It has been stated that zanpaktous are independant spirits/souls born in their wielder's soul.Originally Posted by Kraco
As such they probably meant their powers do not need their wielder's power.
But it is true that we do not know how these now totally independant zanpaktous replenish their energy. For shinigami, one would think eat and sleep. But for those zanpaktous it's hard to tell.
Unless the burden is all on Muramasa, explaining his state at times, bloody eyes after a zampktou fight and his seeking for energy.