The Legend of Min Hong

Chapter 224: We Are In The Same Boat

Two massive rainbow colored eyes with black rings and some symbol etched on it-

[See Mangekyou Sharingan in Naruto as reference but with circular-spiral rainbow color, instead of the red]

-these eyes could be seen reflecting from below the ocean of black Qi, staring at him dead in the eyes

"NOOO-" Min Hong didn't know how but he actually yelled his voice out this time, and this was the extent of his current despair

A fear so strong that he regained his voice

[As the abomination once again showed true to its Dao of Fear]

But before he could yell out a single complete word, a hand grabbed him from behind and pulled him up throwing him on a small wooden boat

"Hehe he you poor little soul, how did you lose your way???" asked a calm unbothered voice

But Min Hong was focused on the creature in the water which was coming for him earlier and as he turned to check wherever the creature was, he found out that there was nothing there anymore, not even the slightest ripple was anywhere in sight, as everything seemed like a massive illusion 

With weak knees, he finally fell back on his butts as he realized that his entire soul was drenched in a figurative sweat before a feeling of relief finally hit him

He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

Finally remembering the hand that pulled him out, he turned around  to see a middle aged man sitting at the bow of the boat

He looked like a beggar and had bushy, untrimmed beards that was a little stubby also 

"T-t-thank you for saving me" Min Hong thank the man with the best possible smile ever

"Worry not little mortal, we are on the same boat, hahaha..."

The man said with a kind and light smile as he was not sure if that was meant to be a pun or nut

"You call me Brother Cui" the man said with a kind smile as if he was talking to a long lost brother

"Min Hong" He introduced to himself with a forced and awkward smile

"So how did you end up here?" Cui asked once again

"Here? Where is here?" Min Hong asked with an expression that said he was as lost as a drunk man's next words

The last thing he could truly remember was touching the spirit ring and then he was teleported here

"You don't know? How long have you been drifting within this ocean of black Qi?"

Cui asked with a slightly shocked expression

"I am not sure, but around eight days I guess?"

Min Hong tried to remember but in this place where there were no heavenly bodies, time might as well not even exist

"Oh, that means you still have hope then" Cui responded with an immaculate smile

"Hope? Hope for what exactly? Where exactly are we?" Min Hong asked once again

"Where? Where do you think? Of course, we are at the edge of creation itself ha-ha ha"

With a bellowing laugh Cui moved away from the bow of the boat and from behind him suddenly came out a starry sky that abruptly covered everything in sight.

Even the ocean of black Qi was perfectly reflecting the stars like a clean plain mirror

Min Hong's jaws fell to the ground

About a second ago, there was nothing but infinite nothingness and darkness around them, but now he could see the boundless heavens all around priding themselves in their resplendent beauty

"What in Huoyi's beard"

That was the only reaction and expression Min Hong could make after about ten minutes of staring at the heavens...

"Ha-ha, I know right? I had a similar episode the first time I got here as well"

Cui took out an old gourd from somewhere and sat on one side of this cruising boat as he began to drink

"Where exactly are we?"

Min Hong knew part of this or most likely all of it was his trial realm, but he was just truly curious about where they were, because probably because of the sense of safety being on this boat gave him, his senses could now clearly perceive a sense of calling and familiarity with something within this realm

This was why his curiosity about knowing what this place really is was piqued 

When he looked into the distance, he could also see several planets being shattered, crushed, exploding as well as several other forms of destruction around, but in the same vein, he could also see suns, moons, other stars and some intergalactic phenomenon being done

"Hmm, what in Huoyi's beard is that?"

Min Hong squinted his eyes almost until it narrowed into slits when he saw the figure of something moving within the endless darkness

"Chaos That is the primordial chaos"

"It has been there before the first creation of the entire universe was created and will also be here when everything in existence returns to the endless oblivion"

"It is also everywhere and even the deepest depths of the nooks and crannies of the universe"

Cui spoke with a mouth odor than had the smell of a very cheap wine

"I don't know what that means"

Min Hong knew everything the man had just spoken about but pretended not to have any single idea just because he wanted to learn more about the Chaos Dao from the man

"Ha-ha don't worry about that, you are not dead yet so it is normal for you not to understand these things"

"They are nothing but puny universal truths which many do not understand to its simplest form"

"The more you understand them, the more of their power you can draw upon and use in fact, when you even comprehend them to a certain level, you, on your own will be able to derive your own Dao from gathering insights from them"

Cui said as Min Hong soaked in all the insights and enlightenment within that sentence as he continued his pretense of being a total idiot;

"Death, am I dying? Am I going to die?"

"Hmm?"

"Hmm"

Min Hong did not get the exact sort of reaction he was anticipating

"I guess my attachments to that life was not that strong, unh?"

Min Hong lethargically sighed as he spoke with a helpless expression, as if he was talking about a completely different person's life

"Don't get too serious around me, you are only proliferate the heavy amount of boredom that had almost killed me here"

"Here, have a drink and let's make a conversation, it has been so long that I have spoken to someone that I almost cannot remember the language I understood before I came here"

Cui threw the gourd over to Min Hong who caught it and took a swift scrutinizing look at the gourd

The gourd was so plain like the normal ones one would see in the martial arts movies made on earth in the nineteenth century

There was not a single thing special about it, and thus, Min Hong uncorked it and took a large gulp, and then;

Blergh!

He puked almost instantaneously, as Cui laughed at him before collecting the gourd and downing another large gulp

Cough! Cough!

Min Hong almost coughed his lungs out before he finally calmed down