After Tang Sanzang and his disciples obtained the sacred scriptures, they returned safely to Chang'an. It should have been a joyous occasion for all under heaven. But three hundred years later, when the Buddha passed into Nirvana, a sudden upheaval rocked the world. Wutian, leader of the demonic sect, arrived without warning, seized the sacred site of Mount Ling, and proclaimed himself the "Buddha Ancestor Wutian." He then told the demons: "In thirty-three years, the Tathagata will return with the help of the reincarnated spirit child. He will gather the seventeen Sarira and once again return to the Three Realms." Their goal was to seize the seventeen Sarira, kill the reincarnated spirit child, and rule the Three Realms.
