Houtu was not only the Master of Reincarnation. She had once been the Ancestral Witch of Earth who commanded the Earth Law, the Earth Emperor revered by all living things upon the land. Countless races worshipped her, and the Human Race, which had sought the Witch Race's protection in its early years and intermarried with them many times, was naturally among them.
Besides Houtu, humans also worshipped Lady Nuwa, who had created them, and the Supreme Pure Sage, who had taught them the Golden Core Great Way and established the principles of human relationships. Even many powerful beings outside the Witch and Demon Races had a certain number of human worshippers.
And this Suiming Tribe clearly had greater faith in Houtu than in Nuwa or Taiqing.
This difference stemmed from the Nuwa Tribe's slaughter at the hands of the Demon Race. Forced to relocate deep into the Southern Wastes, it gradually lost control over the other human tribes, leaving them to develop independently. Over time, their beliefs began to diverge as well.
Of course... however different they became, they were still broadly alike. Although the Suiming Tribe placed the greatest faith in Houtu, it still made offerings to Nuwa and Laozi at the appointed times.
Returning to the matter at hand, the tribespeople kneeling before Houtu's statue prayed, "Empress, we haven't seen the sun for a very long time. Every day, members of our tribe freeze to death. Please, in consideration of the offerings our Suiming Tribe has made for so many years, manifest your power and save us. We beg you, Empress."
"Thud! Thud! Thud!..." Their chief led the prayer, and once he finished, everyone repeatedly kowtowed to the statue together.
"Whoosh~" As they kowtowed, another cold wind swept through. Above their heads, dark clouds blanketed the sky and