"This can't be real.....!"

Li Ming mumbled as she glared at the stream flowing below the bridge.

The black water of the stream stared back at her as it mocked her for her constant failures. It already had been years and she still was not able to change anything about the condition of the Demon Realm.

The worst part was that she could feel the power of the darkness that was growing inside the Demon Realm.

The black mist had been silent for quite some time by now, however, Li Ming knew in her heart that something big was about to happen.

It was the silence before the storm!

"You are acting as if you have been summoned to war rather than an Imperial banquet in the Heaven Realm." Zhang Yong commented with a chuckle as he pulled her back against his chest, securing the girl in his embrace.

"Easy for you to say. It's not like you are the one who's going to meet your in-laws." Li Ming muttered back in reply as she relaxed a little against his warm body.

A soft chuckle escaped the fourth Prince's lips. He rubbed her hands with tenderness as he spoke, "You have already met with First Senior Brother's Mom and Brother Wen's sister. Not only that, but the two of them also think highly of you. There's really no need for you to be this nervous. Moreover, it's impossible for anyone to not like you."

A small smile appeared on Li Ming's lips but her heart and mind were still not ready to calm down.

Her eyes landed on a group of little demon kids who were collecting stones from the bank of the stream at some distance from the bridge.

As she noticed their malnourished states, a sigh of exasperation escaped her lips.

"You are worried about the Demon Realm, right?" Zhang Yong questioned her when he noticed the sadness that was evident on her face as she gazed at the group of children.

"It's the first time I've failed completely in finding any kind of solution. No matter how hard I tried, it's never enough. I can see the worry that's eating up Ruoshan and Hei Long even though both of them pretend to be normal around me. I can see the poison that this black mist is spreading here. I can see how the darkness is on the verge of destroying this realm. But I can do nothing about all this."

The Shadow Lord's arms tightened around her as if he was trying to protect her from the sadness that was destroying her happiness.

"That's not true. We all have seen you working so hard just to find a way to provide a better life to the people of this realm and you have been doing this from the very beginning. If not for you, this realm would be in even worse condition now."

He was not only trying to console her, in fact, he was speaking the truth. He believed what he was saying and he knew that his brothers had the same thoughts.

A chuckle broke out through Li Ming's lips. However, Zhang Yong could tell that there was no happiness hidden behind it.

"If not for me, the Demon Realm and its Rulers would never have suffered this much."

Her voice was filled with raw emotions. She hated herself for the current condition of the Demon Realm. And whenever she noticed Hei Long trying to hide his pain, her hate for herself only increased.

Zhang Yong pulled the girl to turn and face him. He could feel her pain, sadness, discomfort, and helplessness through their bond.

"What are you talking about, Mingming?" He asked as he tried to read her eyes which were brimming with emotions.

Li Ming took a deep breath as she started telling Zhang Yong about the Valkyrie who tried to curse her and how Hei Long saved her from the curse.

By the time she finished, silence had taken over their surroundings. The group of children could no longer be seen anywhere and Li Ming could feel the heaviness of her story settling over her.

"How can you tell that what you saw was not a trick and a reality that you forgot?" Zhang Yong asked after the silence of a few minutes.

His hands were still protectively wrapped around her waist and the soft circles that his fingers were drawing in her waist were helping her relax a little.

"Because after watching this portion of my past, everything is making sense. Also, I can easily recognize my own segment of memory. Moreover, I have already confirmed it with Kara. There was no trick in this. The Valkyrie wanted to me know exactly what was happening here and why."

Li Ming answered his question as she looked around their surroundings. She could feel the dark mist laughing at her for her helplessness.

"From the very first day, I came across this black mist, I found it familiar. However, no matter how hard I tried, I just could not recognize it, not until I got to see my locked memories." She softly spoke as she sneakily tried to get a grip on the black mist.

However, the darkness was way much smarter than she thought. It successfully avoided her spells and power to stay hidden.

"Damn it!"

Li Ming cursed out loud when she felt a sizzling fire attacking her spiritual qi, making her hiss out in pain.

Zhang Yong immediately pulled her closer to his chest as he pulled a protection ward around both of them. His eyes eagerly looking around their surroundings.

"It's alright. I was trying to pinpoint the location of the core of the black mist and I think it did not like my invasion." She told the Prince with a small smile on her lips.

She watched as Zhang Yong's shoulders relaxed a little at her words.

The Shadow Lord looked straight into the deep eyes of the girl as he spoke, "Don't try anything stupid. We will work together to fight this, okay?"

He wanted a promise from her, a promise which stated that she would not endanger her life.

She felt warmth surrounding her heart as she realized how protective her bondmate had become.

With a soft smile on her face, she nodded her head in agreement.

First, she needed to pass the trial of the Golden Banquet that would be taking place in the Heaven Realm, and then, she would kick out the damn Valkyrie from the Immortal World!