Being a highly resourceful individual, Niu Chang utilized the turmoil in his heart as a catalyst to develop a new technique. This technique needed to be distinct from others, reflecting his role as the chosen one in the eyes of the world. The strength of the technique would be directly proportional to the amount of destruction he caused.
Contemplating this, Niu Chang recollected something from his past life. 'What was it again? The four horsemen of the apocalypse?'
'Yes, I can draw inspiration from them. Wherever I go, destruction will follow,' he decided.
Within the depths of his mind, a chaotic world unfolded, mirrored by a replica of the current Yellow Soil Village—a place plagued by poverty and desolate inhabitants.
In the midst of this scene, Niu Chang stood alone, facing a flickering shadow devoid of a fixed form. This figure represented the core concept of the technique he aimed to create.
"What should it resemble? A horseman? Or something else?" Niu Chang pondered, attempting to mold it according to his preferences. He envisioned a skeleton riding a pristine white horse, then transformed it into a beggar dressed in tattered clothes. He continued altering the figure to suit his taste, but his creative instincts told him that none of the iterations matched the image he desired.
After contemplating for a while, he finally realized the simplest solution. "That's it! Since I don't know, I'll let it develop independently. Don't I enjoy this kind of path? I wonder what it will manifest as when I reach the final stage of my journey."
With his decision made, Niu Chang waved his hand, and the shapeless figure began to wander on its own, seeking to comprehend whether it had erred or made the correct choice.
At one point, it stopped within a house and hovered there, observing the hollow shells of the family that resided there.
"I wonder if all the techniques I create now or in the future can somehow transform into living beings. The lush tree could morph into an animal or humanoid creature, and the shrine maiden already has her own path to follow."
"Excellent, this way I'll have numerous companions as I tread this path," Niu Chang smiled, envisioning the future he had imagined.
With the core concept established, it was time to create the skill. Niu Chang possessed an abundance of inspiration, enough to conceive a skill effortlessly. It was a combination of ease and difficulty—he simply needed inspiration, and a skill would manifest seemingly out of nowhere, just as a fantasy power should.
It all hinged on energy. As long as one fixated enough on the desired form of thought, the energy would naturally follow that path and influence the outside world accordingly. Naturally, this method only worked in low fantasy settings where there were no fixed rules dictating how magic should behave.
Based on Niu Chang's knowledge, this world belonged to the low-tier xianxia genre, where the limits of qi usage were non-existent. In another story, the protagonist unexpectedly inherited the powers of the Divine Illumination Dragon Emperor, Chaotic Phoenix, Primordial Desolate King, and other divine beings.
The atmosphere in the village grew oppressive, manifesting the weight of fate, which was not meant to occur. "This future shouldn't come to pass, just as it won't in the future," Niu Chang whispered to himself, unable to discern whether it affected only him or others as well.
"Eh? That's a good idea!" Niu Chang suddenly had a revelation. He manipulated the air in the vicinity, causing it to stir according to his will. It began to infiltrate the deeper layers of reality, where only various points and lines existed—the fabric of fate.
Each point represented a variable, while each line represented their connections. As the foul and repulsive air permeated the fabric of fate, the lines and points attempted to defend themselves against external interference. However, their efforts proved futile within Niu Chang's mental domain, where he held the power of a god.
Helplessly, the fabric of fate succumbed to the foul air, altering the course of events. The future changed, as did the present, but the past remained unaffected. Yet, for Niu Chang, this was sufficient.
"I shall name this skill 'Fated Failure'..." he hesitated momentarily before modifying it slightly. "No, let's call it 'Plaguing Misfortune.'"
Niu Chang focused his mind and exited his mental space. When he opened his eyes, the world seemed different. Qiuyue stood trembling behind him, hesitant to approach.
Niu Chang turned to gaze at the bewildered Qiuyue, about to say something when he heard the adorable cry of a small animal.
"Kya!"
Unable to contain herself any longer, Qiuyue crumbled under the weight of the strange and enigmatic pressure emanating from Niu Chang. As usual, whenever he activated a skill for the first time, it went awry, often proving too powerful for casual use.
This time was no different—Qiuyue had been innocently observing her surroundings when a sense of impending danger overwhelmed her. Yet, upon realizing that the threat emanated from her savior, she found herself torn on how to react.
Refusing to back down, she could only suffer under the weight of Niu Chang's aura.
Recognizing the cause, Niu Chang employed his Authority to suppress the aura surrounding his body. He then approached Qiuyue and helped her up.
"Are you okay?" he asked kindly.
Qiuyue obediently nodded, though the tears in her eyes betrayed her true feelings. Niu Chang found it rather endearing and considered teasing her further, but decided against it. Qiuyue was currently in her infancy, and any negative memories would leave a lasting impact on her future personality.
Assisting Qiuyue to her feet, Niu Chang entered the house to retrieve his sack. Soon after, he emerged, prepared to depart. However, he paused, glancing once again at the charred corpse at the doorstep.
'It was indeed her,' he thought. As a reader himself, Niu Chang deduced that Qin Qing's peculiar condition marked her as a notable side character.
After contemplating for a moment, he resolved to take her aboard his ship. Niu Chang had a weakness for special and unique things, and Qin Qing's hints of possessing a unique constitution motivated him to revive her.
However, his intentions were not purely charitable. Everyone aboard his ship, except himself, served a purpose and was considered his follower.
With that in mind, he destroyed Qin Qing's head and brought along her headless, charred body.
"Let's go," Niu Chang commanded.
Qiuyue followed closely behind, carrying the sack after dressing herself.
Exiting the village, Niu Chang pondered their next destination. 'The nearest city is Heichen City, but is that the best choice?'
Having read numerous stories, Niu Chang harbored disdain for one particular narrative element. It irked him when the main character would journey to the next location solely to suffer and captivate the reader's attention.
These main characters would often pursue one or more of the following: attract a beautiful woman from a high-status background, participate in an auction, uncover a major scandal within the city, or stumble upon a once-in-a-millennium event.
In essence, it was a mechanism to inject excitement into an otherwise mundane existence while simultaneously granting the main character a power boost.
However, Niu Chang found such developments futile and devoid of purpose. Since his cultivation path deviated from the norm, and he required a bountiful harvest, he deemed it unnecessary to follow the tedious conventions that resulted in needless suffering.
Having made up his mind, he declared, 'Let's dig a hole and cultivate until I become immensely powerful. Then, I'll venture forth to reap karma points from the world.'
The area surrounding Yellow Soil Village should be avoided due to its abnormality, and Yellow Village was not a viable option either, being the closest to the city. This left the third village in the area—Yellow Rock Village.
Niu Chang considered asking Qiuyue if she hailed from Yellow Rock Village but decided against it, not wanting her to recall more useless memories.
He had heard various stories about Yellow Rock Village, with one of the most prominent being the strange stone that had captivated a passing martial artist.
With this in mind, Niu Chang chose to establish his underground cave away from the yellow mound area, specifically between Yellow Soil Village and Yellow Rock Village. However, he erred on the side of caution, deviating slightly from the straight line connecting the two villages.
Lost in thought during their journey, Niu Chang jokingly considered a certain possibility. 'This world wouldn't go to such lengths just to introduce conflicts and keep readers entertained, would it?'