Chapter 227: The Erased Record

The moment he spoke the name of the sword.

Something took root deep inside his body.

A sensation he had never experienced before. He could clearly feel the presence of a new sword within, yet there was no sense of discomfort. It was as if it had always been a part of him.

Jang Woo-hyun silently looked down at his hand.

‘Not yet, huh.’

He still couldn’t summon it, as it hadn’t completely assimilated with him. But before long, Baekmu would answer his call.

And Jang Woo-hyun instinctively knew, without needing anyone to tell him, that this new sword—now one with him—would never be lost or separated unless he died or relinquished ownership.

“Congratulations on acquiring a new sword.”

Beginning with Cho-yul, the craftsmen offered their congratulations.

“Thank you.”

Jang Woo-hyun bowed deeply in gratitude. He had witnessed their work firsthand and knew how much effort the four had poured into it.

Over two days, Cho-yul and the Three Master Craftsmen had devoted everything to completing Baekmu. Their faces were etched with exhaustion.

Sensing Jang Woo-hyun’s sincerity in his bowed posture, Cho-yul smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“We should be the ones thanking you. Thanks to you and Divine True Steel, we were able to choose a successor.”

At that, Ju Yeong-rang nodded and looked toward Seo Hong-ho.

“It’s finally been decided.”

Jo Cheol-san also smiled in agreement.

“I used to think I was the best, but today I’ve learned a lot. No, I’ve learned so much.”

He raised his voice and dipped his head slightly—a show of respect to the newly chosen successor and a gesture of admiration for the most outstanding artisan in the Nation of Mechanical Marvels.

Cho-yul and Ju Yeong-rang, seemingly of the same mind, stepped forward and bowed to Seo Hong-ho.

In the process of forging the kaleidoscopic sword Baekmu, the three had come to acknowledge that Seo Hong-ho was the most skilled among them.

“I haven’t even ascended to the throne yet, and this is already a heavy burden.”

Seo Hong-ho, aware of his own superiority, did not reject their gesture. He too bowed slightly and spoke.

“Thank you all. I still have much to learn, so I hope I can rely on you moving forward.”

There was no grand ceremony, nor were there crowds around them. Yet here, the next king of the Nation of Mechanical Marvels had been chosen.

With Cho-yul and two of the Three Master Craftsmen acknowledging him, there would be no room for objections.

“You’ve helped resolve something we’ve been putting off.”

“I didn’t do that much.”

“Not much? You brought Cho-yul back and gave us a chance to test our skills against each other. This was all thanks to you.”

Seo Hong-ho stepped forward and extended his hand to Jang Woo-hyun.

“If you ever need our help, just say the word. The Nation of Mechanical Marvels will stand with you.”

Jang Woo-hyun accepted his gratitude.

“In that case, let’s help the Sword Alliance right now.”

“Right now? What do you mean?” asked Jo Cheol-san.

Ju Yeong-rang pointed to Jang Woo-hyun’s right hip.

“Since you’re here, let’s take a look at the Dragon King’s Scale.”

When Jang Woo-hyun handed over the Dragon King’s Scale, the four immediately resumed their work, curiosity lighting up their eyes.

They began by placing it on an anvil that changed colors and gently tapped it with a hammer. Then, they sprayed a glowing solution on its surface, set small dharma treasures beside it, and even fed it a mineral the size of a fist.

After a long while of examination—

The four exchanged glances and nodded.

“Just as I thought. This thing is interfering with the power of other dharma treasures.”

“What exactly does that mean?” asked Jang Woo-hyun.

“Basically, it suppresses the powers of other dharma treasures. You said it eats other dharma treasures? That’s probably related. It’s truly fascinating.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Even Jo Cheol-san, the oldest among them, hadn’t encountered such an artifact before.

Weapons or dharma treasures with a will weren’t unheard of, though rare. Black Wilds Sword, which Jang Woo-hyun possessed, was one such weapon.

But a dharma treasure like Dragon King’s Scale was entirely new. It didn’t just have a will—it felt alive.

“Have you noticed anything else unusual about it?”

“Not directly related to the Dragon King’s Scale, but I did hear something strange.”

The dragon that devoured dharma treasures—Devouring Dragon of a Thousand Treasures.

Jang Woo-hyun recounted the story he’d heard from Yong Seo-hee.

As the tale unfolded, furrows deepened on the foreheads of the four artisans.

“Unbelievable.”

Even Jo Cheol-san, who had lived for over a thousand years, had never heard such a story. If such a dragon existed in the Central Heavens Realm, surely someone from the Nation of Mechanical Marvels would have known.

Gradually, their focus shifted from the Dragon King’s Scale to the Devouring Dragon of a Thousand Treasures.

“The fact that so little is known must mean something’s being hidden, right?”

“Exactly. It’s highly likely that someone erased the records on purpose.”

“You mean someone deleted the records?” Jang Woo-hyun asked, baffled.

The Central Heavens Realm was vast beyond measure. The idea that someone could erase and control specific records seemed absurd.

“This isn’t a simple matter. We need to meet the king.”

“Would that be allowed? I’m an outsider.”

“I’ll speak with His Majesty. Looks like your chance to help the Sword Alliance is coming sooner than expected.”

The four continued the conversation without Jang Woo-hyun, who, not fully understanding, simply followed them back toward the palace of the Nation of Mechanical Marvels.

The five met with Gwan Wi, the king, and the first thing they reported was that Seo Hong-ho had been chosen as the successor.

“You dragged it out just to end up where we all knew it would.”

Chastised by the king, the four bowed deeply in remorse.

“Thanks to you, I can finally rest easy,” Gwan Wi said to Jang Woo-hyun, expressing his gratitude several times over.

Believing the king’s mood had improved, Seo Hong-ho carefully stepped forward and brought up the topic of the Devouring Dragon of a Thousand Treasures.

“A dragon that devoured dharma treasures existed in the Central Heavens Realm twenty thousand years ago? That’s news to me.”

“It was briefly mentioned in a book owned by the Divine Dragon Clan.”

“Sounds like someone erased the records and information.”

“We’d like to take Woo-hyun underground.”

The underground of the palace was a place few in the Nation of Mechanical Marvels could access—even among royalty. In the entire long history of the nation, there had been only a handful of cases where outsiders had gone below.

“Would it be difficult to take the Sword Alliance underground?” Ju Yeong-rang asked carefully, fully aware of the weight of the request.

“What’s so difficult about that? We’ll just go together.”

“Pardon?”

The four who had asked were taken aback by the king’s easy acceptance.

“This young man is our benefactor. Helping him is the least we can do. Besides, I’m curious myself. Let’s go. Right now.”

As Jang Woo-hyun stood, he tilted his head in confusion.

“Lord Gwan Wi, what exactly is down here?”

“You didn’t hear on the way?”

“No, sir.”

“I forgot to explain in the rush.”

“I’ll explain as we go. You all stay here.”

Gwan Wi moved deeper into the palace, taking only Jang Woo-hyun with him.

“The place we’re going to now is a kind of archive.”

“It’s not just an ordinary archive, is it?”

“No, it’s not. Hm, I can’t explain it properly here, so I’ll continue once we arrive.”

The two of them walked quickly in silence. After passing several pavilions, Gwan Wi stopped in front of a stone building.

As he placed his hand on the door, ornate patterns lit up and a heavy stone door slowly opened.

‘This is solid.’

Jang Woo-hyun glanced around and realized the stone used to construct the building wasn’t ordinary. It didn’t look like it could be destroyed by anything less than overwhelming force.

“Let’s go.”

What they saw inside the building was a staircase descending downward.

After descending hundreds of steps, they arrived at a wide underground chamber.

On one side of the chamber, a large hole was open in the floor, and near it was a silver disc.

“Come over here.”

As he stepped onto the disc, it began rapidly lowering.

The disc descended several hundred jang in the blink of an eye, arriving at a space similar to the previous chamber—except this one had a massive black door on one side instead of a hole.

“Wait here.”

Gwan Wi approached the door and manipulated something. A moment later, the massive door slowly creaked open.

Despite being underground, there was some form of illumination, so it wasn’t dark. As they entered, they were greeted by yet another door. Gwan Wi opened it and stepped through. And again, another door appeared.

After passing through five such doors, there were no more.

Boom!

The sound of the last door closing echoed behind them.

In that moment, Jang Woo-hyun suddenly felt as if he had been sealed off. It seemed like all connection to the outside world had been cut.

“We can talk freely now.”

Gwan Wi said with a slight smile as he walked forward slowly.

“I mentioned that this place is an archive, didn’t I?”

“Yes.”

“You may not have noticed, but this place is separated from the outside world.”

“Is it another space or dimension?”

“Not quite. The doors we passed through prevent this place from being observed by the higher beings above.”

“By higher beings, you mean…”

“The Martial Gods and True Immortals of the Upper Realm. I’ve heard you’re tied to one of them. Do you know the name of that being?”

“Yes.”

“Then try saying that name aloud.”

Despite Gwan Wi’s prompting, Jang Woo-hyun hesitated to speak the name. He knew very well what could happen if one carelessly spoke the name of a True Immortal.

“Trust me. Say it.”

“…Samcheon Gwang-eun Bohwa Cheonjon.”

As he spoke, his hand gripped the hilt of Black Wilds Sword, prepared for any possible outcome.

But nothing happened.

No overwhelming force surged forth, no strange sensations stirred. Only silence lingered in the air.

“Anything spoken here will never reach the ears of the higher beings. They cannot observe this place.”

Gwan Wi resumed walking.

“And that’s why the true records can be kept here.”

“True records? Does that mean there are false records too?”

“Not false—but distorted.”

As they walked deeper into the cave, a smaller door appeared. As Gwan Wi approached, it opened on its own.

Clunk…

As the door slowly opened, he spoke again.

“Have you heard of the terms ‘Heavenly Emperor’ or ‘Immortal Emperor’?”

Jang Woo-hyun shook his head.

“Heavenly Emperors, Immortal Emperors, or Immortal Kings—they are beings who stand at the absolute pinnacle of the Upper Realm. If you’ve witnessed the power of a True Immortal, you must know just how absurdly overwhelming that is.”

The giant hand that looked as though it could crush the sky—that was only a portion of a True Immortal’s strength. Having witnessed it firsthand, Jang Woo-hyun knew it well.

“And those at the peak even among the True Immortals… Their power is beyond comprehension.”

As the door opened, Gwan Wi stepped inside.

The interior wasn’t very large—about a dozen bookshelves stood neatly arranged.

“If there are no records of the Devouring Dragon of a Thousand Treasures, it likely means those known as the Heavenly Emperors interfered. It’s impossible that such a unique dragon could be unknown otherwise. I can see that look on your face—you’re wondering if that’s even possible.”

Gwan Wi smiled at Jang Woo-hyun’s doubtful expression.

“They are capable of erasing parts of history and recorded knowledge. In extreme cases, they can even distort people’s memories. That’s the kind of power wielded by those at the apex of the Upper Realm.”

Jang Woo-hyun clenched his fists without realizing it.

“You’re saying they can distort everyone’s memories?”

That was too far. If people’s memories could be manipulated, what meaning did life even hold?

“Don’t wear such a bitter expression. You’re not affected.”

“Pardon? Then what you said earlier…”

“The Central Heavens Martial Realm is protected by the Sword Lord of the Heavens, isn’t it? That includes resistance to such external forces. So they probably only erased the records. Judging by the remaining references in the Divine Dragon Clan’s texts, they didn’t do a perfect job either. And someone of your level—unless they directly manifest their power—would be difficult to affect. This isn’t their territory. It’s still the Central Heavens Realm.”

As he explained, Gwan Wi operated a large orb mounted in the center of the room.

“Devouring Dragon of a Thousand Treasures.”

After he spoke, a short moment passed—

Then, a stone tablet from one of the shelves floated toward Gwan Wi.

“As expected, here it is.”

He activated the record-keeping dharma artifact and began reading its contents.

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