The Divine Realm which initially mirrored the Douluo Continent sealed all possibility of Godhood for the soul beasts and animals. It then vanished without a trace for a long time. This was why no one was capable of becoming a god for thousands of years.
Nonetheless, there was at least more than one person who managed to cultivate to Godhood in the history of mankind.
That was the difference between these two planes.
The abyssal Sage King had deliberately planned this for many years. He had been seeking the opportunity to elevate the abyssal plane to a Divine Realm all along. He had searched high and low for the opportunity. After a long time, he finally found the Douluo Continent, a world filled with life force. Yet, he did not expect to lose the first great battle back at the beginning. Worse, he was worried over the possibility that he might be counterattacked by the Douluo Continent.