The Sun in the Dark Episode 1 Recap
> The Sun in the Dark Recap
In a vast, snowy landscape, Bai Xiaoying recalls her childhood, where she was ostracized as a monster because her blood could corrode anything it touched. The villagers, calling her Night Clan filth, demanded she leave. Frightened, she asked her mother if she was truly a monster, but her mother embraced her, urging her to live on and prove them all wrong. Their world was shattered when dark mists descended upon the village, heralding the arrival of the Night Deity.
When Bai Xiaoying awoke, it was to a scene of carnage; her mother lay dead, having shielded her with her own body. The Night Deity, Ye Chenyuan, appeared, surprised to find a survivor. Fueled by grief, Bai Xiaoying vowed to kill him. Intrigued by her defiance, Ye Chenyuan spared her life, telling her his name and welcoming her to seek revenge whenever she was ready.
To avenge her mother, Bai Xiaoying understood she had only one path: climb the treacherous Immortal Steps to reach an immortal sect and cultivate the power to defeat Ye Chenyuan. She endured the grueling ascent, her hands torn and bleeding. High above in the Nine Heavens, two immortals observed her progress. They noted that despite having no immortal root, she was the first mortal in thirty thousand years to climb so high.
Just as they spoke, Bai Xiaoying collapsed from exhaustion. One of the immortals, Yun Ya, descended to her side. He recognized a bracelet on her wrist—the Clear Spirit Ring he had given her as a child after the massacre. He had found her then, a small girl who warned him away for fear of her own corrosive blood, and had given her the ring to seal her unusual power so she could live a normal life.
When Bai Xiaoying awoke, she immediately recognized Yun Ya as the immortal who had helped her years ago. She declared her unwavering purpose for seeking immortality: to kill the Night Deity. Though Yun Ya pointed out her lack of an immortal root made cultivation nearly impossible, he was moved by her incredible resolve. She pleaded with him to teach her, and he agreed, accepting her as a disciple.
He introduced himself as Yun Ya, an Upper Immortal of Nine Heavens, and told her to call him Master. Life in the Nine Heavens was not easy for a mortal. During a training session on Water Condensation, other disciples, particularly a senior named Wanyan, mocked her. Bai Xiaoying's Clear Spirit Ring accidentally fell off, and Wanyan picked it up, calling it a filthy mortal object and blaming Bai Xiaoying for its presence.
To protect her from punishment, Yun Ya stepped in, claiming he had crafted the ring during his travels and that its clasp had simply come loose. Later, he privately returned the repaired ring to Bai Xiaoying, fastening it back on her wrist himself and advising her to avoid trouble. The peace was broken when Ye Chenyuan, his power now greatly enhanced, led the Night Clan in an assault on the Nine Heavens to seize the legendary Divine Sword.
A fierce battle erupted. Seeing her mother's killer, Bai Xiaoying was consumed by hatred and attempted to break through the protective barrier around the fight. Using her own corrosive blood, she burned a hole in the shield and lunged toward him. However, both she and Ye Chenyuan were pulled into the Divine Sword itself. Bai Xiaoying came to inside the sword's spiritual realm, where she found herself face-to-face with Ye Chenyuan.
She attacked him in a rage, but he effortlessly parried her strikes. He was puzzled by her presence and, more crucially, frustrated that the Divine Sword would not obey him but seemed to respond to her, preventing his escape. He warned her that the space amplified her hatred and could destroy her from within, but she could not let go of her desire for vengeance.
Losing patience, Ye Chenyuan used her as a conduit to escape, breaking free from the sword as a spirit. His physical body, however, remained trapped inside. Now invisibly tethered to Ye Chenyuan's spirit, Bai Xiaoying found herself back in the Nine Heavens. She cried out for help, shouting that the Night Deity was there, but when Yun Ya and the others arrived, they could only see her. Ye Chenyuan threatened to kill her master instantly if she exposed him.
Trapped, Bai Xiaoying was forced to lie, claiming she had simply gotten lost near the forbidden area while eagerly trying to practice her skills to assist everyone against the Night Deity. Wanyan accused her of causing a disturbance and demanding she be punished. Seeing no other way out, Bai Xiaoying accepted the blame. Yun Ya reluctantly ordered her to be flogged twenty times. Later, a kind disciple named Rourou helped the injured Bai Xiaoying back to her quarters.
Ye Chenyuan's spirit was still there, bound to her. As she tended to her wounds, Bai Xiaoying realized her grim situation also presented an unparalleled opportunity. With her greatest enemy now inescapably by her side, she began to plot how she could finally kill him.
