Chapter 57: Wheel King, Don

The sky was vast and serene, the southern horizon glowing with firelight.

Gu Qing and the Wheel King stood upon the stone surface; though the starlight had dimmed, the white stones beneath them shone brightly, allowing each to clearly see the other’s expression.

“Namo samanta-bhadra-buddhanam…”

The Wheel King held his newly forged golden wheel and silently chanted a mantra.

This was the Vajrasattva mantra of the Esoteric sect; within Esoteric Buddhism, there are the Three Mysteries: the body mystery formed by hand seals, the mind mystery formed by inner contemplation, and the speech mystery formed by chanting mantras—when these three are united, one may attain Buddhahood.

At this moment, the Vajrasattva mantra the Wheel King chanted could purge all sins, halt the growth of evil thoughts, and bestow immeasurable blessings and wisdom, ensuring all things proceed smoothly.

Gu Qing let the Wheel King chant these words… in truth, the Wheel King was somewhat superstitious; after Yang Guo used the Soul-Shifting Technique to influence Darba at the Hero Gathering, the Wheel King had believed Xiaolongnu also wielded “demonic arts,” and had first recited a spell to exorcise demons and subdue evil spirits to enchant his weapon.

Now, through the Three Mysteries, the Wheel King had cleared many distracting thoughts from his mind, raised his hand, and launched all five wheels at once—this technique had once been clumsy in his hands, rarely used against opponents, but now, at the brink of life and death, he executed it flawlessly; the wheels spun swiftly toward Gu Qing!

Gu Qing tilted his longsword, light as a feather, and pierced the foremost wheel; the slender blade carried extraordinary force, sending the wheel veering off toward the cliffside.

The next four wheels followed in sequence; Gu Qing countered each with precise technique, and after flying sideways, each wheel looped back midair, returning to the Wheel King’s hand, where he hurled it again toward Gu Qing.

The Wheel King’s wheels had sharp outer rims and a small ball inside; when shaken, they clattered loudly. He used his internal energy to manipulate the ball, allowing the wheels to spin freely in midair. Now, with full force, he threw and caught them in rapid succession, their movements unpredictable, yet he always held two wheels in hand, launching them without mercy.

Gu Qing moved within the spinning wheels, his swordplay flowing in continuous arcs, applying the Quanzhen Sword Art with perfect precision; when danger arose, he evaded using Quanzhen footwork… originally designed for the Heavenly Giant Northern Dipper Array to seize positional advantage, this footwork excelled in complex combat scenarios—yet even so, Gu Qing was pushed into absolute disadvantage.

The Wheel King unleashed fifty strikes; Gu Qing blocked all fifty, never retaliating.

The five wheels spinning together were the Wheel King’s comfort zone; the more he used them, the more effortlessly he wielded them.

Xiaolongnu held her sword with both hands, sweat soaking her collar; seeing the wheels hum ominously, she knew Gu Qing was in dire peril and resolved to thrust her sword forward to aid him if needed.

Suddenly, the spinning wheels exploded with sound; the black sword struck them, sparking. Xiaolongnu prepared to leap forward—only to see the wheels spinning in a circle around Gu Qing’s black sword, tracing the Seven Stars, the blade forming three concentric rings; the once erratic wheels were now strung together like beads, then shaken downward and flung into the mountain ravine.

Gu Qing had discerned the wheels’ trajectories, sensed the position of the inner balls, stabbed them with his sword to disrupt their alignment, then used his internal force to neutralize the Wheel King’s wheels.

“Clang! Clang!!”

The Wheel King advanced with two wheels; Gu Qing struck swiftly upward—a Quanzhen sword technique called the Fixed Yang Needle. The Wheel King met it with both wheels, crossing them to lock against Gu Qing’s blade; both froze in place, locked in a contest of strength.

In internal energy, the Wheel King held the advantage; as the wheels twisted, Gu Qing’s black sword gradually shifted, his wrist beginning to twist unnaturally.

If the twisting continued, and Gu Qing failed to recover his stance or shift his body, the Wheel King would smash one wheel forward—victory would be decided.

Yet at the very instant victory seemed certain, an unexpected change occurred.

“Crack…”

Gu Qing’s longsword snapped abruptly in the strain; the black blade twisted violently, then lunged toward the Wheel King.

Gu Qing had used this move before against the Wheel King. The Wheel King remained calm, parried with his left hand, extended his right arm in a balanced attack-defense posture—but Gu Qing had anticipated this, released his broken sword deliberately, letting it align with the severed blade to form a new path; in the space of a hair’s breadth, he aimed to kill the Wheel King, while his other hand unleashed the Shatter-Steel Claw, striking like lightning.

In internal energy, the Wheel King was superior; but in technique, Gu Qing was far more refined.

The Wheel King had studied many Central Plains martial arts and believed he understood Song Dynasty martial arts thoroughly—but Gu Qing’s techniques often defied his expectations. Now, Gu Qing’s twin strikes tore across the Wheel King’s arms, slashing two bloody wounds; as the Wheel King repelled Gu Qing’s sword, both wheels flew from his grasp.

“Whoosh…”

Gu Qing’s hand moved like lightning, reaching for the Wheel King’s forehead.

By now, the sky had turned pale with dawn; as the Wheel King saw Gu Qing’s hand, a flash of realization struck him.

They had once fought barehanded; afterward, the Wheel King had carefully analyzed the encounter. Now, seeing Gu Qing use this move again, he immediately recalled the follow-up—raised his hand to jab, flipped his palm to grip—and in that instant, seized Gu Qing’s wrist!

It’s over!

The Elephant and Tiger Samadhi energy surged forward, striking Gu Qing’s arm.

Almost simultaneously, Gu Qing’s other hand shot out like lightning and slammed squarely into the Wheel King’s chest!

“Puh…”

The Wheel King spat blood—he had shattered the bones in Gu Qing’s right arm, while Gu Qing had shattered his heart meridian.

In this moment, the Wheel King reviewed the battle and suddenly understood: Gu Qing, like Xiaolongnu, could wield two different martial arts simultaneously with both hands—and had concealed this ability, waiting until he feigned vulnerability with his right arm, luring the Wheel King into believing victory was his, before striking decisively.

“I’ve lost…”

To Gu Qing, this was already his tenth or ninth victory.

But to the Wheel King, this was his first true defeat; his heart meridian shattered, death was certain. His ability to speak now, to utter words, was due to his internal energy suppressing his body, maintaining blood circulation.

As death approached, the Wheel King felt a hollow emptiness in his heart. He sat cross-legged upon the stone, quietly gazing at the world before him.

Xiaolongnu and Cheng Ying had arrived nearby, ready to examine Gu Qing’s injuries; they saw him extend his left hand, repeatedly adjusting the bones of his right arm, and softly explain: “In half a day, I’ll be able to move again.”

Only because Gu Qing possessed the Good Deed ability to heal his body could he trade injuries for life.

Against the Wheel King, if he hadn’t risked bloodshed like this, neither could have prevailed; perhaps after thousands of exchanges, the Wheel King’s strength would wane—but he might also suddenly realize he no longer wished to teach Gu Qing the Yoga Tantra, and simply rise and flee.

Then Gu Qing would have lost terribly.

To be frank, he broke this arm for the sake of the Yoga Tantra!

Xiaolongnu and Cheng Ying gently unbuttoned Gu Qing’s clothing, seeing the swelling on his arm slowly receding; Cheng Ying had seen this before and remained silent, astonished but discreet, while Xiaolongnu, seeing it for the first time, stared fixedly.

“Bring me the scroll.”

Gu Qing gave Cheng Ying a wry grin, signaling his pain.

Cheng Ying pursed her lips slightly—she could not let Gu Qing kiss her in Xiaolongnu’s presence—so she fetched the scroll, unrolled it, revealing a deity: left hand holding a lotus, right hand wielding a sword, cutting through tangled threads; beneath it, a string of temple names was inscribed.

“Whoever holds this scroll becomes the leader of my Esoteric sect.”

The Wheel King suddenly spoke: “Originally, I thought you would carry this scroll on a pilgrimage and receive my sect’s supreme teachings—but now, with my last breath, you need not make that journey…”

“The Esoteric Yoga is divided into four levels: Yoga Tantra, Great Yoga Tantra, Incomparable Yoga Tantra, and Supreme Yoga Tantra. The Supreme Yoga Tantra is boundless—never truly completed, never truly attained…”

Gu Qing immediately applied his Good Deed ability to memorize every word the Wheel King spoke.

In ancient India, there was a Shakti sect that believed sexual energy could awaken the power of body and soul; thus, whether married or not, its followers gathered at midnight, placing fish, meat, wine, and grains together, engaging in collective sexual rites to achieve the Five Pleasures.

The Esoteric sect absorbed this Shakti tradition, dividing into the Action Division, Conduct Division, Yoga Division, and Supreme Yoga Division.

The Action Division involved mutual gazing between man and woman; the Conduct Division, holding hands; the Yoga Division, embracing; the Supreme Yoga Division, the practice of blissful union with emptiness.

Now, the Wheel King was dying, Gu Qing’s right arm broken; they sat upon the white stone, one willing to teach, one willing to learn—ignoring life and death, Song and Mongolia, until the sun reached its zenith, when the Wheel King finally fell silent, smiling as he passed away.

“Sigh…”

Gu Qing had fully memorized every detail of the Yoga Tantra, yet he gazed at the Wheel King, feeling an unfulfilled longing.

A true kindred spirit.

He should have discussed this with him sooner.

It was all his fault for striking too hard!

Gu Qing raised his now-recovered right hand and struck his left hand— the hand that killed the Wheel King—hard.

(End of Chapter)