Several light-years away from Planet Animara, a spaceship emerged from a wormhole. Inside, Eternal Selena extended her senses but found no Immortals that weren't the protector. Only mortals were the ones who approached them willingly. The question that arose in her mind was, how did they know?

Arslan nodded at Selena and proceeded to the airlock with Eren. Selena couldn’t accompany them; it wasn’t her job.

Ever since Arslan arrived, he sensed a strange resonance that drew him toward Planet Animara. He wondered what the chances were that the Stellar Beast Sect had also come here for the same thing.

As the airlock opened, Arslan saw massive beasts in space, upon which various structures were built, housing several cultivators. Some were giant ant-like creatures with their legs stretched into space, unconsciously touching it to travel.

Arslan sighed at the sight of these creatures. It was beautiful to see, and the Empire could have adopted them. Not everything had to be about strength, did it? Hobbies also existed, and it seemed to him a good hobby. It wasn’t necessary to cultivate a Path related to them; they could be partners and even members of their Empire. Since the ones in front of them were peak mortals with sentience, they could have the same type of citizenship as any humanoid cultivator.

Why was he the first to consider this? Did he lack information, as he didn’t believe he would be the only one who could think the same?

Then he remembered. Benefits. Cultivation was tiresome when gaining strength consumed most of one's life. When did a researcher do research on other topics unrelated to their Path? For benefits, just like Teacher Alex. Everyone had this ingrained in their minds, and the only exceptions were family and friends, though he could argue they were also within the realm of benefits.

Whether for pleasure, spending time, learning something new, or having someone watch your back, it was all a part of relationships. Some in the Humanities department had researched this, yet even he had disregarded it as inconsequential. It didn’t help with the Path. Dao and Buddhist teachings involved them, yet they also did it for the benefit of their cultivation, based on the beings he saw. He guessed even Guanyin, whom he heard about, might benefit in some way from helping people. He just didn’t know why.

Was anything in life without a benefit? He seriously thought about this. He had lived for more than thirty years, not including various programs he joined that distorted the concept of time and might have lasted for thousands of years, and everything he had done was for a benefit. Even taking a wife was for the benefit of having a companion and an Empress worthy of him.

He ran his hand through his hair due to feeling at loss. He had questions and had no one that could answer. He sighed upon noticing that he might have gone soft after so long. With all those questions, can he really be cruel and kill the dozens of beasts and various races?

Yes, I would. That’s who I am, and I won’t change it just because I’m questioning life. Especially if they are in my way, he thought and unconsciously smirked, and that irked those who saw it. He set his hand behind his back, waiting. They would better come in front of him and explain. Either that, or he would go himself. That wouldn’t be pretty.

He sensed the most powerful among them was a glaucus. It was a blue, dragon-like creature that usually lived in the sea. Yet, the one in front of him had black dots that he would bet related to space because it traveled in space too well. Its ancestor might really be a dragon, yet he didn’t care. It wasn’t that strong. His focus was on the leaders that gathered above it, watching him like hawks, seated in a structure that seemed like a spot for drinking tea.

There were five of them, with the leader being a humanoid race that he wasn’t entirely sure of. She seemed human, yet had unusual tattoos that some Immortal beasts usually had. His bet would be a hybrid between a human and a beast. He wasn’t aware their sect had a hybrid successor. He assumed so, after all, she was the most powerful among them while the people around her looked at her like she was their leader. The only possibility was that her parents were at least at the Formless stage of Immortality, removing the barrier for mating.

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After several seconds of assessing, they must have decided to follow Arslan’s lead, as their leader, with several strong people beside her and her beast companion, came forward with the glaucus.

Glaucus, with its wary eye, glanced left and right while avoiding eye contact with Arslan. “You shouldn’t get closer to him. He is not someone you could deal with. None of you.”

“I know,” replied the group’s leader to the glaucus. After all, the information on the Emperor was inevitable to reach everyone with enough power to acquire the details on the most talked-about topic from the center of the cosmos. They didn’t have as many Demigods as the Luvis, but the Stellar Beast Sect was a power that had branches all over the cosmos. They had allies, and it was enough. Their ambition was always to create a Divine in their Path. Although their sect developed their Paths based on beasts, every beast differed, thus the Paths of each cultivator. This resulted in not accumulating enough on a singular Path since ancient times. Even their Demigods were stuck and couldn’t improve ever since their breakthrough.

Arslan still waited for an attack but was disappointed when he saw they didn’t. He felt like a bully, though he wanted to be more than a bully, more cruel. He wouldn’t be surprised if some Immortals sneaked in to attack him and try to kidnap thinking he was helpless. He was helpless indeed, not being able to show his power. Was this all a sign, he thought?

They finally arrived just outside the airlock of their spaceship, and Arslan said, “Come inside,” then he turned his back and went inside while taking a breath. Habit helped calm down his thoughts. He decided to not hype himself anymore. It sucked when he couldn’t let it out.

Eren, who had been gazing at the woman leader, quickly followed Arslan. She was beautiful but deadly from what he gathered. Not as deadly as his uncle, sure, yet she alone could handle him like a toy. And he didn’t want to be a toy that women could play with. It was a possibility since he saw that woman check him out, and he nearly shook like a leaf after he remembered that look his mother used to give his father. If that happened to him, his mother and father would remember it for eternity. An eternity of shame was a long time. He wasn't as thick-skinned as his father.

Arslan went to the sitting area and settled in a comfortable spot that was used to accommodate guests, waiting for them to arrive. Selena watched all this happen with amusement. She also noticed that the Immortal protector of this sect stayed away as much as possible. It was all so interesting that she started liking his job for the first time. She just didn’t know how long this peace would last. So, she leaned against the wall and waited.

Hearing the airlock sound, Arslan knew they were coming. Some might have called him reckless for inviting them onto his spaceship, but he didn’t mind a couple of people who obviously wanted to discuss something important.

Eren joined him and pulled a drink from his seal. Looking at his account balance that reached seven digits, he wanted to test a lot of things he considered pricey before. Though there was some stuff he still couldn’t afford. Creators, even those who focus on beverages and food, were most likely richer than him, a prince. He sighed but bought one more thousand-year-old wine made by an Eternal plant life form that gained sentience and produced special grapes. It also had a mix of tobacco and pepper, with a berry that also came from another Eternal life form. It must be a collaboration, he thought. He sighed again, hurting that he had to pay a hundred thousand more for another glass, then looked at Arslan and invited, “Uncle, let’s drink.”

Arslan turned his gaze to the glass of wine and took it with hidden glee. It was his favorite! It was worth it to give the seal to his nephew. Even he was running low on credits due to having many expenditures on small things that cost too much because he had to maintain a 'royal image' with the most expensive trinkets. Even his clothes that didn’t have regeneration would have double the amount of price. Yet, they still forced him to buy them. He would rather go naked, but his father would beat him for not wearing clothes when he was young, even though it was hard to get rid of blood from these materials. So he had to get rid of these habits over time. Thanks to Derin, it changed over time, as she made clothes that absorbed force and blood to strengthen, or store them and use them to regenerate.

He smiled. His mood instantly improved as he waited for the guests to arrive while sipping from the wine. Life was good again.