Contents
- 1Biodata
- 2Geography and Environment
- 2.1Access and Supplies
- 3Notable Locations
- 3.1Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well
- 3.2Golden Spirit Ancient Tree's Habitat
- 4Notable Soul Beasts and Resources
- 5Human Activity and Dangers
- 5.1Hunting and Training
- 5.2Banditry and Enforcement
- 6Story Role
- 6.1First Expedition and the Wounded-Beast Windfall
- 6.2Return with Ghost and Chrysanthemum Douluo
- 6.3Yu Chenglong and Zheng Datong's Training Expedition
- 7Conservation and Respect for Soul Beasts
Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Sunset Forest |
| Original Name | 落日森林 |
| Type | Forest and soul beast habitat 18 604 |
| Location | Outside Heaven Dou City; the city's western gate is the closest gate to the forest 11 604 |
| Notable Sites | Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well; Golden Spirit Ancient Tree's habitat; an outskirts supply area 37 68 694 |
| Primary Uses | Soul ring hunting, practical combat training, and gathering cultivation resources 11 18 28 628 |
| First Appearance | Mentioned in Du Bai's plans 4; first directly depicted when Du Bai and Bibi Dong arrive 18 |
Geography and Environment
- Outer region: Inhabited by ten-year and hundred-year soul beasts. Thousand-year beasts also appear farther inside the outer perimeter 19 604.
- Outer–inner boundary: Contains a mixture of weaker beasts and dangerous specimens approaching ten thousand years of cultivation 669.
- Inner region: Densely vegetated, with towering ancient trees, large spiders, insects, and distant birdcalls 613.
- Central region: A favored roaming area for soul beasts over fifty thousand years old and the location of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well 37.
- Relative abundance: Sunset Forest has fewer soul beasts than Star Dou Great Forest, where beasts over fifty thousand years old are easier to encounter 11.
- Night conditions: Soul beasts become especially active after dark. Although nighttime entry is common, many hunters withdraw or wait in the outer regions until morning 18 573 762.
Access and Supplies
- A supply area on the outskirts serves as a gathering place where hunters exchange news and form teams 68.
- Yu Chenglong estimates that reaching the forest from Heaven Dou City alone would take him half a day. With Du Bai transporting him, the journey takes approximately three quarters of an hour 604.
- The forest provides ordinary food and seasoning ingredients: Du Bai's clones hunt rabbits and gather herbs for the group's breakfast 633.
Notable Locations
Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well
- Located in the forest's central region and associated with Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, who considers it secure under his protection 19 37.
- Surrounded by a Poison Array. During their first search, Du Bai and Bibi Dong find no soul beasts living within the poisonous mist 42 573.
- Contains rare immortal flowers and herbs, including Aromatic Silk Beauty, Infernal Delicate Apricot, Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, and Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum 11.
- Proper consumption of these herbs can strengthen the body and increase Soul Power 11.
- Du Bai targets the site both for its cultivation resources and for the possibility of winning Chrysanthemum Douluo's support with the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum 11.
Golden Spirit Ancient Tree's Habitat
- Home to a towering, sentient fruit-bearing soul beast whose trunk is so broad that ten people can barely encircle it 694 696.
- Its spiritual fruits attract both soul beasts and hunters. A Hell White Tiger and Golden Scaled Flood Dragon fight near the tree, while three soul masters die after attempting to take its fruit 673 694 695.
- After subduing the tree, Du Bai leaves it in place temporarily and promises to relocate it to his future faction's territory 699.
- The tree supplies a floating, eyed Guiding Leaf to lead Du Bai's group to its enemy, the Fire Monkey, and later guide them back 703 713.
Notable Soul Beasts and Resources
| Beast or resource | Documented age | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Ghost Vine | 700 years | Wang Ye's team takes an injured specimen from a weaker hunter and kills it for its soul ring 26. |
| Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent | 700 years | Provides Meng Yiran's second soul ring and the skill Ensnaring Profundity 26. |
| Phoenix Pattern Demon Python | 30,000 years | Its corpse yields a body spirit bone and draws Shi Nian's attention 28. |
| Evil Dragon Winged Mosquito | 55,000 years | One of Du Bai's principal soul ring gains from his first expedition 64. |
| Poisonous Spider | 100 years | A washbasin-sized, highly venomous beast that demonstrates the forest's danger to the newly arrived Zheng Datong 619. |
| Soil Monster Fish | Approximately 3,000 years | Swims through earth rather than water and ambushes a Giant Tail Lizard 639 640. |
| Myriad Phenomena Poison Devouring Demonic Mosquito | 2,500 years | Provides Yu Chenglong's third soul ring, raising him to level 32 and granting Demonic Mosquito Poison Tide 662. |
| Blazing Tiger | Not specified | Provides Sun Meilan's third soul ring 671. |
| Golden Scaled Flood Dragon | Thousand-year | Provides Zheng Datong with a soul ring; Du Bai discovers a rare Beast Core in its body 677. |
| Hell White Tiger | Thousand-year | Gives Zheng Datong a soul skill and soul bone that he later wishes to honor 673 693. |
| Golden Spirit Ancient Tree | Not specified | Produces Golden Spirit Fruits and submits to Du Bai 699 702. |
| Fire Monkey / Fire Demon Lord | Approximately 3,000 years | The ancient tree's enemy, hunted for Zheng Datong's third soul ring 702 703 706. |
Human Activity and Dangers
Hunting and Training
- Family groups, hired hunting teams, and academy expeditions all enter the forest for soul rings. Early visitors include the Peerless Dragon Snake with Meng Yiran and Shi Nian with seven Canghui Academy students 18 28.
- Suitable soul beasts are not always easy to find, even with a powerful escort; Zheng Datong's group searches extensively despite Du Bai's protection 669 672.
- Powerful cultivation pressure can deter nearby beasts. Du Bai also uses patrolling clones and the bodies of slain attackers to protect a cultivation camp 628 762.
Banditry and Enforcement
- Sun Youcheng states that soul master patrols from the Heaven Dou Empire and Spirit Hall operate in the area, and that Spirit Hall can investigate missing registered soul masters 641.
- Patrols do not eliminate predation by other hunters: masked soul masters attempt to use Sun Youcheng's team as human bait for a soul beast 641.
- Seven bandit soul masters later block Du Bai's group and demand valuables as a toll. Du Bai subsequently proposes handing them over to the nearby Spirit Hall Forest Enforcement Team 714 736.
Story Role
First Expedition and the Wounded-Beast Windfall
Du Bai first plans to visit Sunset Forest for the immortal herbs at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. He and Bibi Dong enter at night, ostensibly to hunt suitable soul rings. Rather than immediately approaching Dugu Bo's sanctuary, Du Bai delays to improve his shooting and make the eventual discovery appear accidental 4 11 18 23.
His firearms practice leaves numerous wounded soul beasts throughout the forest. Other hunters exploit the opportunity: Meng Yiran obtains a superior soul ring, Canghui Academy's students gain practical combat experience, and weaker hunters compete over injured prey. Rumors attribute the injuries to a powerful expert venting after heartbreak 26 28.
By the expedition's end, Du Bai counts a fifty-five-thousand-year soul ring, two spirit bones, the Well's immortal herbs, and the Peerless Dragon Snake couple's discipleship among his gains. He and Bibi Dong leave for Heaven Dou City, hearing hunters discuss the wounded beasts at the supply area. News of those injuries also alerts Dugu Bo that powerful visitors have been active near his sanctuary 64 68 69.
Return with Ghost and Chrysanthemum Douluo
Du Bai later lures Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo back to the forest with a story about a herb-filled secret realm. Accompanied by Bibi Dong, they travel to the Poison Array at night; their combined auras keep both beasts and other soul masters from interfering along the way 572 573.
Yu Chenglong and Zheng Datong's Training Expedition
Du Bai returns with Yu Chenglong to raise his cultivation and obtain his third soul ring. Zheng Datong subsequently joins their forest camp, where cultivation proceeds under the protection of Du Bai's clones 604 625 628.
The expedition expands into a joint hunting journey with Sun Youcheng's group. Yu Chenglong and Sun Meilan obtain their third soul rings, while Zheng Datong acquires rings from exceptional beasts. The group also encounters the Golden Spirit Ancient Tree, which Du Bai subdues and promises to relocate 635 662 671 677 699.
On a later nighttime approach to the tree, Du Bai detects two powerful soul masters ahead, including a Titled Douluo stronger than himself. He suspects Ning Fengzhi is accompanied by either Sword Douluo or Bone Douluo; their identities remain unconfirmed at that point 762.
Conservation and Respect for Soul Beasts
- After setting trees alight, Zheng Datong hurriedly acts to extinguish the fire rather than leave the damage unattended 692.
- He argues that Sunset Forest deserves protection because it sustains both soul beasts and generations of soul masters. Sun Meilan initially dismisses damage to a few trees but later accepts his position 693.
- Zheng Datong carries the Fire Demon Lord's remains back for burial beside the Golden Scaled Flood Dragon. Sun Youcheng supports allowing beasts born in the forest to remain there after death 713.
“This splendid Sunset Forest has nurtured countless soul beasts and produced countless soul masters. We should treat it with respect and must not destroy it!”
— Zheng Datong 693