Yeah, I think it's called The Wandering Inn, this webnovel that has millions of words and counting, and a hugely devoted fanbase? I wish I knew what worked for them! How you find those readers that just want a story to keep going forever. Maybe it's something about the story being more episodic? But soap operas are also never-ending stories with devoted fans, and though they have literal episodes, they're really not episodic in that storylines go on forever with no resolution.
But anyway, I think most people are probably more like you and honestly like me a lot of the time when I'm considering adopting a new series. Ironically, we're the ones saying "here for a good time, not for a long time," to the 200-chapter series 