Li Qing set to work at once, carving the apricot wood. From each tree, he took only the innermost inch of heartwood and etched strange patterns into it.
He then quietly buried these heartwood feng shui nails among the peaks, linking them with feng shui patterns.
Soon, one node was complete. Hidden among the rocks, it was all but impossible to notice.
Once the finishing touch was added, the nails would merge with the local earth vein, turning from solid to insubstantial for a short time and becoming a lightning node.
This time, Li Qing intended to lay out an enormous feng shui formation. Even he did not know how great a disturbance it would cause.
His work was not finished. Li Qing turned incorporeal and entered Muddled Peak, where he could see its entire earth vein.
The earth vein was thin and not particularly strong. Li Qing immediately got to work.
He reached a point beneath the formation node. The node had already become part of the lightning-drawing formation, and a faint energy was gathering at its center.
Li Qing took out a lightning-struck stone covered in intricate markings. It was the final touch the node needed.
He placed the stone where the earth vein ended at the summit. Once the formation node began drawing in lightning, the stone would attract it and channel it straight into the earth vein.
With the stone in place, a faint energy spread through the formation. It joined with the stone and the earth vein, gradually turning from insubstantial to solid as it dissolved into the summit.
His work there complete, Li Qing followed the earth vein toward the next node.
A busy stretch lay ahead.
In White Mist City, the Blood Jade Daoist looked grave.
"No. My power can't budge this stone