In central Yuyang, north of Guangzhou Prefecture, lay Qingyuan Commandery.
The mighty North River flowed down from the north, passing through Qingyuan and by a mountain.
The great river stretched like a sash; the mountain rose in overlapping green screens. Its mass was rounded and whole, its verdant ridges winding, forever shrouded in mist from the water. From afar, it resembled a giant softshell turtle bearing a book; viewed from above, it looked like a jade-green phoenix spreading its plumes.
Whenever the sky was clear at dawn or dusk, brilliant rosy light spilled over the mountains and waters. The light mingled with mountain haze and river mist, forming rainbow waves that raced, shifted, and swept between the peaks, creating a scene of "racing waves and flying rosy clouds." Hence its name, Feixia Mountain.
There were also two other legends. One held that an immortal had once refined elixirs here, their elixir qi as brilliant as the morning clouds, giving the mountain its name. The other said an ancient immortal had comprehended the Dao here and "risen upon rosy clouds to ascend" from its summit, hence the name.
This mountain had originally been shared by the lesser Dao of Alchemy sects of Yuyang. Twelve sects, including the Azure Rosy Clouds Sect, Five Branches Sect, and Verdant Subtlety Sect, had settled here. Once, it had been extraordinarily lively, filled with an air of peace. Especially when the furnaces were opened each morning and evening, Cinnabar Smoke rose everywhere, flying alongside the rosy clouds in a magnificent, dazzling display—one of Yuyang's finest sights.
But when the demonic tide arose, the Southern School came with overwhelming force, occupying the North River and sweeping both banks. The lesser sects on Feixia Mountain scattered like birds and beasts, and the mountain became a den of demon