Barite's Story
Barite did not bring any of his henchmen on this visit.
In reality, even if he brought his own, there wouldn't be enough room, because each person's room inside the Gate of Purgatory was only about ten square meters, containing nothing but a bed and a toilet. In such a small space, there wasn't much room to put anything else.
He came alone, not because Gu Ding's room was too small. In the past, he liked to be surrounded by a retinue, but now he felt it was unnecessary.
His main purpose in seeking out Gu Ding was to fulfill the bet he made the day before.
Arriving at Gu Ding's room, he hesitated for a moment, never one to knock, before finally knocking a few times. He knew Gu Ding was in the room, but he hadn't used his soul power to investigate, so he didn't know what Gu Ding was doing. It was better to knock beforehand.
"Come in," Gu Ding's voice came quickly; he had actually known about Barite's arrival for some time.
Pushing open the door and entering the room, Barite wasn't surprised to see the plain white walls all around. This was the case for every newcomer; only long-term residents would decorate their rooms.
"I lost yesterday's battle, and I'm here to fulfill my bet." Barite stepped into the room, but still stood near the door. Facing Gu Ding again, he felt a little uneasy.
"Oh, then let's transfer the money." Gu Ding didn't stand on ceremony and directly handed over the watch.
Barite also raised his hand and connected his wristwatch with Gu Ding's. A moment later, there was a "beep" sound. Gu Ding put away his wristwatch, and his score had increased by one million points.
"Thanks." Gu Ding actually felt that he had gone a bit too far this time.
His original plan was to gamble 470,000 points and have a proper fight without using any killer moves. In the end, he not only swindled his opponent out of a million points, but also almost left them with psychological trauma.
Of course, while the incident started with Barite's provocation, Barite didn't harbor any ill will towards Guding. He prevented others from challenging him simply so he could go first, not to deliberately sabotage Gu Ding and prevent him from gaining points. His later arrogant statement that he would let Gu Ding have three moves was merely a reflection of his personality and not an attempt to belittle Gu Ding.
Gu Ding felt that the other party's attitude was a bit too arrogant, so he did his best to suppress the other party's arrogance.
Barite transferred one million points with a nonchalant expression, showing no sign of reluctance. However, he didn't leave immediately, but instead asked, "You should be going to the Third Level soon, right?"
"There's no need to stay on the Second Level anymore." Gu Ding nodded. He knew that even on the Third Level, he wouldn't be able to stay for long. His goal was the Eighth Level.
"I'm also preparing to leave," Barite said.
"You're going to the Third Level too?"
Gu Ding was somewhat surprised. The Sea Emperor had only told him that Barite had formed a Pirate Crew called the Guardians in the cafeteria. He hadn't revealed many details, so Gu Ding didn't know that Barite would also be leaving.
"Yes, there's really no need to stay on the Second Level any longer." Barite nodded, sharing the same thought as Gu Ding.
"But what about your friends..."
"They'll take care of themselves. Living under my protection all the time, they'll find it hard to grow. Besides, I'm not strong enough myself. I need to become stronger." Barite said, suddenly lowering his head. After a moment of silence, he raised his head again. "Actually, the main reason I stayed on the Second Level of the Gate of Purgatory wasn't because of those underlings. There were other reasons..."
Gu Ding raised his eyebrows and said, "Sit down and talk."
As Gu Ding spoke, he sat down on the edge of the bed.
Barite hesitated for a moment, then sat down and turned to point to the scar on his face, asking, "Do you see this scar on my face?"
Gu Ding nodded, signaling the other person to continue.
"This scar was left on me when I was five years old by an enemy. That demonic man slaughtered a branch of our Nami clan in order to obtain the bloodline power of our Nami clan. I still remember that day, the ground was covered with the mummified corpses of our clansmen who had been drained of their blood by that man. As for the children, their eyeballs, brains, and internal organs were eaten, and then their bodies were dumped aside."
"I was the last Mei Race he captured. I had no power to resist at all and was captured by him. He scratched my face with his fingernails and was about to gouge out my eyes when an Interstellar Wanderer came to my rescue."
"I've kept this scar so that I'll always remember that day."
"Later, I followed that wanderer to cultivate, and slowly awakened my bloodline, becoming stronger. The wanderer, in order to save me, fought that man and was left with a hidden injury. Several years later, he perished under the Heavenly Tribulation."
"Before he died, he finally told me the identity of his enemy. The person who killed our entire clan was called Fan Paier, a Blood Clan Prince with the strength of a true god. He also told me not to seek revenge."
"After that, I spent twenty years raising my strength to the level of Half-Step True God, and also collected all kinds of information about vampires. In the year I turned twenty-eight, I began my revenge, because I didn't know when I would be able to find Fan Paier, so I began to slaughter other vampires in a frenzy."
"In less than a year, I wiped out eight vampire lairs. Those eight lairs were only the lowest-level vampire lairs, each occupying a star field, and their guardians were not strong, only at the level of Peak-rank God."
"Then, I was subjected to a fierce attack by the vampires and the Federal Government. Because the vampires are one of the most powerful fighting races in the Human Race Camp, and many of them work for the Federal Government and have a close cooperative relationship with it. Unlike our Enchantress Clan, which has less than ten branches in the Universe Sea and only occasionally sends out some combat personnel."
"I was also wanted and identified by the Federal Government as a violent terrorist; my photo was circulated everywhere. That guy named Fan Paier found out about this, and he quickly recognized me. And through some means, he found me."
"It was a rainy night. I was drinking in a tavern when he suddenly appeared in the seat next to me. He telepathically told me everything he had done back then, without missing a single detail. He told me how he bit through the arteries of those adults, how many liters of blood he swallowed, and how much time it took. He also told me how he ate those children alive, slashed their faces, gouged out their eyes, cut open their chests, and listened to their cries..."
"I was furious. But under the pressure of the true god, I couldn't even move a finger. I couldn't even do something as simple as shattering my own eardrums. I could only listen to it word by word."
"After telling me all this, he also told me that many people from other branches of the Meizu clan were investigating this matter, but because he threw all the planets where our people lived into Black Hole back then, destroying all traces, no one could find out what exactly happened back then."
"After saying all this, he pulled me into his Miniature World and showed me the transformation ability he obtained from our Meizu."
"But he didn't kill me in the end. He said he would have more fun if I lived. He captured me and handed me over to an Order Keeper. After that, I was imprisoned in the Gate of Purgatory."
Barite's story sounded very sad. Gu Ding remained a silent listener, not interrupting. He knew that for Barite, revealing his long-buried secret was a form of catharsis, and he saw no need for Gooding to offer any opinion.
"No one has ever successfully escaped from the Gate of Purgatory, and I was sentenced to three million years in prison. So, during these years of imprisonment, I have become increasingly aware that I can never take revenge, and I have become more and more decadent."
"I've stayed on the Second Level of the Gate of Purgatory because it brings me the joy of victory, and Bruce and the others are really like family to me. I need this false sense of belonging and joy to numb my true feelings, so I've chosen to stay here."
"But what you said yesterday brought me to my senses. Although I may not be able to escape successfully, as long as I keep cultivating and getting stronger, I may not be unable to wait three million years. Perhaps, on the day I am released from prison three million years later, my strength will be greater than Fan Paier's. True God is a difficult level to reach, but if you don't try, you will never know if you can reach it. The most important thing is not to give up."
"I remember the Interstellar Wanderer saved me once said something. He said that a dream is like a seed, and only by watering it with perseverance and hard work can it grow into a towering tree and bear delicious fruit. My dream is to cut off Fan Paier's head. Although this dream is a bit unhealthy, it is still my dream, and I will work hard to water it and realize it."
"Thank you for patiently listening to this somewhat clichéd story after all that rambling." Having finished his own story, Barite finally smiled and shifted the topic to Gu Ding.
"Yesterday I watched a lot of videos and other materials about you, and I also saw your declaration when you were arrested: to escape from the Gate of Purgatory within three years. Although there has never been a precedent for escaping from the Gate of Purgatory, I don't know why, but I just feel that you really might be able to do it..."
"I can definitely do it, because I promised I wouldn't let my partners down." Gu Ding still grinned confidently.
~~~
This chapter touches on dreams. Actually, the book * The Supreme Bounty * is about a young man's dream. My dream is that everyone will like my story. Materially speaking, my first hope is to have it published, then made into a comic, a game, and a film/TV series... It might sound a bit mundane, but how much the copyright will sell for is secondary. Just selling it would be a dream come true! I will continue to work towards this goal! (To be continued~^~)