars were normal for each era of ours, thus we were proficient in them.
Expecting our enemies from other realms to attack us we were always prepared, countless plans laid out over generations to ensure nothing takes us by surprise.
We were prepared for almost anything, betrayal, hostage situations, attacks on multiple fronts, spatial rifts opening in the heart of our civilisation and many more.
But we weren’t thinking about the simple possibilities, like what happens if they simply wait until we are at our weakest?
We were so sure our enemy’s greed will triumph that we never considered that they would actually be casual about ransacking our resources, wealth and talents.
So they waited.
Our powers were depleting, talents were born but there wasn’t anyone who could properly guide them.
The old experts were withering away, while the new ones were blindly seeking for a path ahead, because the established path was already lost.
We tried to attack them, thinking that they were weak, but that just fastened our “demise”.
Every attack, we’ve been stopped by a single person.
He would just casually destroy all our weapons, attacks with a single move and say: “Wait patiently to join us.”
We were completely overwhelmed, and the news of our defeats just further destroyed the hope of our civilisation.
Finally after a few thousand years of struggle, the enemy arrived.
They came in full force, with spiritual vessels the size of smaller moons, and brought with them change.
They completely took over the control of resources, wealth and talents, and everything became better.
The enemy was from a realm united under a single flag, thus there weren’t too many different ideologies.
They were extremely strong, and rich in resources and talents.
Their laws were simple, and could be encapsulated in three words: “Respect, help, strive”
Those who were stronger need to be respected, but also the strong should respect and help the weak.
The weak should help those like them, and also strive to be strong.
The enemy long understood how to stand tall amongst the infinite realms out there.
Be fair, be competitive and be united.
Their talents filled our skies, and helped us take back land from others.
Why did they have so many talents?
It was because even farmers and mountain villagers had access to rudimentary cultivation techniques.
It was because once you understood a Law of the Universe, you would be granted a nobility title, and be sent out to explore.
It was because despite being ruled by a single Imperial family, the clans, sects and individuals all held almost complete authority over their property.
The Imperial Family had one requirement: “When needed, lay your life for the people”
It was a harsh requirement, but it won sympathy and loyalty from their people.
And with strong policies, academies, schools and martial dojos sprouted in our realm like mushrooms after the rain.
It didn’t take more than a century for us to become a true, and loyal subordinate to our former enemy.
They barely did anything, and they won without shedding “unnecessary blood”.
Because as always, there were some who weren’t content, and tried to fight the change and had to be dealt with.