Soil microorganisms drive critical ecosystem processes, including carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) cycling, yet the synergistic roles of microbial diversity, interaction networks, and life-history strategies in regulating soil multifunctionality remain unclear, particularly in hyper-arid regions. Here, we integrated taxonomic diversity, co-occurrence network complexity, and Y-A-S life-history strategies (high Yield, resource Acquisition, Stress tolerance) to explore microbial mechanisms underlying soil multifunctionality across three land-use types (desert-steppes, paddy fields, natural wetlands) in the Taklamakan Desert. Our results revealed stark contrasts: archaeal diversity was negatively correlated with soil multifunctionality, fungal diversity showed a positive correlation (P < 0.05), while bacterial diversity exhibited no significant association (P > 0.05). Archaeal and fungal network complexity negatively correlated with soil multifunctionality. Natural wetlands exhibited the highest soil multifunctionality, likely facilitated by fungal diversity and niche partitioning, whereas paddy fields showed reduced performance alongside dominance of A/S-strategists. Partial least squares path modeling further suggested that taxonomic diversity was indirectly linked to soil multifunctionality via lifehistory strategies (total effect: -0.515) and network complexity (-0.648), explaining 58.2% of variance. Overall, these findings indicate that taxonomic diversity likely contributes to soil multifunctionality through indirect paths rather than direct effects, supporting a multidimensional framework linking microbial traits to arid ecosystem functioning. These findings advance the theoretical framework for ecosystem multifunctionality and underscore that management strategies to sustain soil functionality in hyper-arid lands should account for the distinct roles of microbial taxonomic groups and their life-history strategies.