Chapter 349: then translation of title

Golden flowers shone, blooming into myriad blossoms, yet they quickly withered amidst the red mist; Jieyin and Zhunti dwelt within the lotus, seated cross‑legged and reciting sutras.

Golden flowers shone, blossoming into myriad blooms; yet they quickly withered amidst the red mist, while Jieyin and Zhunti dwelt within the lotus, seated cross‑legged and reciting sutras.

Make sure to keep punctuation? Not required but okay.

Both had their eyes tightly shut, five hearts turned toward heaven, all mind and spirit bound within the innate twelve‑grade merit golden lotus; only its golden light shone, impervious to all dharmas.

Translate: "Both had eyes tightly shut, the five hearts facing heaven; all mind and spirit were bound within the innate twelve‑grade merit golden lotus, and only its golden light shone, impervious to all dharmas."

Five hearts faced heaven, all mind and spirit bound within the innate twelve‑grade merit golden lotus; only its golden light shone, impervious to all dharmas.

Yet amidst the red mist they were blown, swaying on the verge of falling, at times emitting cracking sounds; the outermost ring of this twelve‑grade merit golden lotus showed signs of withering.

Translate: "Yet amidst the red mist, blown by it, they swayed on the verge of falling, at times emitting cracking sounds; and the outermost ring of this twelve‑grade merit golden lotus showed signs of withering."

Blown by it, they swayed on the verge of falling, at times emitting cracking sounds; the outermost ring of the twelve‑grade merit golden lotus showed the lotus withering intermittently.

Hongyun instantly perceived the subtlety within and spoke up to warn:

Translate: "Red Cloud instantly perceived the subtlety and spoke up to warn:"

"The lotus platform beneath these two is not complete; its source is deficient, its foundation unstable. Let us redouble our efforts and quickly break it!"

Translate: "\"The lotus throne beneath these two is not complete; its source is deficient, its foundation unsteady—let us add our strength and quickly break it! \"" Need to keep quotes? Probably keep the quotation marks as part of translation? The instruction: output translation of line; we can keep the quotes as they are part of the line. We'll translate the content inside quotes, but keep the surrounding quotes? Usually we translate the whole line, including the quotation marks as they appear. We'll keep them.

Thus: "\"The lotus throne beneath these two is not complete; its source is deficient, its foundation unsteady—let us add our strength and quickly break it! \""

"All cried out in unison: 'Good!'"

Translate: "All cried out in unison: \"Good! \""

Instantly, divine light blazed within the barrier formed by the Earth Book, divine powers rained down like raindrops, and Jieyin and Zhunti turned pale under the blow.

Translate: "Instantly, divine light blazed within the barrier formed by the Earth Scripture, divine powers rained down like raindrops, and Jieyin and Zhunti turned pale under the blows."

Countless sutra sounds issued from Jieyin and Zhunti's mouths, transforming into supreme divine power that empowered the twelve‑grade merit golden lotus.

Translate: "Countless scriptural sounds issued from the mouths of Jieyin and Zhunti, transforming into supreme divine power that empowered the twelve‑grade merit golden lotus."

"I am here."

Translate: "\"I am here. \""

Qi and Taiyi rose and said: "I am here."

Translate: "Qi and Taiyi rose and said: \"I am here. \""

Emperor Jun's voice echoed throughout the wilderness, his imperial majesty making all beings tremble; in an instant they heard him speak again: "Where are Yinglong and Qiming Changeng?"

Translate: "Di Jun's voice echoed throughout the wilderness, his imperial majesty making all beings tremble; in the next instant, Di Jun spoke again: \"Where are Yinglong and Qiming Changeng? \""

"Where are Yinglong and Qiming Changeng?"

Faced with the crowd's attack, Jieyin and Zhunti had no thought of retaliation; although the twelve‑grade merit golden lotus had lost its source, having been patched together by them, it still deserved its reputation of being impervious to all dharmas.

Translate: "Facing the assault of the crowd, Jieyin and Zhunti had no thought of retaliation; although the present twelve‑grade merit golden lotus had lost its source, being patched together by them, it still deserved its reputation of being impervious to all dharmas."

"I am here."

Translate: "\"I am here. \""

"As for Xihuang, you still need to labor and oversee the overall situation of this disaster."

Translate: "\"As for Fuxi, you must also labor to oversee the entirety of this disaster. \""

The Twelve Ancestral Witches gazed at the barrier before them, knowing they had caused trouble, hesitating how to deal with it, when Houtu suddenly spoke: "We have already brought great calamity; Heaven's punishment will surely have to consider the now mighty Witch Clan, for they desire peace in the wilderness, not to see the Witch Clan collapse and the beings revel in chaos."

Translate: "The Twelve Ancestor Wu gazed at the barrier before them, knowing they had caused calamity, hesitating how to deal with it, when Hou Tu suddenly spoke: \"We have already brought great disaster; the Heavenly Court's punishment will surely have to consider the now mighty Wu Clan, for they desire a peaceful wilderness, not to see the Wu Clan collapse and the revelry of all beings. \""

At least facing the crowd's siege, Jieyin and Zhunti never showed the slightest difficulty; even without Hongyun's Nine‑Nine Dispersing Soul Gourd, it would be extremely hard for the others to make them feel pressured.

Translate: "At least facing the crowd's siege, Jieyin and Zhunti never showed the slightest difficulty; even without Red Cloud's Ninety‑Nine Dispersing Soul Gourd, it would be extremely hard for the others to make Jieyin and Zhunti feel pressured."

"Are Qi Huang and Dong Huang present?"

Translate: "\"Are Qi Huang and Dong Huang present? \""

Another white‑robed Daoist also said: "Your words are reasonable; if this matter succeeds, we will flee into Chaos—do I not think Chaos vast enough to hide us?"

Translate: "Another white‑robed Daoist also said: \"Friend, your words are reasonable; worst case, after this matter succeeds we can flee into Chaos—do I not think Chaos vast enough to hide us? \""

I do not consider Chaos too great.

"Now that heaven and earth tremble, if we trigger a flood that spreads too widely, how unjust it would be for the beings; we cannot let them suffer further."

Translate: "\"Now that heaven and earth have suffered a great shock, if it triggers a flood that spreads too widely, how grievous for all beings—how can they endure further tribulation? \""

"How could the wilderness suddenly become like this? Who dares to meddle recklessly with the earth's embryonic membrane, treating heavenly laws as nothing?"

Translate: "\"How could the wilderness earth suddenly become like this? Who dares to recklessly move the earth's embryonic membrane, treating heavenly laws as nothing? \""

Everyone present, except Jieyin and Zhunti, was startled, finding it hard to believe that anyone would dare to assault the earth's embryonic membrane so recklessly; the black‑robed Daoist exclaimed in disbelief:

Translate: "Everyone present except Jieyin and Zhunti was instantly astonished, finding it somewhat unbelievable—that is the earth's embryonic membrane; how could anyone attack it so heedlessly? The black‑robed Daoist exclaimed in disbelief:"

"Not good! A strong person is attacking the barrier from outside—extremely vicious! They pay no heed to the earth's embryonic membrane!"

Translate: "\"Not good! A powerful one is assaulting the barrier from outside! Extremely vicious! They actually pay no heed to the earth's embryonic membrane! \""

The wilderness itself began to shake violently, and even the Twelve Ancestral Witches sensed it.

Translate: "And the wilderness earth began to shake violently, even the Twelve Ancestor Wu sensed it."

Emperor Jun's expression eased somewhat, but he turned his gaze toward the heavenly court and spoke again:

Translate: "Di Jun's expression eased somewhat, but he turned back to gaze at the Heavenly Court and spoke again:"

"With the power of the heavenly court, we shall command all tribes, restore their homes, mitigate as much as possible the losses incurred by this disaster, and urge the great clans never to stand by idly."

Translate: "\"Relying on the Heavenly Court's power, to lead and govern the myriad clans, restore their homes, as far as possible mitigate the losses inflicted on beings by this disaster, and urge all major tribes never to stand by and watch this calamity. \""

Zhenyuanzi's face was grim; having seen the outside situation through the Earth Book, he spoke darkly:

Translate: "At this moment Zhenyuanzi's face was grim beyond compare; having seen the outside situation through the Earth Scripture, he spoke gloomily:"

Amidst the crowd's doubts, Zhenyuanzi cried out:

Translate: "Amidst the crowd's doubts, Zhenyuanzi exclaimed:"

"Wretch, deserve death! If you let them succeed, we shall become a laughingstock! Let us die together—left and right we have no Dao to speak of; let us see who suffers the greater loss!"

Translate: "Upon thinking of this, Emperor Jiang suddenly shouted: \"Villain, may you die! If you let them succeed, we shall all become laughingstocks! Today we might as well die together, for we have no Dao lineage to speak of—let us see who suffers the greater loss. \""

"Moreover, we have been schemed against for no reason; whether it is Jieyin and Zhunti or whoever set up this barrier, we cannot let them off easily!"

Translate: "\"Moreover, we have been schemed against for no reason; whether it is Jieyin and Zhunti or the one who set up this barrier, we cannot easily let them off! \"" Note: need to keep quotes.

Inside the barrier, Zhenyuanzi, who had been jointly attacking Jieyin and Zhunti with the crowd, suddenly staggered and nearly fell from the air.

Translate: "Inside the barrier, Zhenyuanzi, who had been jointly besieging Jieyin and Zhunti with the crowd, suddenly staggered and nearly fell from the air."

The innate twelve‑grade lotus platform is a rare treasure of the wilderness; its efficacy far exceeds ordinary imagination, and it is no wonder that Jieyin and Zhunti poured all their accumulated merit into it.

Translate: "The innate twelve‑grade lotus pedestal is a rare treasure of the wilderness; its efficacy far exceeds ordinary imagination, and it is no waste for Jieyin and Zhunti to have poured all the merit they accumulated over the years into it."

"I am here!" "I am here!" Yinglong and Qiming Changeng hear the order; take the thunder and dipper divisions' divine generals, go forth to investigate the cause and seize those involved.

"I am here!" "I am here!" Yinglong and Qiming Changeng hear the order; take the thunder and dipper divisions' divine generals, go forth to investigate the cause and seize those involved.

Thus: "\"I am here! \" \"I am here! \" Yinglong and Qiming Changeng hear the order; take the thunder and dipper divisions' divine generals, go forth to investigate the cause and seize those involved."

"Received the order!"

Translate: "\"Received the order! \""

There's no point in hoping to break it together; even if they saw it, they would steer clear, fearing any mishap would visit them and add karmic debt.

Translate: "Not to mention still thinking of joining forces to break it; even upon seeing it one should steer clear, for fear that if something goes wrong it will affect oneself, bringing karmic retribution."

"Even if we are punished today, we must at least recover some loss; however small, it's still better than nothing."

Translate: "\"Even if today we are punished, we must at least salvage some loss; no matter how trifling, it is still better than nothing. \""

A white‑robed Daoist gritted his teeth and said:

Translate: "A white‑robed Daoist gritted his teeth and said:"

Despite their combined strike, the barrier remained intact; the Twelve Ancestral Witches were startled, and Gonggong shouted: "What a turtle shell! But it's incredibly hard! Brothers, we need to exert even more force!"

Translate: "Under a concerted strike by all, the barrier did not break; the Twelve Ancestor Wu were somewhat startled, and Gonggong shouted: \"What a sturdy turtle shell! It is truly immensely hard—brothers, we must exert even more force! \""

The crowd poured out in a line; countless heavenly soldiers bearing the emperor's mandate, using formations, rushed to the wilderness tribes to deliver the heavenly court's intent to save the beings.

Translate: "The crowd then filed out in single file; countless heavenly soldiers bearing the Heavenly Court's command, via formations, rushed to the various clans of the wilderness to convey the Heavenly Court's intent to save all beings."

"The Earth Book can sustain at most two more rounds of attack; beyond that, the embryonic membrane of the earth will surely shatter, and we will fare poorly."

Translate: "\"The Earth Scripture can at most support two more rounds of attack; exceeding this limit, the earth's embryonic membrane will surely shatter, and we shall fare poorly. \""

Qi and Taiyi jointly said: "Good."

Translate: "Qi and Taiyi jointly said: \"Good. \""

"During this period, anyone who resists shall be deemed a rebel and slain without mercy."

Translate: "\"During this period, anyone who resists may be deemed a rebel and slain without pardon. \""

In the midst of anxiety, Emperor Jiang began to count down.

Translate: "In the midst of anxiety, Emperor Jiang had already begun counting down."

The Twelve Ancestral Witches exerted force together; the barrier shook, and even the wilderness continent trembled slightly, though the Witches themselves did not notice.

Translate: "The Twelve Ancestor Wu all exerted force together; instantly the barrier shook, and even the entire wilderness continent trembled slightly—though the Twelve Ancestor Wu did not notice."

"We now have no retreat; whether it is Heaven's punishment or the Witches' encirclement, or the future threat posed by Jieyin and Zhunti—if we do not succeed today, where in the wilderness could we stand?"

Translate: "\"We now have no retreat; whether it is the Heavenly Court's punishment or the Twelve Ancestor Wu's encirclement, the future threat posed by Jieyin and Zhunti, etc. —if we do not succeed today, where in the wilderness could we find a foothold? \""

"Wanting us to come out and surrender is nothing but a daydream; I can say plainly that this barrier can withstand only one more strike before it shatters."

Translate: "\"To think we would go out and surrender bound‑handed is pure daydreaming; I can frankly say this barrier can withstand at most one more strike and will surely shatter. \""

"Whether to continue, decide quickly; the Twelve Ancestral Witches outside will not grant us much time."

Translate: "\"Whether to continue, I hope everyone decides soon—the Twelve Ancestor Wu outside the barrier will not grant us much time! \""

"How could you be willing to surrender? I have cultivated for so long; how could I accept such a fate!"

Translate: "\"Could it be that you are willing to surrender bound‑handed? After cultivating for so long, how could I willingly accept that! \""

The Twelve Ancestral Witches' blood and qi surged, their law power condensed, their faces fierce; Hongyun and the others, seeing them within the barrier, recognized the genuineness and began to panic.

Translate: "The Twelve Ancestor Wu's blood and qi surged endlessly, their law power condensed, their faces ferocious; Red Cloud and the others inside the barrier saw their appearance, not feigned, and their hearts instantly began to panic."

For cultivators, the ultimate attack is none other than thunder; thunder law is now the most common and yet most fearsome divine power in the hands of the innate gods, especially as Zhenyuanzi saw, the Twelve Ancestral Witches had already prepared, were gathering a second wave, and, looking at the crowd, Zhenyuanzi gritted his teeth and said:

Translate: "For cultivators, the ultimate means of attack is nothing but thunder; thunder techniques are now the most common—and also the most vicious—divine ability among the innate deities. Especially now, Zhenyuanzi has already seen that the Twelve Ancestor Wu have prepared themselves, are gathering strength for a second wave of assault; looking at the crowd before him, Zhenyuanzi gritted his teeth and said:"

The earth trembled without cease; countless fissures split from the west and spread outward, and for a moment the wails of countless beings filled the air.

Translate: "The earth kept shaking; countless fissures rose from the west and spread in all directions; in that moment, the wails of countless beings never ceased to reach the ears."

After Emperor Jun had arranged Yinglong and Qiming Changeng, he spoke again: "Where is Bai Ze?"

Translate: "After Di Jun had arranged Yinglong and Qiming Changeng, he spoke again: \"Where is Bai Ze? \""

Hongyun and the others exchanged glances, no longer hesitating; within the barrier, thunder roared.

Translate: "Red Cloud and the others exchanged glances, then without hesitation, within the barrier thunder roared loudly."

"By then, its meaning will differ here; Heaven will certainly not let us off lightly, or we will all die together!"

Translate: "\"By then, its meaning will differ from now; the Heavenly Court will certainly not let it go lightly—at worst we will die together. \""

"Those who assault the earth's embryonic membrane are none other than the Twelve Ancestral Witches of the Witch Clan; these barbarians, untrained in the Great Dao, likely do not recognize what this is, and their actions will bring what consequences?"

Translate: "\"Those who fiercely assault the earth's embryonic membrane are precisely the Twelve Ancestor Wu of the Wu Clan; those barbarians do not cultivate the Great Dao, likely they do not recognize what this is, and what consequences such behavior will bring. \""

Five‑colored lightning burst within the barrier, its power stacking up; in an instant, Jieyin and Zhunti's faces turned as pale as gold paper, devoid of any blood.

Translate: "Five‑colored thunder burst forth within the barrier, its power continually stacking; in that instant, Jieyin and Zhunti's faces turned ashen as gold paper, devoid of any blood."

"The divine bloodline of the Father God is inherited by the clan; today I shall die alongside you—what of it?"

Translate: "\"The bloodline of the Father God is inherited by clansmen; today I shall die alongside you—what of it? \""

Emperor Jun added: "In this matter, I will also have Xihe and Changxi, the two heavenly consorts, assist from the side, striving for a perfect resolution."

Translate: "Di Jun also said: \"I will also have Xi He and Chang Xi, the two heavenly consorts, assist from the side, striving to bring this matter to completion. \""

The black‑robed Daoist gritted his teeth and said: "Let us not concern ourselves with him; now that the heavenly court has interven

Translate: "The black‑robed Daoist gritted his teeth and said: \"Let us not concern ourselves with him; now that the Heavenly Court has intervened, if they continue to strike, the earth's embryonic membrane will shatter, and the meaning will be entirely different. \""

Fuxi smiled and said, "It is only natural; for the sake of heaven and earth, how could there be any talk of toil?"

Translate: "Fuxi smiled and said: \"Quite proper; for the sake of heaven and earth, there is no toil to speak of. \""

Withdrawing the barrier, Zhenyuanzi worries that Jieyin and Zhunti will escape, but if they continue to stubbornly hold on, the Twelve Ancestral Witches will certainly not relent.

Brother Zhenyuanzi, are you not joking? Who would dare to commit the great taboo of the world, forcefully attack the earth's embryonic membrane, and not fear karmic retribution, turning to ashes in the great calamity?

Inside the barrier, Red Cloud, Zhenyuanzi, and the others were also in turmoil; facing Di Jiang's words, they all felt inclined to retreat, yet they dared not readily agree.

Thinking of how it is said among the myriad tribes of the wilderness that the twelve ancestor witches are all forgetful of their origins, after they entered the West, all their actions were merely fawning upon the West, yet they gained nothing.

"I will obey the order." Di Jun nodded and then said, "Where is Shangyang?"

As for Jieyin and Zhunti, the two of them remained immersed in the scriptures, daring not to slacken in the slightest, fearing that a moment's carelessness would cause them to fall into the calamity.

Di Jun also finally relaxed a bit, opening his mouth to laugh: "Good."

"Let us tally the losses of this calamity among the wilderness, and together with the myriad tribes of the wilderness, do our utmost to rescue those affected this time."

Brothers, hear my command; within ten breaths, if they do not withdraw the barrier, we will join forces! Let us destroy this damned earth's embryonic membrane together!

A vast amount of resentment rose from the wilderness, rushing straight to the Heavenly Court; the heavenly realm was also shaken by the impact, and Di Jun, opening his eyes in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, let divine light break open the heavenly realm and fall straight into the wilderness.

At this moment, Zhenyuanzi also found himself in a dilemma; he believed in the defensive power of the Earth Scripture, and also believed that ordinary people would not dare to break the earth's embryonic membrane.

Everyone, do not hold back; at the very least, break Jieyin and Zhunti's turtle shell, otherwise after today, they will become mortal enemies!

At the same time, outside the barrier, the twelve ancestor witches struck again, the power of law combined with their surrounding blood and qi, smashing down heavily; the humming sound penetrated the barrier, stirring the red mist within into turmoil.

Received!

We will surely have no fear for our lives this time, yet we will certainly not be let off lightly; the losses will be enormous, and if we cannot obtain the benefits promised by Jieyin and Zhunti, would we not end up losing everything?

After we attain sainthood, or become the Primordial Infinite Luo Heavenly Venerable God, we shall then return to the wilderness; these present matters are but a trifle!

After a brief consideration, Di Jun spoke: "This disaster has spread far and wide; Emperor Qi still needs you to convey the Heavenly Court's will among the myriad water deities, letting them do their utmost to rescue the afflicted this time, and to bind water and fire."

Even within the Heavenly Court, when executing those of grave sins, they also employ thunderbolts to carry out the act of subduing demons.

In fact, it is only these headstrong youths of the Wu Clan who do not cultivate the Great Dao that dare to act; if they were ordinary innate deities or cultivators, they would certainly recognize this as the earth's embryonic membrane.

There is indeed a chance to attain sainthood; if we cannot succeed, thereafter in the wilderness there will be no place for us to stand!

Di Jun's voice echoed across the wilderness; at this moment, on Xifang Dalu, the twelve ancestor witches and Red Cloud, etc., naturally also heard Di Jun's words, and their hearts immediately felt uneasy.

Moreover, if it were not for your foolish rashness, how could we have fallen into this situation? This commotion that has startled the Heavenly Court is entirely due to your twelve ancestor witches!

Meanwhile, outside, the twelve ancestor witches finally arrived, gazing at the barrier descending before them; Di Jiang took the lead and said: "All brothers, join me in exerting force; we must not let Jieyin and Zhunti suffer!"

Moreover, the one who has provoked this great calamity is no trivial matter; relying solely on Yinglong, Qiming Changeng, etc., their strength may falter, and we still need you two to assist from the side.

Red Cloud and Zhenyuanzi instantly found themselves in a dilemma as well, while feeling intense resentment toward the twelve ancestor witches outside; if it were not for their lack of judgment, how could we have come to this point! Therefore, facing Di Jiang's words, Red Cloud angrily shouted: "Do not think you can gain an advantage from this; let me tell you, this barrier is formed from the earth's embryonic membrane; if it shatters, the entire wilderness will be affected!"

Only in this way do we have a chance to save ourselves; otherwise, falling into the hands of the Heavenly Court, with this soaring resentment and the Heavenly Court's strict laws, our cultivation would likely be lost in an instant!

Moreover, thunder techniques are usually also the core law within a tradition; they are not transmitted to those who do not inherit the tradition.

After Hou Tu spoke these words, the twelve ancestor witches immediately reached a consensus, the resentment in their hearts finding an outlet; Di Jiang stepped forward and said: "Are you going to withdraw the barrier now and roll out yourselves, or shall we continue to strike, dragging you out of the turtle shells? Anyway, we have already caused a great disaster; at worst, we will all die together!"

Upon hearing this, the twelve ancestor witches instantly flew into a rage; although they did not wish to attack the barrier, they had just reached a deal with Jieyin and Zhunti, having not yet enjoyed any benefit, and how could they allow them to die! If that were the case, would they not have switched allegiances for nothing, becoming a laughingstock in the wilderness?

However, the twelve ancestor witches are not ordinary people, and this object is controlled by Zhenyuanzi; if the earth's embryonic membrane were to be breached by someone, what would happen to the other side? Zhenyuanzi does not know, but he himself would certainly come to no good end.

You shall lead a hundred thousand heavenly troops, with Ji Meng, Jiu Ying, Fei Tan, and Ying Zhao as assistants, jointly apprehending the offenders; during this period, anyone who obstructs, whether participating or not, shall share the guilt and be put to death without mercy!

Ten!

Nine!

……

The atmosphere within the barrier grew ever more oppressive; Jieyin and Zhunti could no longer remain calm, rising from their lotus platforms one after another, unable to refrain from advising: "It would be best to swiftly withdraw the barrier; otherwise, if we truly come to that point, we would have no hope of survival!"

At this moment, whether inside or outside the barrier, hearts began to panic. (End of chapter)